IVY DAY
IN THE
COMMITTEE
ROOM
By Connor Ericson and Jennifer Akosa
Preliminary
• What is Ivy Day?
• The anniversary of the death of the 19th century Irish
politician Charles Parnell regarded for his achievement of
Home Rule, as opposed to submission to foreign rulers.
• German Mornarch/ Edward Rex
• The German monarch at this time included Edward Rex,
better known as King Edward VII. He ruled over Ireland and
Great Britain during the early 1900s.
• Hynes: “The working-man is not going to drag the
honor of Dublin in the mud to please a German monarch.”
(123)
• Nationalist
• Henchy and O'Connor work for the Nationalist candidate
named Tierney. This party stood for Irish Independence
• O’Connor: "Our man won't vote for the address...He goes in on
the Nationalist ticket.”(123)
• The Conservatives, however, desired to remain tied to England
• Castle Hacks: Spies/Informants
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cwpbh.03648
http://bbc.uk
Plot
• Old Jack and Mat O’Connor sit
by a fire in the Nationalist Party
committee room and discuss
Old Jack’s misguided, unruly 19
year old son
• After Hynes leaves, Henchy tells
O’Connor that he thinks Hynes
is spying on them for the other
candidate, Colgan
• Joe Hynes enters and begins to
discuss politics with the two
men, casting aspersions on
Richard Tierney, and praising
the deceased ruler, Parnell
(calls Tierney “Tricky Dicky
Tierney”)
• Father Keon then enters, but
quickly leaves in search of Mr.
Fanning (business matter)
• John Henchy then enters and
discusses
business
with
O’Connor before also expressing
dissatisfaction with Tierney
• Henchy explains to O’Connor
and Old Jack that the Father is
considered a “black sheep” and
isn’t tied to any specific church
or institution
Plot
• Henchy
then
moves
the
conversation back to politics,
saying he wishes he could be a
city father so that he could have
corrupt politicians pay him for
his vote
• Shortly after a teenage boy
arrives with drinks and, after
getting a corkscrew, the three
drink and Henchy discusses the
work he did that day
• Two more canvassers enter,
Lyons and Crofton, and the 5
begin to debate whether they
should receive the foreign king,
Edward, warmly or not
• Henchy says the coming of the
king will bring money to Dublin
and therefore benefit the city
but others disagree
Conversation
moves
to
the
deceased leader Parnell, who is
respected by all now that he is
dead
• Hynes is spotted in the doorway,
is asked to enter and told to
read the piece he wrote about
Parnell
• After reciting it he receives
applause from everyone in the
room
Setting
 Nationalist Party committee room on Wicklow Street
 Raining, cold, dark and dismal outside
 “The walls of the room were bare except for a copy of an
election address. In the middle of the room was a small
table on which papers were heaped.” (122)
 Plain and business-oriented
 Paints another depressing, dark picture of Dublin
Characters

Old Jack

Caretaker of the committee room

Described as a bony, hairy, old
looking man



Struggling to control his drunk 19
year old son
Feels that, “…the working class
should be represented…” and
therefore dislikes Tierney (123)
Generally quiet throughout the story

Mat O’Connor

“…a grey-haired young man, whose face
was disfigured by many blotches and
pimples…” (119)

Canvasser for Richard Tierney

Upset about not getting paid by Tierney yet

“I hope to God he’ll not leave us in the lurch
to-night.” (122)

Wears ivy leaf to commemorate passing of
Parnell

Initially sympathetic toward Tierney, but
realizes the corrupt nature of the man
throughout the story

“Our man won’t vote for the
address…He goes on the Nationalist
ticket.” (123)

“There’s some deal on in that quarter…I
saw the three of them hard at it yesterday
at Suffolk Street corner.” (129)
Characters


Joe Hynes

“He was a tall slender young man with a
light brown moustache.” (121)

Wears ivy leaf to commemorate Parnell

Expresses dissatisfaction with Tierney,
calling him, “Tricky Dicky Tierney” (123)

Favors working class candidate Colgan

“The working man is not going to drag the
honour of Dublin in the mud to please a
German monarch.” (123)

Suspected of being a spy for another camp
by Henchy

Strong supporter of former ruler Parnell

“He fell as fall the mighty ones,/ Nobly
undaunted to the last,/ And death has now
united him/ With Erin heroes of the past.”
(137)
John Henchy

Described as a, “bustling little man” (123)

