Elected to Parliament in 1875, Parnell became leader of the Irish Home Rule faction in 1880, and, through his obstructive parliamentary tactics, successfully raised the profile of Irish affairs. In 1886 he supported Gladstone’s Home Rule bill, following the latter’s conversion to the cause. He was forced to retire from public life in 1890 after the public exposure of his adultery with Mrs Katherine (‘Kitty’) O’Shea (1840–1905).