Even after the defeat of the First Home Rule Bill in 1886, Charles Stewart Parnell remained very much in control of the Home Rule Party. However, in 1877 an attempt was made to discredit him by means of the Pigott Forgeries. Fortunately Richard Pigott in 1889 admitted to forging the letters, which implicated that Parnell approved of the Phoenix Park Murders (in 1882, where Lord Frederick Cavendish who was Chief Secretary at that time and Thomas Henry Burke were stabbed to death while talking a walk through the Phoenix Park.) Parnell was clearly innocent as his popularity rose." The public now regarded him as the "Uncrowned King of Ireland". However, this was only the first step in Parnell’s decline. The major contribution to his fall was his liaison with Katherine O’Shea.

Katherine was born in 1845 in Essex, England. Her father, Sir John Page wood was a clergyman and her mother Emma was an artist and was a remarkable woman, very strong and dominant through her life. "Katherine (Kitty) O’Shea was the last of thirteen children, eight of whom were alive in 1845". The family moved from a damp vicarage at Cressing in Essex to a mansion at Rivenhall Place. Although they lived well they were in fact short of money. This was illustrated in the fact that her elder sister, Maria Wood married Sir John’s uncle Benjamin who was a very wealthy man. From then on the family called Maria Aunt Ben.

"In many ways Katherine’s childhood was idyllic" she was educated at home which was not at all usual in these Victorian times. While she often fell neglected by her mother she was her fathers pet.

Katherine first met Captain William Henry O’Shea when she was visiting her brother Franks regiment with her sister Anna. She did not seem to be impressed with him on this occasion but they did meet again and in 1867 she married him. The marriage failed as her husband was constantly absent from their home, leaving Katherine to cope on her own. It is believed that he was drinking and gambling binges, which eventually led to their bankruptcy. In 1875 they began effectively living apart. Captain O’Shea moved to a London apartment while Katherine was yet to find her true love.

She first met Parnell when she went to the House of Commons with her sister Anna. She describes their first encounter: "He came out, a tall, gaunt figure, thin and deadly pale. He looked straight at me, smiling and his curiously burning eyes looked in to mine with a wonderful intentness." It was undoubtedly love at first sight. That hot July month in 1880 was to be the starting point of a long complicated relationship. In 1881 the couple began living together for short periods of time. Katherine had found the type of companionship she had always longed for. At the same time she gave Parnell "a genuinely passionate love, the atmosphere and comfort of a home, the felling which he had lacked all his life that there was one at least where he leave politics behind, lower his guard, and be at peace."

On 13^th October 1881 Parnell was arrested and put in Kilmainham jail. "Parnell wrote a letter to Kitty O’Shea on the morning of his arrest. In it he stated that "Politically it is a fortunate thing for me that I have been arrested, as the movement is breaking fast." "On a more personal view, Parnell was devastated about the arrest, as Katherine was heavily pregnant with their first child. On 16 February she gave birth to a baby boy whom she named Claude Sophie. Sadly the child died shortly after birth. Katherine was devastated and Parnell got out on Parole to pay a secret visit to her. This tragic incident made him more eager to get out of prison and he was eventually released after the Kilmainham Treaty. Between 1883 and 1884 Katherine gave birth to two healthy girls and the couple began living together permanently in 1886.

On Christmas Eve 1889, however "Captain O’Shea filed a petition for divorce from his wife, citing the nationalist leader as a co-respondent." However, it was wondered why he had waited so long for the divorce. On 30 December 1889 a statement was made in the Freemans Journal "Captain O’Shea was always aware that he (Parnell) was constantly there (Mrs. O’Shea’s house at Eltham) in his absence from 1880 to 1886,and since 1886 he was known that Mr.Parnell constantly resided there 1880 to 1886. "It is believed that the delay was due to the great sum of money Katherine expected to inherit from Aunt Ben. They had often relied on her in the past for financial support.

Mrs. Woods died on 19^th May 1889 but she left her fortune to Katherine in such a way that Captain O’Shea was not legally entitled to share. "So when other aggrieved relatives decided to challenge the will, O’Shea joined forces with them." In 1881 Katherine gave Henry Harrison an account of the whole affair and she informed him that O’Shea would have called off the suit and allowed her to divorce if she was willing to give him a settlement of $20,000.Katherine refused and consequently O’Shea filed for divorce. The case began on the 15 November 1890. Throughout the trial both Parnell and Katherine remained silent as they longed for it to be over so that they could marry each other. They believed that Parnell would not be found guilty in the end, however this was not the case. Parnell was named as a co-respondent. "Parnell and Katherine O’Shea married in June 1891" at a Registry office in Stenyning.

After the liberals got word that Parnell was found to be the guilty party they sent Justin McCarthy to warn him to retire from politics as they feared they would loose the next election and Home Rule would be postponed for a prolonged period of time. "Parnell would not resign and insisted that he be allowed keep his private life separate from his political life". The Home Rule party in two: for and against Parnell. He fought to remain leader of the party but he was unsuccessful. Around this time his health also failed him, "But death was nearer than anybody thought and on the 6^th October 1891, aged only forty-five, he died at Brighton in the arms of his wife, Katherine".

After Parnell’s death Katherine suffered from a nervous breakdown and disappeared from public life. She died in 1921 after spending her last few years moving from rented house to rented house all over the south coast of England.

It is hard to believe the significant role the relationship between Katherine and Parnell had on Irish history. It affected both their lives in different ways. Around the time Parnell met Katherine his political career was at a height. The affair was considered unacceptable at the time and when Parnell was found guilty of adultery the majority of the English government and the republic turned their back on him after previously supporting him. One might come to the conclusion that "it was therefore Captain O’Shea and the divorce case alone which brought down Parnell. Nothing else at that time could have undermined his leadership". If the liaison had never happened Parnell might have remained leader of the Home Rule Party for a longer period of time and he might have achieved Home Rule for Ireland.

On the other hand, if Katherine had never met Parnell she might have never entered Irish history, maybe she have resolved her problems with Captain O’Shea and her life would have been a lot different. As it remains some people blame her for Parnell’s downfall while others see her as a heroine and a remarkable women of her time.

Hartigan, M. and Fee, G., (1986) Ireland 1868-1970, School and College Publishing, Dublin.

Tierney, Mark (1988) C .S. Parnell, Gill and Macmillan Ltd., Dublin.

McCartney, Donal, (1991) Parnell, The politics of power, Wolfhound Press, Dublin.

One of the sources used for this essay was the book Parnell: The politics of power. Donal McCarthy wrote this in 1991. This book is a biography of Parnell’s life from the 1840s up to his death in 1891. It includes a chapter on Katherine O’Shea and Parnell. This was a particular useful book. It contained good background information about Katherine’s early life and also about her later life after Parnell’s death. There was also a useful bibliography at the end of the book, which was used for further reading. One problem with the book was that the writing style was complex and difficult to read, however my overall impression is a good one§

We learnt in history class that it is very difficult to write the history of anything. Most of the time it can only be "A" history. "The" is a definitive statement and it is very hard to find definitive history, this is because of bias and subjectivity. While doing my research topic I became aware that to read one book, might lead to the essay being one sided. The way I solved this difficulty was by reading widely from many books, from the Internet and from Encarta. I also found that the Mc Carthys book gave a well balanced view of the life and career of Parnell showing both his successes and his failings in equal measures.

1.Her relationship with Parnell caused his political downfall andsplit the home rule party.

2.She is mentioned in the Leaving Certificate course but there is very little detail on her life.

3. The divorce case shows public attitude to scandal at that time.