British government agents plotted and schemed to undermine the Irish nationalist leader Charles Stewart Parnell and considered bribing one of his parliamentary colleagues who had an "itching palm", according to files released by the Public Record Office in London.
Letters written by an agent acting for the Chief Secretary for Ireland, Sir Arthur Balfour, between 1888 and 1900 point to a British Conservative government attempting to undermine Parnell's dream of Home Rule for Ireland.
Disaffection among Parnell's parliamentary colleagues over his affair with Kitty O'Shea and his legal action over a newspaper article relating to the Phoenix Park murders of 1882 were scrutinised and every split and argument among the Irish MPs was noted.
Selected extracts from Sir Arthur's papers, released as part of a rolling British government programme to provide greater public access to historical documents, offer only a taste of the political plots under way at the end of the 19th Century.
His papers were subject to a 100-year closure order and names, paragraphs and other papers have been blacked out or retained, probably because they are still considered too sensitive for public release.
In an undated letter to Sir Arthur, his agent, Nicholas Gosselin, suggested he should give him some money to bribe an unnamed Irish Party MP.
The MP, Gosselin suggested, had an "itching palm".
The papers do not disclose whether the bribe was paid.
In further correspondence, Gosselin suggested other schemes to undermine Parnell's party, including asking the Fenian Brotherhood to provoke a split within constitutional nationalism.
However, Gosselin noted in another letter to Sir Arthur that extremism in Ireland lacked vitality.
The secret agent concluded that there was more chance of "breaking the pipe" of the oldest charwoman in Ireland than provoking extremist agitators.
When he turned his attention to Parnell's difficulties over the O'Shea affair, Gosselin noted on January 21st, 1890, the year Parnell's party split over the affair, that Irishmen "of every predilection" were growing restive under his leadership and dream of Home Rule for Ireland. "Many hitherto conservative men are now declaring that there is no use in arguing with English politicians for any concessions worth having for Ireland," Gosselin wrote.
"They contend Parnell made a great mistake in demanding a Commission of Enquiry. His libel suit against the Times (suggesting he was involved in the Phoenix Park murder of Lord Frederick Cavendish, Secretary for Ireland) is another mistake. In both cases it is predicted the jury will whitewash the journal named and besmirch Ireland's cause."
Parnell also faced criticism from within his party over his support for Captain O'Shea's attempts to stand as an MP, which was seen as a ploy by Parnell to pacify O'Shea because of his affair with his wife.
Gosselin informed Sir Arthur: "The espousal of O'Shea's candidacy by Parnell soured some of the latter's lieutenants at that time and they have not gotten over it yet, and the matter gains greater importance and notice since the Parnell-O'Shea suit was launched."