Why the GAA fell in and out of love with Charles Stewart Parnell
On this day in 1886, a grand intercounty football contest took place on the grounds of the Avondale estate in Wicklow. On a sunny day in late autumn, crowds gathered to watch the matches played between GAA clubs from Wicklow and neighbouring Wexford. It was an idyllic location for a sporting event, adjacent to the Avonmore River and overlooking the nearby Vale of Avoca. Tall beech trees lined the pitch and even though the ground was on the rough side, conditions were otherwise perfect for the day’s activities. Beginning at noon, 10 teams – five each from both counties – met in opposition, with the matches taking place every 45 minutes. The football contest was noteworthy for several reasons. Avondale was, of course, the ancestral home of the leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party, Charles Stewart Parnell. On that day, Parnell’s estate played host to one of the first intercounty tournaments since the founding of the GAA exactly two years previously. 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The only criticism, in terms of the organisation of the tournament, related to the poor roping-off of the sidelines. This was so haphazard spectators encroached onto the playing surface and, in some instances, blocked the goals in an attempt to get a better view of the action.That these matches took place at the home of Parnell should come as no surprise. Even though he belonged to the Protestant ascendancy, Parnell was very much committed to land reform and the quest for Irish national self-determination. Two years previously, in November, 1884, the GAA’s founders first met in the Billiard Room of Hayes’ Hotel in Thurles, Co Tipperary. The meeting ended with the decision to invite the Archbishop of Cashel, Thomas Croke, Michael Davitt and Parnell to be the patrons of the fledgling association. It was a decision borne out of the necessity to garner strong, early support for the GAA from the clergy, the land movement and Home Rulers. Within 18 months the GAA had, in the words of Michael Cusack, spread through the country like a prairie fire. However, prior the advent of an All-Ireland championship, tournaments such as the one at Avondale provided a competitive outlet for GAA clubs.Parnell’s influence was crucial to the early success of the GAA, but he also very nearly brought the association to its knees in 1890 following the revelation of his relationship with the English divorcee, Katharine “Kitty” O’Shea. Charles Stewart Parnell, former leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party. Photograph: William Lawrence/Getty Images Parnell had been vindicated in the Pigott forgeries case in 1887 when a journalist had attempted to discredit him by linking him with the Phoenix Park murders in 1882. When the O’Shea relationship was revealed, it was assumed Parnell would again survive the controversy. However, the affair caused a rift in not only the Irish Parliamentary Party but Irish life in general. The Catholic church condemned Parnell while the national body of the GAA, for the most part, backed him. However, in local communities throughout the country, the GAA was divided in opinion about Parnell’s ability to remain as leader of the movement.This was particularly underlined in Carlow and Kilkenny where GAA competitions were suspended in 1890 and 1891 out of concern that local political tensions would erupt on the playing fields. By-elections in both counties further exacerbated the issue as they became a de facto plebiscite on Parnell’s leadership of the Irish Parliamentary Party. In December, 1890, the North Kilkenny byelection demonstrated that opposition to Parnell was stronger than expected. Vincent Scully, the Parnellite candidate, was defeated and Parnell’s own conduct during the campaign tarnished his reputation. By July, 1891, when the Carlow byelection was held, Parnell’s fate was as good as sealed when John Hammond, the Irish National Federation candidate, was elected. With Parnell’s reputation and leadership diminished, the Irish Parliamentary Party struggled to recover from the loss of its leader and dominant figure. The effect of the scandal and the near-constant campaigning throughout the country took its toll on his health. He married O’Shea in June, 1891, and the couple settled in the English seaside town of Brighton. The marriage was short-lived, however, as Parnell’s health failed and he died on October 6 of that year, aged 45.
