The Irish Assassins: Conspiracy, Revenge and the Phoenix Park Murders That Stunned Victorian England
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- Create Date：2021-07-17 17:31:40
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Julie Kavanagh
- ISBN：0802149367
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Summary
A brilliant work of historical true crime charting a pivotal event in the l9th century， the Phoenix Park murders in Dublin， that gripped the world and forever altered the course of Irish history， from renowned journalist， former New Yorker London editor， and Costa Biography Award finalist Julie Kavanagh。
One sunlit evening， May 6 l882， Lord Frederick Cavendish and Thomas Burke， Chief Secretary and Undersecretary for Ireland， were ambushed and stabbed to death while strolling through Phoenix Park in Dublin。 The murders were funded by American supporters of Irish independence and carried out by the Invincibles， a militant faction of republicans armed with specially-made surgeon's blades。 They ended what should have been a turning point in Anglo Irish relations。 A new spirit of goodwill had been burgeoning between British Prime Minister William Gladstone and Ireland's leader Charles Stewart Parnell， with both men forging in secret a pact to achieve peace and independence in Ireland--with the newly appointed Cavendish， Gladstone's protégé， to play an instrumental role in helping to do so。 The impact of the Phoenix Park murders was so cataclysmic that it destroyed the pact， almost brought down the government， and set in motion repercussions that would last long into the 20th century。
In a story that spans Donegal， Dublin， London， Paris， New York， Cannes and Cape Town， Julie Kavanagh thrillingly traces the crucial events that came before and after the murders。 From the adulterous affair that caused Parnell's downfall; to Queen Victoria's prurient obsession with the assassinations; and the investigation spearheaded by Superintendent John Mallon， also known as the "Irish Sherlock Holmes，" culminating in the eventual betrayal and clandestine escape of leading Invincible James Carey and his murder on the high seas， The Irish Assassins brings us intimately into this fascinating story that shaped Irish politics and engulfed an Empire。 This is an unputdownable book from one of our most "compulsively readable" （Guardian） writers。
One sunlit evening， May 6 l882， Lord Frederick Cavendish and Thomas Burke， Chief Secretary and Undersecretary for Ireland， were ambushed and stabbed to death while strolling through Phoenix Park in Dublin。 The murders were funded by American supporters of Irish independence and carried out by the Invincibles， a militant faction of republicans armed with specially-made surgeon's blades。 They ended what should have been a turning point in Anglo Irish relations。 A new spirit of goodwill had been burgeoning between British Prime Minister William Gladstone and Ireland's leader Charles Stewart Parnell， with both men forging in secret a pact to achieve peace and independence in Ireland--with the newly appointed Cavendish， Gladstone's protégé， to play an instrumental role in helping to do so。 The impact of the Phoenix Park murders was so cataclysmic that it destroyed the pact， almost brought down the government， and set in motion repercussions that would last long into the 20th century。
In a story that spans Donegal， Dublin， London， Paris， New York， Cannes and Cape Town， Julie Kavanagh thrillingly traces the crucial events that came before and after the murders。 From the adulterous affair that caused Parnell's downfall; to Queen Victoria's prurient obsession with the assassinations; and the investigation spearheaded by Superintendent John Mallon， also known as the "Irish Sherlock Holmes，" culminating in the eventual betrayal and clandestine escape of leading Invincible James Carey and his murder on the high seas， The Irish Assassins brings us intimately into this fascinating story that shaped Irish politics and engulfed an Empire。 This is an unputdownable book from one of our most "compulsively readable" （Guardian） writers。
Reviews
Dan
，
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Grove Atlantic for an advanced copy of this new history book。Julie Kavanagh in her new book The Irish Assassins: Conspiracy， Revenge and the Phoenix Park Murders that Stunned Victorian England recreates the time and the place of one of the more infamous politically motivated murders occurred and its long reaching repercussions between the country of Ireland and the United Kingdom。 On May 6 1882 Lord Frederick Cavendish， Chief Secretary for Ireland and Tho My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Grove Atlantic for an advanced copy of this new history book。Julie Kavanagh in her new book The Irish Assassins: Conspiracy， Revenge and the Phoenix Park Murders that Stunned Victorian England recreates the time and the place of one of the more infamous politically motivated murders occurred and its long reaching repercussions between the country of Ireland and the United Kingdom。 