Highly critical of Tierney’s tactics

“O, he’s as tricky as they make ‘em…” (124)

“You must owe the City Fathers money
nowadays if you want to be made Lord
Mayor. Then they’ll make make you Lord
Mayor.” (129)

Suspicious of Hynes’ motives, despite
O’Connor’s insistence that he is a good
man

Opinion of Tierney changes quickly once
the beer arrives

“Ah, well, he’s not so bad after all. He’s as
good as his word, anyhow.” (130)
Minor Characters

Teenage Boy


Father Keon



enters but then quickly leaves to seek out Fanning and discuss a business matter
Mr. Fanning


Brings the men drinks, retrieves the corkscrew, and drinks a bottle of beer despite being
underage
Associate of Tierney
Crofton

conservative canvasser working for Tierney after conservative party withdrew their man
from the race

Considers himself above everyone else because he is a conservative
Lyons

Young, frail canvasser for Tierney
Themes



Corruption

The men make it clear that they are canvassing for the money

Henchy is suspicious of Hynes and says he thinks he is spying for Colgan

Father Keon says he needs to attend to a business matter with Mr. Fanning

Henchy thinks Tierney is bribing people to get their votes
Alcohol

Men long for alcohol throughout the entire story

Henchy says, “I asked that little shoeboy (Tierney) three times…would he send up a dozen of stout.” (128129)

Show more concern for their drinks than for Tierney
Disappointment

Old Jack is disappointed in the way his son has been raised

All men are disappointed at the state of politics in Dublin and disappointed that their former leader Parnell
has died
CONFLICT
 The Nationalist politicians are waiting for
their payment from Politician Tierney in a
room with men of an opposing party and
opposing views in general (as far as we
know, they had not received the money even
up until the end)
 Opposition:
 “O he's as tricky as they make 'em," said Mr.
Henchy. "He hasn't got those little pigs' eyes
for nothing. Blast his soul!” (124).
CLIMAX
“The Death of
Parnell”
•
1
He is dead. Our Uncrowned King is dead.
O, Erin, mourn with grief and woe
For he lies dead whom the fell gang
Of modern hypocrites laid low.
He lies slain by the coward hounds
“Mr. Hynes did not seem to
remember at once the piece to
which they were alluding,…”
(136)
8
He fell as fall the mighty ones,
Nobly undaunted to the last,
And death has now united him
With Erin's heroes of the past.
“Mr. Hynes hesitated a little
longer. Then amid the silence
he took off his hat, laid it on
the table and stood up. He
seemed to be rehearsing the
piece in his mind” (136)
11
The day that brings us Freedom's reign.
And on that day may Erin well
Pledge in the cup she lifts to Joy
One grief—the memory of Parnell.
Possible Castle Hack
V
Incompetent Politician
TURNING POINT
 Hynes finishes reading the poem and the men each
take the briefest moment of silence to think.
 The contentious atmosphere instantly begins to
dissipate.
 “When he had finished his recertification there was a
silence and then a burst of clapping: even Mr. Lyons
clap.” (138).
SYMBOLISM
 The Priest (Father Keon)
 “The unholy mixture of religion and politics in
Ireland.” (Fairhall 90)
 Stood in the doorway, not daring to come in.
 “No, no, no!” (127).
 The Late Charles Stuart Parnell; Ivy sprig worn
on lapels
“Mr. Hynes took off his hat, shook it and then
turned down the collar of his coat, displaying, as
he did so, an ivy leaf in the lapel” (123)
 The death of Ireland’s chances for restoration;
Home Rule/Irish Independence

I

R

All corrupt hypocrites; Most of time is spent criticizing others.

When one man leaves the room, they immediately begin to gossip about him

“[They denounce] political institutions in general and a wide range of political
figures from Edward VII to Tierney himself in particular” (Gillepsie, 113)
Charles Parnell is a hero and idealized by all canvassers present; however he did
NOT die a noble death.

Hynes: “If this man was alive," he said, pointing to the leaf, "we'd have no talk of
an address of welcome.” (123)

Old Jack: “Musha, God be with them times!...There was some life in it then.”(123)
“He lies slain by the coward hounds
He raised to glory from the mire”(136)
O


The title: “Ivy Day”!… “in the Committee Room”?

