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XV. Parnell and the Galway election of 1886
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 July 2016
Extract
The eight letters printed below consist of seven written to, and one written by, Edmund Dwyer Gray, M.P., editor and proprietor of the Freeman's Journal and an influential member of the Irish parliamentary party. They relate to the inner history of the by-election for Galway city held in February 1886. These letters, with ten others of historical interest unrelated to the Galway group, were given in 1904 by Gray's son, also named Edmund Dwyer, to Charles Tenison, who passed them on to his brother, Alfred Tenison Collins. Collins, then secretary of the Hibernian Bank, was one of the most eminent figures in Irish banking when he retired in 1937. He died in 1945 in his 93rd year. Deeply interested in the history of the home-rule movement, with which, in his business capacity, he had close contacts, he had contemplated writing a life of Parnell, and appears to have collected material for that purpose, of which the Gray letters alone have survived. They were placed at my disposal through the kindness of his daughter, Mrs James Boydell, who has since presented them to the library of Trinity College.
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References
1 See Joseph Chamberlain, A political memoir, 1880-92, ed. C. H. D. Howard (1953); ‘Documents relating to the Irish “central board“ scheme, 1884-5 ‘, ed. C. H. D. Howard (above, viii. 237-63); C. H. D. Howard, ‘ Joseph Chamberlain, Parnell and the Irish “ central board “ scheme, 1884-5 ‘ (above, viii. 324-61).
2 Katharine O'Shea (Mrs C. S. Parnell), Charles Stewart Parnell: his love story and political life, passim; Henry Harrison, Parnell vindicated: the lifting of the veil, passim. Parnell made this crucial statement to the press shortly after the divorce court proceedings in November 1889 : 1 Captain O'Shea was always aware that he [Parnell] was constantly there [at Mrs O'Shea's house at Eltham] in his absence from 1880 to 1886 and since 1886 he has known that Mr Parnell resided there from 1880 to 1886 ' (Freeman s Journal, 30 Dec. 1889). I am indebted to Dr Conor Cruise O'Brien (see footnote 5) for this reference, which appears to have been missed by previous writers on the subject.
3 Stephen Gwynn and G. M. Tuckwell, The life of Sir Charles W. Dilke, f. 445; Henry Harrison, Parnell, Joseph Chamberlain and Mr Garvin^ ch. VI.
4 See T. M. Healy, Letters and leaders of my day, i. 190-1, 231, and T. P. O'Connor, Memoirs of an old parliamentarian, ii. 17-19, for the Callan disclosure.
5 The main published sources for the Galway election are: the Freeman s Journal, 1885-6; the Galway Vindicator and Connaught Advertiser, 6, 10, 13 Feb. 1886; United Ireland, 13 Feb. 1886; W. H. O'Shea, Evidence before the Special Commission, 31 October 1888 (Special Commission act 1888, Reprint of the shorthand notes of the speeches, proceedings and evidence (1890), i. 343-83); T. P. O'Connor, Life of Charles Stewart Parnell (1891), pp. 157—77; R. Barry O'Brien, The life of Charles Stewart Parnell (1898), ii. 124-8; Michael Davitt, The fall of feudalism in Ireland (1904), pp. 501-3; Sullivan, T. D., Recollections of troubled times in Irish politics (1905), pp. 190–96 Google Scholar; O'Donnell, F. H., A history of the Irish parliamentary party (1910), ii. 167-70Google Scholar; O'Shea, Katharine, Charles Stewart Parnell (1914), ii. 83-107, 214-18, 228-37Google Scholar; Healy, T. M., Letters and leaders of my day [1928], i. 216-50Google Scholar; O'Connor, T. P., Memoirs of an old parliamentarian (1929), ii. 84-108Google Scholar; Harrison, Henry, Parnell vindicated (1931), pp. 269-81, 361-5Google Scholar; Garvin, J. L., Life of Joseph Chamberlain, ii (1933). 377-82Google Scholar; Henry Harrison, Parnell, Joseph Chamberlain and Mr Garvin (1938), PP- 155-7-The Galway incident is admirably presented in the context of ParnelFs career as a whole by Conor Cruise O'Brien in his unpublished thesis ‘ The Irish parliamentary party, 1880-90’ (approved for the degree of Ph.D. of Dublin University in 1954). Unpublished MS material exists among the Gladstone papers in the British Museum, the Chamberlain papers, and the Dillon papers. For the narrative of John Muldoon see below. Though Lynch withdrew his candidature, in fact, he had to remain a candidate in name, and this explains why there was a contest at all. The 54 who voted for Lynch Were largely intractable—or just plain bewildered—nationalists. There may also have been a few unionists among the 54.
