Kilmainham Treaty and Parnell's release (1882)

The Kilmainham Treaty was an informal agreement reached in May 1882 between British Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone and Irish nationalist leader Charles Stewart Parnell. While imprisoned in Kilmainham Gaol, Dublin, Parnell negotiated through Captain William O'Shea to secure abatement for tenant rent arrears. Gladstone released Parnell, marking a significant triumph for Irish nationalism by winning concessions from the government during the Land War.

Episodes

Background and detail

Background. Following the Second Land Act of 1881, Parnell launched attacks on government officials, leading to his arrest in October 1881. He was imprisoned in Kilmainham Gaol alongside other Land League members. Gladstone had attempted to defuse the land question with the Land Law (Ireland) Act 1881, establishing a Land Commission that reduced rents and enabled some tenants to buy their farms.

Negotiation. In April 1882, Parnell moved to make a deal with the government, negotiated through Captain William O'Shea MP. The agreement involved settling the rent arrears question, allowing 100,000 tenants to appeal for fair rent before land courts. Parnell agreed to withdraw the manifesto and move against agrarian crime, realizing that militancy would not win Home Rule.

Release. Gladstone released Parnell from Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin. The agreement was considered a major triumph for Irish nationalism as it secured abatement for tenant rent-arrears from the government. Parnell kept his side of the arrangement by subsequently having the Arrears of Rent (Ireland) Act 1882 enacted, extending the terms of the Land Law (Ireland) Act 1881.

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Sources

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