Ivy Day for the ‘Uncrowned King’

Maolsheachlann Ó Ceallaigh writes about October 6th – Parnell’s Day!

 

A nation is distinguished, among other things, by its special days; its distinctive holidays, festivals, and occasions. In Ireland, we have many famous examples: St. Patrick’s Day, Nollaig na mBan (Women’s Christmas), All-Ireland Final Day, and, er, the night of the Late Late Toy Show.

One lesser-known special day is Ivy Day on October the sixth, the annual commemoration of the death of Charles Stewart Parnell, the “uncrowned king of Ireland”.

Charles Stewart Parnell was the leader of the Irish Parliament Party from 1881 to 1891. He helped the small farmers of Ireland win ownership of their land from absentee landlords, and he came within an ace of winning Home Rule for Ireland.

His downfall came when his affair with the married Katharine O’Shea was revealed, a scandal that divided both his party and the country. He died on October 6th, 1891.
More than two hundred thousand people attended Parnell’s funeral in Glasnevin Cemetery, many of them taking ivy from the cemetery walls to wear on their lapels. Ivy then became a symbol of loyalty to Parnell’s memory.

For the decade after Parnell’s death, while the split remained a live issue, Ivy Day was a major event. The year after his death, the Evening Herald reported: “Early in the morning hundreds of the citizens of Dublin and numerous visitors to the city gathered about (Parnell’s) grave in Glasnevin.

Loving hands placed upon the mound memorial offerings from every part of Ireland, and the little hillock that covers the coffin of the dead leader was covered with wreaths and floral crosses. Many persons wore ivy specially procured from Mr Parnell’s old residence in Avondale”.

The newspaper also reported (indignantly) that one school in Rathmines had demanded children remove their ivy leaves “under strain of severe punishment”.

Continue reading in this week’s Ireland’s Own