N
Y

His death was not the end of all good, but the beginning of corruption as he had
cheated on his wife for several years before dying
This day was meant to be a day of Celebration and rallying; however, “their actual
efforts to secure votes often consist of little more than sitting by the fire all
day.”(Gillepsie 113)
Tierney (TYRANNY) is the leader of the Irish Independence order.

Things could not be more out of order; on top of everything, Tierney never even
showed up!
Relation to other stories
 The Sisters
 Father Keon and Father Flynn were both questionable
religious figures
 Father Flynn had lost his mind and couldn’t handle the duties
required by priesthood
 Father Keon was considered a “black sheep”-he had no
connection with any specific church or institution
“The Sisters” & “Ivy Day”
OLD COTTER
OLD JACK

having "little beady black
eyes” (2)

“moist blue eyes blinked at
the fire” (119)

Stunted conversation between
Old Cotter and uncle Jack

Continuing Conversation
between Old Jack and Mr.
O’Connor

"let a young lad run about and
play with young lads of his
own age and not be…” (3)
**Old Cotter did not approve of the
relationship between the fairly young
narrator and the priest.
“No, I wouldn't say he was exactly...
but there was something queer...
there was something uncanny about
him. I'll tell you my opinion….” (2)

“Ah yes, it's hard to know
what way to bring up
children. Now who'd think
he'd turn out like that! I sent
him to the Christian Brothers
and I done what I could for
him, and there he goes
boorsing about.” (120)

Allusion?

Christian Brothers to
Father Rourke/Father
Flynn.
Relation to other stories
 Two Gallants

Corrupting power of money
 Corley uses a woman to get money from her employer
 O’Connor, Henchy, Lyons, and Crofton work to secure votes for
Tierney, even though they don’t particularly like him
 A Little Cloud

Continuous disappointment
 Little Chandler is disappointed that he is stuck where he is: He wishes
he could be out of Dublin, getting more out of his life
 All the men in this novel are constantly disappointed—they are
disappointed with the state of politics in Dublin, the fact that their once
great leader is deceased, and in the short term are upset that they don’t
have drinks or money from Tierney

PARALYSIS

Since the very beginning of the
book, Old Cotter/Old Jack has
been sitting by the fire.

Old Cotter as “sitting at the
fire, smoking” (1)

"OLD JACK raked the
cinders together with a
piece of cardboard and...he
set himself to fan the fire
again”
Rarely moves, almost as if he
suffers from actual paralysis.


“stumbling about the
room” (121)
“stagnant”, unable to change
PARALYSIS

POLITICS
PARALYSIS
Stanza 8
•
End of an honest Ireland.
•
Ireland is STUCK
•
•
•
No one capable of restoring Ireland to her
former glory.
Corruption has prevailed, and will
continue to prevail due to the endless
cycle of paralysis
INACTION: The fate of Ireland
A bunch of grown men sitting around
all day gossiping and drinking stout?
“The men freely admit that their
personal political views cover a broad
spectrum, and that they’re motivated by
little more than the promise of financial
gain.”(Gillepsie, 113)
Independence? Not likely!
“The Death of
Parnell”
8
He fell as fall the mighty ones,
Nobly undaunted to the last,
And death has now united him
With Erin's heroes of the past.
Gnomon


Wages

“Anyway, I wish he’d [Tierney]
turn up with the spondulics”
(123)

Like the politicians waiting for
money, Ireland is waiting on
something that will never come
Fire

“A denuded roomcame into view
and the fire lost its cheerful
colour.” (122)

Prententious nature; Politics:
missing Sincerity
Simony
The Priest (Father Keon)
“The unholy mixture of
religion and politics in
Ireland.” (Fairhall 90)
Discussion Questions
1. Based on what we know of Dublin at the time, do
you think it would be beneficial to greet the foreign
king warmly?
2. How do you think the men would have reacted if
Tierney won the race? What would they have done?
3. Do you think Hynes is spying for Colgan (Castle
Hack) or do you believe that he is a good man who
merely likes to discuss politics?
 Fairhall, James. "Colgan-Connolly: Another Look at
the Politics of "Ivy Day in the Committee Room""
JSTOR. N.p., 1988. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.

Fargnoli, A. Nicholas., and Michael Patrick.
Gillespie. James Joyce A to Z: The Essential Reference to
the Life and Work. New York: Facts on File, 1995.
Print.

Gifford, Don, and Donald E. Morse. Zones of Remembering: Time, Memory, and (un)consciousness.
Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2011. Print.