On May 6 1882 Lord Frederick Cavendish， Chief Secretary for Ireland and Thomas Burke， Permanent Under Secretary at the Irish Office were stabbed to death by a group who called themselves the Invincibles， using specially-made surgeon blades to commit the crime。 The Invincibles were a faction of the republicans who were tired of talk and wanted revenge more。 The murders caused an uproar on all sides of the Atlantic， nearly causing the British government to be brought down， and set back relations between the two countries for decades。 The political fallback mixes with the true crime aspect quite well， the research shows and while it helps having an idea about Irish and English history， it is not that necessary。 Ms。 Kavanagh's descriptions of the deprivations the poor people of Ireland felt is rough to read， and yet seems familiar to the treatment of certain people today。 The author's note is also interesting as the is a little further expansion of why the book means a lot to Ms。 Kavanagh as a writer and as a daughter。 This is a very intriguing book about what seems to be a small crime that had repercussions that have lasted until today。 。。。more
Helen Carolan
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An interesting read telling the history of the assassination of two members of the British political elite in the 1800's in the Phoenix park in Dublin。 The killings came at a time when relations between Britain and Ireland were good and it seemed as if some consensus might be reached for some form of self government in Ireland。 The shootings however put paid to that。 Kavanagh's book is a wonderful look at the history that led to the killings and their aftermath。 An interesting read telling the history of the assassination of two members of the British political elite in the 1800's in the Phoenix park in Dublin。 The killings came at a time when relations between Britain and Ireland were good and it seemed as if some consensus might be reached for some form of self government in Ireland。 The shootings however put paid to that。 Kavanagh's book is a wonderful look at the history that led to the killings and their aftermath。 。。。more
Jennifer （JC-S）
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An historical true crime from the 19th centuryOn the evening of May 6， 1882， Lord Frederick Cavendish and Thomas Burke， Chief Secretary and Undersecretary for Ireland were strolling through Phoenix Park， Dublin。 They were ambushed and were both stabbed to death。 Who murdered them and why？To answer these questions， Ms Kavanagh takes us on a journey through history， through the events that led to the murders and through their consequences。At the time of the murders， Charles Stewart Parnell， an Iri An historical true crime from the 19th centuryOn the evening of May 6， 1882， Lord Frederick Cavendish and Thomas Burke， Chief Secretary and Undersecretary for Ireland were strolling through Phoenix Park， Dublin。 They were ambushed and were both stabbed to death。 Who murdered them and why？To answer these questions， Ms Kavanagh takes us on a journey through history， through the events that led to the murders and through their consequences。At the time of the murders， Charles Stewart Parnell， an Irish nationalist politician who served as a Member of Parliament between 1875 and 1882 and acted as the Leader of the Home Rule League from 1880 to 1882， and British Prime Minister William Gladstone had been working together to try to achieve peace and independence in Ireland。 Lord Frederick Cavendish， as Gladstone’s protégé， was to play an instrumental role。 These two murders destroyed the possibility of peace for decades， and almost brought down the government。But， as Ms Kavanagh details， the story begins much earlier。 Centuries of oppression， famine and mass evictions left the Irish with few choices。 The people could starve， emigrate， or fight for independence。 Many of those who emigrated （especially to America） supported Irish independence and provided funds for the fight。 The murders of Cavendish and Burke were carried out by two assassins， members of the Irish National Invincibles， using surgical knives。The investigation was led by Superintendent John Mallon， and by playing suspects off against each other， several were arrested and subsequently hanged。Those are essentially the facts， but Ms Kavanagh brings the period to life with her descriptions of the key players and significant events in their lives。 We learn of Queen Victoria’s interest， of Gladstone’s struggles to broker a deal， of Charles Stewart Parnell’s affair with Katharine O’Shea。 But my particular interest was in the background and lives of people， such as Michael Davitt。The author’s note， at the end of the book， is a particular highlight。Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes。 Jennifer Cameron-Smith 。。。more
