Parnell Commission facts for kids

The Parnell Commission was a special investigation in the late 1880s. It looked into serious accusations made against Charles Stewart Parnell, an important Irish politician. The investigation found that Parnell was innocent of the charges.

What Happened Before?

In May 1882, two important British government officials in Ireland were killed in Phoenix Park, Dublin. This event is known as the Phoenix Park Murders. The group responsible was called the Irish National Invincibles.

Years later, in March 1887, a newspaper called The Times published a series of articles. These articles, titled "Parnellism and Crime," claimed that leaders of the Home Rule League, including Parnell, were involved in violence during a time of land disputes in Ireland.

The Times even showed letters that they said were written by Parnell. One letter seemed to suggest that Parnell approved of the killing of one of the officials in Phoenix Park. The newspaper had paid a lot of money for this letter.

On April 18, 1887, the day the letter was published, Parnell spoke in the British Parliament. He said the letter was "a villainous and barefaced forgery," meaning it was a fake and a lie. Many people thought it was strange that this letter was published on the same day a new law about crime was being discussed in Parliament. They believed it was meant to influence the debate.

The Special Investigation

After much discussion, the government decided to set up a special commission. This commission would investigate the claims made against Parnell and his Home Rule party. The investigation lasted for 128 days, from September 1888 to November 1889.

In February 1889, a key witness named Richard Pigott admitted something big. He confessed that he had forged the letters that were supposedly from Parnell. After this confession, Pigott ran away to Madrid, where he later died.

With Pigott's confession, Parnell's name was completely cleared. The Times newspaper had to pay a large amount of money to Parnell because he sued them for libel (publishing false information that harms someone's reputation). Parnell's main lawyer was Charles Russell, who later became a very important judge.

Parnell accepted £5,000 in damages from The Times. While he had asked for much more, the newspaper ended up spending around £200,000 in total on legal costs. When Parnell returned to Parliament after being proven innocent, his fellow MPs gave him a standing ovation.

The commission didn't just look at the forged letters. It also examined the wider situation, including the violence that happened during the Land War and the Plan of Campaign. Michael Davitt, who started the Land League, gave a lot of information to the commission.

By July 1889, the Irish Nationalist Members of Parliament and their lawyers felt satisfied with the main outcome. When the commission finally published its findings, it mostly pleased both sides in Ireland:

• Nationalists were happy that Parnell was shown to be a hero, especially against The Times, which supported the prime minister, Lord Salisbury.
• Unionists agreed that Parnell was innocent. However, they pointed to other evidence that suggested some of his MPs might have supported or encouraged violence, which could have led to killings. They also highlighted that Pigott, the forger, had once supported the Nationalists and seemed troubled.

Learning More About the Commission

Historians have studied the "Parnellism and Crime" affair for many years. Experts like T. W. Moody have provided balanced views, using information from earlier studies by Henry Harrison and Leon Ó Broin.

Books like Andrew Robert's biography of Salisbury and Myles Dungan's Conspiracy: Irish Political Trials also discuss the commission. You can also find information in Jane Stanford's book, That Irishman: The Life and Times of John O'Connor Power.