6 Freeman's Journal, g Feb. 1886.
7 See below, letter 4, footnote 14.
8 See T. P. O'Connor, Memoirs of an old parliamentarian, 11. IOO-2.
9 The land war in Ireland, being a personal narrative of events (1912), pp. 28-9.
10 Freeman's Journal, 6 Feb. 1886.
11 Letters and leaders, i. 241. 12 Ibid., ii. 124-5.
13 Thorns Irish Who's Who, 1923; J. J. Horgan, Parnell to Pearset pp. 228-31; Michael Davitt, referring to Muldoon's services as acting- secretary of the National Federation during the nineties, said of him : ’ no political movement could boast of a more faithful officer'; c and \ Davitt went on, ‘ the national cause has since found in the young barrister from Omagh an able advocate and sterling supporter’ (Fall of feudalism (1904), p. 695).
14 Muldoon's narrative, partly in Ms and partly in the form of newspaper cuttings, was kindly placed at my disposal by its owner, Mr C. S. Andrews, whose wife is a sister-in-law of John Muldoon's son. It is in two versions, here distinguished as A and B.
15 Muldoon's narrative. A, pp. 8-9.
16 Muldoon's narrative, B, p. 3. 11 Memoirs of an old parliamentarian, ii. 101-3. 18 Ibid., ii. 104.
19 Muldoon's narrative, A, pp. 11-12; B, p. 7.
20 Muldoon's narrative, A, pp. 8, 12-13; B, pp. 4, 5, 7. Cf. Healy, Letters and leaders, 1. 241.
21 Among the Dillon papers. It was brought to my notice by Dr Cruise O“Brien and is here published by the kind permission of Professor Myles Dillon.
22 ’ It was not really a speech; it was, a thunderstorm.’ Yet O'Brien's contribution is not even mentioned by Barry O'Brien or Healy. Cf. O'Connor, Memoirs of an old parliamentarian, ii. 103-5, and Sullivan, Recollections of troubled times in Irish politics, p. 194.
23 See letters 5-6 below.
24 Charles Stewart Parnell, ii. 85, 106-7.
25 Parnelly Joseph Chamberlain, and Mr Garvin, pp. 155-7.
28 Katharine O'Shea, Charles Stewart Parnell, ii. 234.
27 Ibid., ii. 235.
28 Cf. Deasy's telegram, quoted below, letter 5, footnote.
29 Harrison, Pafnell, Joseph Chamberlain, and Mr Garvin, ch. vi; Labouchere to Chamberlain [Oct. or Nov. 1885], quoted by C. H. D. Howard, abovej viii. 329.
30 It is highly significant that Chamberlain's Political memoir, 1880-92, of which the relevant sections were written in 1891, is entirely silent on the Galway incident, though it has numerous references to Parnell and O'Shea.
1 On black-edged notepaper.
2 Cf. O'Shea to Mrs O'Shea, 25 Oct. 1885 : ‘He (C.) and all my life friends say that if he had any feeling, any spark of honour, he would have told his party that he was under such a promise and such an obligation that my seat must be secured, or he would resign his leadership ‘ (Katharine O'Shea, Charles Stewart Parnell ii. 89).