Melisende
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Reading this as a kindle version made it much easier to put aside - with a physical copy， I would have just skipped through to the pertinent narrative and have had done with this in less than a day。feel free to read more here >>> Melisende's Library Reading this as a kindle version made it much easier to put aside - with a physical copy， I would have just skipped through to the pertinent narrative and have had done with this in less than a day。feel free to read more here >>> Melisende's Library 。。。more
Dave
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This was a fascinating account of not just the murder of Thomas Burke and Lord Frederick Cavendish on May 6th 1882 by the invisibles in Phoenix park， but also a meditation on why Irish/English relations turned hostile again shortly after。 Overall I would definitely recommend this one， especially to history fans。 Thank you to the publisher for providing me with this drc available through edelweiss。
Michael Burke
，
On May 6， 1882， Irish assassins murdered Lord Frederick Cavendish and Thomas Burke in Dublin's Phoenix Park。 These men were sent by Britain to broker an acceptable peace in Ireland。 The shockwaves set the peace process back by decades。 This is what a simple historical outline would show us。 History is never this tidy。In "The Irish Assassins" Julie Kavanagh brings the news and climate of 1880's Ireland alive。 Centuries of abuse and ethnic cleansing by Britain created an atmosphere that could no l On May 6， 1882， Irish assassins murdered Lord Frederick Cavendish and Thomas Burke in Dublin's Phoenix Park。 These men were sent by Britain to broker an acceptable peace in Ireland。 The shockwaves set the peace process back by decades。 This is what a simple historical outline would show us。 History is never this tidy。In "The Irish Assassins" Julie Kavanagh brings the news and climate of 1880's Ireland alive。 Centuries of abuse and ethnic cleansing by Britain created an atmosphere that could no longer be tolerated。 Famine and mass evictions left the Irish with few options: starve to death， leave for America， or fight for independence。 Irish leader Charles Parnell and British Prime Minister William Gladwell were trying to finesse a transition to Irish home rule but the rage of the people did not conform to their diplomatic timetable。 The Invincibles， assassins financed by Irish American money， found their opportunity to strike and， in doing so， upset the carefully laid-out political work。Parnell's amazing background is fleshed out， as is Queen Victoria and all the other players in this story。 We see the motivation of both sides in this drama。 "The Irish Assassins" reads like a novel， you do not need to have a vast knowledge of the subject ahead of time to enjoy and appreciate it。 I highly recommend it。Thank you very much Grove Atlantic， NetGalley， and Julie Kavanagh for the ARC in exchange for this review。 。。。more
Diane
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I was truly looking forward to reading The Irish Assassins。 When I began， I expected a bit of a history lesson to explain the social and political environs of the time。 This was aptly provided。 The colonization if Ireland and the death and destruction that followed was horrifying， The Julie Kavanagh details more than I had previously been aware。 At a certain point， I did start to feel as if I was simply reading the day to day docket of the political going on in parliament and in within Ireland。 I was truly looking forward to reading The Irish Assassins。 When I began， I expected a bit of a history lesson to explain the social and political environs of the time。 This was aptly provided。 The colonization if Ireland and the death and destruction that followed was horrifying， The Julie Kavanagh details more than I had previously been aware。 At a certain point， I did start to feel as if I was simply reading the day to day docket of the political going on in parliament and in within Ireland。 That portion did tend to drag on a bit。 The story does pick up one the assassinations take place。 In some way s I feel the book did not totally identify it's target audience。 While obviously extremely well researched， I would not say it is a history text。 Neither would I say this is a lay person's historical read， What I did find fascinating was the author's note about how she came about the story in her father's belongings and how she followed the trail upon his death， If told through her journey through that discovery and her own research， it would have been a different book， but perhaps more interesting。 I do appreciate the hard work and diligence that was put into the The Irish Assassins， but in the end， it was not my favorite read， 。。。more
Laura Farrell-Wortman
