Voting Station

Charles Stewart Parnell

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Politician

The Resume

    (June 27, 1846-October 6, 1891)
    Born in Avondale, Ireland
    Irish Protestant landowner
    Member of Parliament (1875-91)
    Head of the Irish Parliamentary Party (IPP, 1882-91)
    Advocate of home rule for Ireland
    Called 'the uncrowned king of Ireland'

Why he might be annoying:

    He had three children with Katherine O'Shea while she was still married to William O'Shea.
    He was on the verge of successfully negotiating a Home Rule bill when William O'Shea sued for divorce, naming Parnell as co-respondent.
    Prime Minister William Gladstone warned that the scandal would end the alliance between Gladstone's Liberals and the IPP and derail Home Rule unless Parnell was replaced as IPP leader.
    He kept Gladstone's warning secret until he was re-elected chair of the IPP.
    When Gladstone went public with his complaints, the IPP split as over half of the Party's Members of Parliament deserted Parnell.
    He died of pneumonia after giving a long speech during a downpour.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He organized the IPP into Britain's first modern political party, using a formal party structure and strict party whip to produce bloc votes in Parliament.
    He successfully sued the Times of London for libel after the paper published a series of letters in which he endorsed the murder of Lord Cavendish, the Chief Secretary of Ireland.
    The letters were proven to be forgeries (1889).
    During the O'Shea divorce scandal, quicklime was thrown in his face by a hostile crowd.
    Gladstone called him 'the most remarkable person' he had ever met.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 5 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 11 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 8 Votes: 62.50% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 26 Votes: 61.54% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 8 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 16 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 17 Votes: 64.71% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 13 Votes: 69.23% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 79 Votes: 60.76% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 28 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 24 Votes: 58.33% Annoying