3 A sub-leader in the sense requested and almost in the terms of O'Shea's letter appeared in the Freeman s Journal of Monday, 9 Nov. 1885, which also carried a short address, ‘accidentally omitted on Saturday*, from O'Shea to the electors of Clare on his retirement from the representation of the county.
4 See C. H. D. Howard, ‘ Joseph Chamberlain, Parnell and the Irish “central board “ scheme, 1884-5 ‘ (above, viii. 324-61).
5 'The Hawarden kite', 16 Dec. 1885.
6 After ‘ details * the following has been struck out: ‘ and will act on your views so far as practicable. As I told you however journalists must write. That is what they exist for‘
7 Replacing ‘ in \
8 After ‘ Ireland ‘ the following has been struck out: ‘ and is thus assumed to have your approval to some extent. The idea was to stimulate sales in the farms [ ?] I should think’
9 * express ‘ has been struck out after ‘ you \
10 After ‘ pledge ‘ the following has been struck out: ‘ He however maintains that you are personally pledged to him. Of that of course I can know nothing.1
11 The words from ‘ his ‘ to ‘ hardly ‘ replace ‘ Chamberlain's belief that you have treated him unfairly \
12 Freeman's Journal, 18 Dec. 1885.
13 Ibid., 19 Dec. 1885.
14 * Just now ‘ supersedes ‘ till his “ little affair “ was over \
15 See above, letter 2, footnote 4.
16 Replacing ‘ to some extent he says \
17 After ‘ O'Shea’ the words ‘ who was the negotiator’ have been struck out.
18 ’ Your getting’ supersedes ‘ your promise to get him \
19 ’ According to ‘ supersedes f If one were to believe \
20 Replacing ‘ O'Shea ‘.
21 After ‘ possible ‘ the following has been struck out: ‘I am not pinning myself to all this. I am only telling you what our friend says. You know him infinitely better than I do and ‘.
22 wholesomely ‘ has been struck out between c required ‘ and ‘ to \
23 Between * him’ and ‘ unpledged f the words ‘ or allow him to run ‘ have been struck out.
24 After ‘ you’ the following has been struck out: ‘ It would be impossible for the reasons I have already mentioned to you and would in any case be wholly ineffective \
25 incidentally ‘ has been struck out between ‘ day ‘ and ‘ to \
26 See above, letter i, for O'Shea and Mid-Armagh.
27 Replacing ‘ He said shortly that\
28 ’ him ‘ supersedes ‘ you \ Between ‘ him ‘ and s but’ the following has been struck out: ‘ but that he did not care to have even your ringer put into his eye. Many more have the same feeling \
29 Replacing ‘ He added \
30 This sentence replaces : ‘ I don't think so if you are determined to take him up \
31 A sessional meeting of the party was held in the City Hall on 11 Jan. 1886, the day before the opening of parliament (Freeman's Journal, 12 Jan. 1886).
32 Sic, but the context makes it certain that this should be 6 Feb.; see letter 6. Biggar was in London on 5 Feb.
33 Apparently the telegram as printed by T. M. Healy in Letters and leaders of my day, i. 243-4 : Parnell telegraphs following to Gray : ‘ Advise friends that I have promised, if certain person [Chamberlain] adopted his chiefs views regarding Irish government, O'Shea should have my strongest support. I consequently feel bound if not returned to resign my seat. Ask friends if under these circumstances feel desire to see me \ The sender, J. Deasy, was one of the party whips. Healy dates the telegram as received at Galway on 8 February, but this must be in error for 6 February.
34 Cf. above, letter I.
35 Possibly to John Dillon, who appears to have been at Galway but to have withdrawn. See above, pp. 326-7.
36 The declaration here referred to, which appeared in the Freeman's Journal on 9 Feb. 1886 over the names of 50 nationalist M.P.s, including Justin McCarthy, William O'Brien, Thomas Sexton, T. P. O'Connor, Tim Harrington and E. Dwyer Gray, called on the electors of Galway to uphold the authority of Parnell as leader of the Irish people. Dillon's name is absent.