Page 5 - The 15th Percy French Festival: French Awakenings

French and Parnell
&
Dr Pauric Travers, the former President of St Patrick’s College Drumcondra,
gave an erudite talk here in "'%& on C. S. Parnell and P. French, noting how
their upbringings were similar, how their lives paralleled in many ways, and
how eventu ally their paths crossed with both having o#ces close to each
other in Middle Abbey Street. Dr Travers began by highlight ing the contexts
in which they arose, the estates in which they lived, family sizes (both were
the third child; Parnell of %%; French of (); both privately tutored; both Church
of Ireland; both enjoyed similarly sized home libraries; and both attended
Windermere College in the Lake District in England.

Parnell electioneering in Kilkenny
Political French
The Jarvey, was a weekly humourous magazine that relayed the political ‘goings
on’ of the day, gossip from high society, soirées, balls, race meet ings through
)
caricatures, cartoons, commen tar ies, drawings, verses, and stories. It was
edited by French through out %**( and %*(', years that coincided with the
split of the Irish Parlia men tary Party and Parnell’s subsequent political fall. The
%') editions, each of %+ pages, provides insight to aspects of French’s world -
view and political outlook. The Jarvey of the title being a Florry Knox type
,
!gure, a loveable rogue, reminiscent of The Irish RM of Somerville and Ross.

The Jarvey proclaims its political neutrality loudly and repeatedly, and immedi -
ately what comes to mind is Shakespeare’s ‘Methinks he doth protest too much’.
What might prove a more reliable clue to French’s disposition vis à vis politics
and politicians was his description of his parents’ attempts to push him into

PERCY FRENCH FESTIVAL !"!# •"•