Phoenix Park Murders

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The term Phoenix Park Murders is used to refer to the assassination in 1882 of the second and third in rank in the British Dublin Castle government of Ireland by the "Irish National Invincibles".

On 6 May 1882, the most senior Irish civil servant, the Permanent Undersecretary, Thomas Henry Burke and the newly appointed Chief Secretary for Ireland, Lord Frederick Cavendish – who was also the nephew of Prime Minister William Gladstone – were stabbed as they walked though the Phoenix Park in Dublin en route to the Viceregal Lodge, the "out of season" residence of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Cavendish had only arrived in Ireland the day he was murdered. Thomas Myles, resident surgeon at the nearby Dr Steevens' Hospital, was summoned to render medical assistance to the victims.

The then Lord Lieutenant, Lord Spencer, described suddenly hearing screams, before witnessing a man running to the Lodge grounds shouting "Lord Frederick Cavendish and Mr. Burke are killed." Responsibility for the assassinations was claimed by a small republican organisation called Irish National Invincibles and they were apparently to resign from parliament in protest at what he called "these vile murders", an offer turned down by the British Prime Minister, William Ewart Gladstone.

Parnell made a speech condemning the murders in 1882. This increased his already huge popularity in both Britain and Ireland. He had just enabled some reforms under the Kilmainham Treaty four days before the murders. Parnell's reputation increased in Ireland, being seen as a more moderate reformer who would never excuse such tactics.

However, Parnell's policy of allying his party to Gladstone's Liberal Party to enable Home Rule was also ultimately defeated by the murders. Gladstone's Minister Lord Hartington was the elder brother of Lord Frederick Cavendish. Saddened and infuriated by the manner of his brother's early death, Hartington split with Gladstone on Home Rule in 1886 and 1893 and led the breakaway Liberal Unionist Association which allied itself to Lord Salisbury's conservative governments. This delayed Home Rule by 28 years, until the Third Irish Home Rule Bill which was passed technically in 1914, but which was never effected.

All the assassins were eventually captured, and five were hanged.

References

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Last updated on Saturday December 08, 2007 at 02:33:39 PST (GMT -0800)
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