Kilmainham Treaty
Encyclopedia
The Kilmainham Treaty was an agreement reached in May 1882 between the United Kingdom Government under William Ewart Gladstone
and the Irish nationalist leader Charles Stewart Parnell
. It was seen as a major triumph for Irish nationalism
as it managed to win abatement for tenant rent-arrears from the Government at the height of the Land War
.
After the Second Land Act became law on 22 August 1881, Parnell in a series of speeches in September and October launched violent attacks on William Forster
the Chief Secretary for Ireland
and even on Gladstone. Gladstone warned him not to frustrate the Act, but Parnell repeated his contempt for the Prime Minister. On 12 October the Cabinet, fully convinced that Parnell was bent on ruining the Act, took action to have him arrested the following day in Dublin.
Parnell was conveyed to Kilmainham Gaol
where he would join several other prominent members of the Land League who had also protested against the Act. He was well aware that not all of the Liberal
Cabinet - in particular Joseph Chamberlain
were in favour of mass internment of suspects as then taking place across Ireland under the Irish Coercion Act
. The repressions did not have the desired effect, the predicted improvements expressed by W. E. Forster did not materialize. It resulted in him becoming isolated within the Cabinet. Coercion was increasingly unpopular with the Liberal Party, now that it did not appear to be working.
Accordingly on 2 May Gladstone informed the House of Commons of the release of Parnell and the resignation of Forster (who was replaced by Lord Frederick Cavendish
). Gladstone always denied there had been a ‘Kilmainham Treaty’, merely accepting that he ‘had received informations'. He kept his side of the arrangement by subsequently having the Arrears of Rent (Ireland) Act 1882 enacted, cancelling £2m of accrued rent arrears.
" is important. Parnell managed to place a spin on the agreement by always describing it as a treaty, in a way that strengthened Irish nationalism, since he had managed to force concessions from the British while in gaol. Since treaties are usually signed between two states, it led to the idea that Ireland could become independent from Britain. After the 'treaty’ was agreed, those imprisoned with Parnell were then released from gaol. This transformed Parnell from a respected leader to a national hero.
Four days after the Treaty the Phoenix Park Murders
unfortunately undid much of the goodwill generated by it in Britain. Though strongly condemned by Parnell, the murders gave the impression that he could not control nationalist "outrages" as he had undertaken to do.
William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British Liberal statesman. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times , more than any other person. Gladstone was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, 84 years old when he resigned for the last time...
and the Irish nationalist leader Charles Stewart Parnell
Charles Stewart Parnell
Charles Stewart Parnell was an Irish landowner, nationalist political leader, land reform agitator, and the founder and leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party...
. It was seen as a major triumph for Irish nationalism
Irish nationalism
Irish nationalism manifests itself in political and social movements and in sentiment inspired by a love for Irish culture, language and history, and as a sense of pride in Ireland and in the Irish people...
as it managed to win abatement for tenant rent-arrears from the Government at the height of the Land War
Land War
The Land War in Irish history was a period of agrarian agitation in rural Ireland in the 1870s, 1880s and 1890s. The agitation was led by the Irish National Land League and was dedicated to bettering the position of tenant farmers and ultimately to a redistribution of land to tenants from...
.
Background
The agreement extended the terms of the Second Land Act of 1881, with which Gladstone intended to make broad concessions to Irish tenant farmers. But the Act had many weaknesses and failed to satisfy Parnell and the Irish Land League because it did not provide a regulation for rent-arrears or rent-adjustments (in the case of poor harvests or deteriorated economic conditions).After the Second Land Act became law on 22 August 1881, Parnell in a series of speeches in September and October launched violent attacks on William Forster
William Edward Forster
William Edward Forster PC, FRS was an English industrialist, philanthropist and Liberal Party statesman.-Early life:...
the Chief Secretary for Ireland
Chief Secretary for Ireland
The Chief Secretary for Ireland was a key political office in the British administration in Ireland. Nominally subordinate to the Lord Lieutenant, from the late 18th century until the end of British rule he was effectively the government minister with responsibility for governing Ireland; usually...
and even on Gladstone. Gladstone warned him not to frustrate the Act, but Parnell repeated his contempt for the Prime Minister. On 12 October the Cabinet, fully convinced that Parnell was bent on ruining the Act, took action to have him arrested the following day in Dublin.
