Charles Stewart Parnell (27 June 1846 – 6 October 1891) was an Irish landlord, nationalist political leader, land reform agitator, and the founder and leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party. He was one of the most important figures in 19th century Great Britain and Ireland, and was described by Prime Minister William Gladstone as the most remarkable person he had ever met.
Parnell led the Irish Parliamentary Party as Member of Parliament (MP) through the period of Parliamentary nationalism in Ireland between 1875 and his death in 1891. Future Liberal Prime Minister, H. H. Asquith, described him as one of the three or four greatest men of the 19th century, while Lord Haldane described him as the strongest man the British House of Commons had seen in 150 years. The Irish Parliamentary Party split during 1890, following revelations of Parnell's private life intruding on his political career. He has nevertheless been revered by subsequent Irish parliamentary republicans and nationalists.
Read more about Charles Stewart Parnell: Family Background, Member of Parliament, New Departure, Land League Leader, Kilmainham Crossroads, Party Restructured, Towards Home Rule, Pigott Forgeries, Pinnacle of Power, Divorce Crisis, Party Divides, Undaunted Defiance, Death, Personal Politics, Overall Assessment, Portrayal in Fiction
Famous quotes containing the words stewart and/or parnell:
“Word’s gane to the kitchen,
And word’s gane to the ha’,
That Marie Hamilton gangs wi’ bairn
To the hichest Stewart of a’.”
—Unknown. Mary Hamilton (l. 1–4)
“But stories that live longest
Are sung above the glass,
And Parnell loved his country
And Parnell loved his lass.”
—William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)