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Although well written and thoroughly researched， this is a book in search of an audience and I imagine it’s unlikely to find a receptive one。 It is too academic to be a general interest history， but too general to be of use to academics。 The book offers interesting insight into the Parnell/O’Shea relationship but will not be of interest to those who aren’t already well-versed in this period of Irish history。 [I received this book as an ARC from Grove Atlantic and NetGalley in exchange for an unb Although well written and thoroughly researched， this is a book in search of an audience and I imagine it’s unlikely to find a receptive one。 It is too academic to be a general interest history， but too general to be of use to academics。 The book offers interesting insight into the Parnell/O’Shea relationship but will not be of interest to those who aren’t already well-versed in this period of Irish history。 [I received this book as an ARC from Grove Atlantic and NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review。] 。。。more
Martin
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Excellent book on a now forgotten piece of Irish history。 Highly recommended。
David
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I recommend that you start this interesting book by reading the author's note at the end。 It begins on page 357 （Kindle location 4799） of the free electronic advance review copy that Grove Atlantic Press and Netgalley generously provided me。This advice doesn't apply to everybody， only to readers like me。 I am a non-historian history nerd and an American of Irish heritage but， somehow， this whole sad and murderous episode escaped my attention up until now。 It certainly wasn't taught in history cl I recommend that you start this interesting book by reading the author's note at the end。 It begins on page 357 （Kindle location 4799） of the free electronic advance review copy that Grove Atlantic Press and Netgalley generously provided me。This advice doesn't apply to everybody， only to readers like me。 I am a non-historian history nerd and an American of Irish heritage but， somehow， this whole sad and murderous episode escaped my attention up until now。 It certainly wasn't taught in history classes I attended。 I felt bad until I checked with the Long-Suffering Wife （smarter than me， also a nerd of Irish heritage） and found that she had never heard of it， either。 I imagine that people receiving a normal education in Ireland – and perhaps in the UK as well – get at least a quick run-through of this episode at some point。 You all can start at the beginning。（Starting at the end leads straight to some spoilers， of course， but since the book centers around a pair of 1882 murders which are adequately documented in many places on the internet， I feel that I can reveal some of the story below without annoying those in search of nail-biting suspense。） In addition， this author's note is much more interesting than many。 The author has written two biographies， one of a ballet star and the other of a 19th century courtesan， so you wouldn't necessarily expect to find her writing next about a pack of Fenian thugs and their English colonial overlords。 But she was inspired when she found， in the papers of her late father， a decades-old load of laborious， hand-written， pre-internet research on this episode， which became the kernel of this book。Reading the author's note first also provides a summary of what goes on in the previous 356 pages， which I found handy as I tend to read books in the spare minutes over lunch or before sleeping， sometimes without giving my full attention， so I might have gotten a little lost in the thicket of fairly similar-sounding English and Irish names。 The author defies what I consider to be a narrative structure which has been used so often in popular history books that it has become something of a cliché。 In this structure， the author starts the first chapter in the moments before the most dramatic event， that is， the one referred to the book's title。 An author employing this type of structure might begin a book about this episode like this: “The assassins gathered near Phoenix Park in the early afternoon twilight of May 6， 1882”。 Then begins several chapters of backstory， moving from years before toward the moment previewed in the first chapter。 I like books with this start-in-the-middle structure， but I recognize that it has been overused。 I like it because it is familiar， like a old blanket。 I think that some of the potential audience for this book feel this same。 The decision not to use this structure is a courageous decision – although I don't know if it was an intentional choice by the author。 In any event， this authorial decision makes it doubly rewarding to read the book-summarizing author's note at the end first， because you start with a better idea of the direction that the book will eventually lead you。 The first five chapters are the backstory， and you learn a lot about Gladstone and Parnell – suited me well， I don't know as much about them as I should。 