“Events, dear boy, events.” That, according to former prime minister Harold Macmillan, was the most likely influence on political careers and ultimately political history.

In the case of Jeffrey Donaldson, Macmillan might have added that completely unexpected events have an even greater influence.

The evidence for this lies in a similar event which rocked nationalism over 130 years ago. It still influences our politics today. Welcome to the world of unpredictable, historical ripples.

Charles Stewart Parnell was the leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party in the 1880s, but he had a good working relationship with the physical force Fenian Brotherhood. His parliamentary Home Rule campaign effectively kept the Fenians from violence through their respect for him.

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‘Events’, Parnell and Sinn Féin’s embrace of constitutional nationalism – Patrick Murphy

He said that if constitutional politics did not deliver self-government to Ireland, he would leave parliament. However, his parliamentary career suddenly ended when he was named in a divorce case.

Kitty O’Shea had been separated from her husband for about 15 years, but he refused to divorce her because she was due a large inheritance.

When he finally did so in 1889, he cited Parnell’s relationship with Mrs O’Shea during her separation as the reason for divorce. It........

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