In 1890, Charles Stewart Parnell's career was destroyed when he was named as the co-respondent in a divorce case involving Katherine O'Shea. The scandal, which was exploited by his political enemies, led to a split in the Irish Parliamentary Party and the Irish nationalist movement. Parnell's fall was a traumatic event that left Irish nationalism divided for a generation and paved the way for the rise of a new, more radical nationalism.

The fall of Parnell is one of the most powerful and painful subjects in Irish poetry, inspiring works of tragedy and lament. W.B. Yeats's poem 'Parnell's Funeral' is a powerful meditation on the event, exploring themes of betrayal, leadership, and the moral complexity of politics. The division caused by Parnell's fall is a recurring theme in Irish poetry, reflecting the deep personal and political wounds of the period.