 In October 1881, Charles Stewart Parnell, Member of Parliament and leader of the Irish Party, then at the height of his powers, was arrested and imprisoned in Kilmainham Gaol.Two days after his arrest, O'Kelly, along with some other Party members, including John Dillon and William O'Brien, were also imprisoned under the Coercion Act in Kilmainham where they remained until May 1882.In December 1883, James O'Kelly travelled to Sudan with his brother, Aloysius, a war artist, to report (for the "Daily News") on the River War, the Jihad of the famous Mahdi.