Kitty O'Shea

Kitty O'Shea (Katherine Wood) (1845/1846 - 1921) was an English woman whose affair with Charles Stewart Parnell eventually caused his downfall. They first met in 1880 when Kitty was already married to Captain Willie O'Shea, an MP. Three of Kitty's children were fathered by Parnell.

Captain O'Shea knew about the affair but kept quiet, because Kitty's aunt was due to die and leave him money. However, Kitty's aunt did not die, and Captain O'Shea filed for a divorce, which in those days was frowned upon. Although their relationship was common knowledge among politicians, public knowledge of the affair created a huge scandal and led to Parnell's being deserted by his own party, and to his downfall and eventual death.