 They developed close links with James Dalton of Orange, New South Wales, meeting two lady members of his wealthy and very influential family who later became their wives.They both then travelled to the United States where they collected a further £15,000 sterling, many others following their example in the next years (Davitt, O'Brien, John Dillon, Eduard Blake).In his absence in 1883, he was elected as MP for his father's old constituency of Wexford Borough, taking his seat at Westminster.