The actual murderers aren't introduced until Chapter Six – again， I thought it an interesting authorial decision to hold off so long。 The actual murder takes place in Chapter Eight。 The subsequent investigation and trial takes a few more chapters。 However， about this time， the observant reader may notice that there is a big fat chuck of the book left， meaning， lots of stuff happens after the trial is over。It does – there is indeed another murder， followed by investigation， political maneuvering， and another trial。 If I had not read the author's note first， this would have been a bit of a surprise but， as I had informed myself already， I understood what I was in for。As the Long-Suffering Wife will tell you， I am not very big on surprises。So， in summary， the sort of book which pleases me – one that drags a historic incident， big news at the time but now no longer taught in many places， into the light and gives it an airing out。 In addition to moving the author's note to the beginning， I might have also included a “cast of characters” to help the distracted reader， but the lack of these things are not a great drawback， now that we all have the computing power of the world at our fingertips。I received a free electronic advance review copy of this book from Gross Atlantic Press and Netgalley。 Thanks to all for your generosity。 。。。more
Rob
，
Julie Kavanagh thoroughly researches， and dramatically captures， the intense and often shockingly violent relationship between England and Ireland over the course of their troubled history。 Violence that， more often than not， spilled the blood of farmers and families and commoners rather than soldiers on battlefields。 Tracing that relationship over the course of hundreds of years may seem tedious， but Kavanagh does a masterful job telling the story through the motivations， choices and actions of Julie Kavanagh thoroughly researches， and dramatically captures， the intense and often shockingly violent relationship between England and Ireland over the course of their troubled history。 Violence that， more often than not， spilled the blood of farmers and families and commoners rather than soldiers on battlefields。 Tracing that relationship over the course of hundreds of years may seem tedious， but Kavanagh does a masterful job telling the story through the motivations， choices and actions of a variety of colorful characters which makes each turn of events personal and compelling。 One of the things that makes this book different is the voice and importance given to 3 key women at the heart of the story。 These voices are often marginalized and captured in a lesser light than the male figures who tend to dominate the word count of historical books。 Not here。 Julie Kavanagh truly tries to humanize and validate the major and minor characters behind these events due to her unique， personal connection to the story。 Readers will be pleasantly surprised by the Author's Note at the end of the book which reveals her motivation for writing it。 Eventually， the book blends history with true crime as it focuses on a brutal assassination carried out in one of the most open and public places in the heart of Dublin。 But this book is so much more than the retelling of an important historical event。 It captures the struggle， character and identity of an entire nation and its people。 。。。more
Aoine Ni
，
This book is about the assassination of Lord Frederick Cavendish and Thomas Burke while walking in the Phoenix Park in Dublin on May 6th 1882。 It contains several side stories including that of the political relationship between Gladstone and Parnell。 The book takes place in several different locations such as Dublin， London， Paris and Cape Town。This book centers around the themes of colonization and its after affects on the generations that follow。 It also looks at terrorism/ civil war and how This book is about the assassination of Lord Frederick Cavendish and Thomas Burke while walking in the Phoenix Park in Dublin on May 6th 1882。 It contains several side stories including that of the political relationship between Gladstone and Parnell。 The book takes place in several different locations such as Dublin， London， Paris and Cape Town。This book centers around the themes of colonization and its after affects on the generations that follow。 It also looks at terrorism/ civil war and how outside influences can affect the outcome of these situations。I enjoyed parts of this book， such as the history and information I learned。 Unfortunately in some parts I felt puled out of the book with so much chop and change， I did not understand why someone would put quotes from Churchill in a book about Irish history with the atrocities he condoned。 I found that the authors writing did not flow very well and the book seemed slow paced to begin with put picked up some after the assassination。 。。。more
Rebecca Crunden
，