Parnell was conveyed to Kilmainham Gaol
Kilmainham Gaol
Kilmainham Gaol is a former prison, located in Kilmainham in Dublin, which is now a museum. It has been run since the mid-1980s by the Office of Public Works , an Irish Government agency...
where he would join several other prominent members of the Land League who had also protested against the Act. He was well aware that not all of the Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
Cabinet - in particular Joseph Chamberlain
Joseph Chamberlain
Joseph Chamberlain was an influential British politician and statesman. Unlike most major politicians of the time, he was a self-made businessman and had not attended Oxford or Cambridge University....
were in favour of mass internment of suspects as then taking place across Ireland under the Irish Coercion Act
Irish Coercion Act
The Protection of Person and Property Act 1881 was one of more than 100 Coercion Acts passed by the Parliament of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland between 1801 and 1922, in an attempt to establish law and order in Ireland. The 1881 Act was passed by parliament and introduced by...
. The repressions did not have the desired effect, the predicted improvements expressed by W. E. Forster did not materialize. It resulted in him becoming isolated within the Cabinet. Coercion was increasingly unpopular with the Liberal Party, now that it did not appear to be working.
Agreement
In gaol Parnell had begun to turn over in his mind the possibility of coming to an arrangement with the Government. He had been corresponding with Mrs Katharine O'Shea who engaged her husband Captain O’Shea in April 1882 to act as a go-between for negotiations on behalf of Parnell. O’Shea contacted Gladstone on 5 May having been informed by Parnell that if the Government would settle the rent-arrears problem on the terms he proposed, he was confident that he would be able to curtail outrages (violent crimes). He further urged for the quick release of the League’s organizers in the West, Sheridan and Boyton, who would then work for pacification. This shocked Forster, but impressed Gladstone.Accordingly on 2 May Gladstone informed the House of Commons of the release of Parnell and the resignation of Forster (who was replaced by Lord Frederick Cavendish
Lord Frederick Cavendish
Lord Frederick Charles Cavendish was an English Liberal politician and protégé of the Prime Minister, William Ewart Gladstone...
). Gladstone always denied there had been a ‘Kilmainham Treaty’, merely accepting that he ‘had received informations'. He kept his side of the arrangement by subsequently having the Arrears of Rent (Ireland) Act 1882 enacted, cancelling £2m of accrued rent arrears.
Results
The fact that the agreement was subsequently called a "treatyTreaty
A treaty is an express agreement under international law entered into by actors in international law, namely sovereign states and international organizations. A treaty may also be known as an agreement, protocol, covenant, convention or exchange of letters, among other terms...
" is important. Parnell managed to place a spin on the agreement by always describing it as a treaty, in a way that strengthened Irish nationalism, since he had managed to force concessions from the British while in gaol. Since treaties are usually signed between two states, it led to the idea that Ireland could become independent from Britain. After the 'treaty’ was agreed, those imprisoned with Parnell were then released from gaol. This transformed Parnell from a respected leader to a national hero.
Four days after the Treaty the Phoenix Park Murders
Phoenix Park Murders
The Phoenix Park Murders were the fatal stabbings on 6 May 1882 in the Phoenix Park in Dublin of Lord Frederick Cavendish and Thomas Henry Burke. Cavendish was the newly appointed Chief Secretary for Ireland, and Burke was the Permanent Undersecretary, the most senior Irish civil servant...
unfortunately undid much of the goodwill generated by it in Britain. Though strongly condemned by Parnell, the murders gave the impression that he could not control nationalist "outrages" as he had undertaken to do.