Ivy Day in the Committee Room

A thoughtful, emotional man, Mr. O’Connor represents the moderate Parnellite. One of his first actions in the story, the burning of Mr. Tierney’s voting advertisement demonstrates Mr. O’Connor’s fatigue with the contemporary Irish political scene and also his own complacency and laziness. Instead of canvassing, Mr. O’Connor chooses to spend most of his workday conversing with Old Jack in the Committee Room. The physical description of him as a “gray-haired young man” (91) portrays his exhaustion with the state of Irish politics, and his constant habit of smoking cigarettes suggests his idleness and ennui.

Mr. O’Connor is the sole defender of Mr. Hynes’s character when the other men cast aspersions on Mr. Hynes and the radical candidate he promotes. Mr. O’Connor also takes it upon himself to defend the legacy of Parnell when his companions begin to discuss subjects relating to the deceased man. The fellowship between Mr. O’Connor and Mr. Hynes can be seen in the ivy leaf pin both men wear on their breasts, symbolizing the unifying skill that Parnell himself possessed in terms of bringing Irishmen of differing views together to form a political movement. The differences between O’Connor and Hynes in terms of character and commitment, however, show that, while the memory of Parnell may unite them in nostalgia, when it comes to political action in real terms, they are divided.

A brash and talkative man, Mr. Henchy is the least politically committed of the characters and represents political prevarication. Mr. Henchy’s opinions tend to shift depending on his own status and comfort level. Mr. Henchy values his own comfort and desires over social movements and political ideology. He attempts to hide this indecisiveness and selfishness by being quick with a joke, talkative in conversation, and aligned with the more moderate political faction.

Mr. Henchy’s inconsistent and self-interested character is demonstrated in his introduction to the story: Old Jack offers his chair to Mr. Henchy, and Mr. Henchy says, “[D]on’t stir, Jack” (94), yet proceeds to take the seat and orders the old man to fetch some coal for the fire. This pattern of inconsistency continues throughout the story, with Mr. Henchy’s opinions of various characters such as Mr. Tierney, Mr. Hynes, King Edward VII, and Parnell shifting with the circumstances of the conversation. He is repeatedly polite to people’s faces and then rude behind their backs. Mr. Henchy’s disregard for Old Jack’s discomfort when he offers the delivery boy a beer demonstrates Mr. Henchy’s ignorance of the social realities surrounding him and his dismissal of the opinions of the working class.

Mr. Hynes is most significant as the author of the poem that informs the whole story’s meaning. The most politically radical of the characters, the energetic and youthful Mr. Hynes represents the radical republican factions of Irish politics. He is referred to as a “Fenian,” a radical republican activist. From his outspoken defense of the working-class candidate, Colgan, to his unceremonious nicknames for the king of England, Mr. Hynes consistently demonstrates his desire for radical change to take place within Ireland to expel the British from Irish affairs.

While Mr. O’Connor is friendly with Mr. Hynes, due to their shared affection for Parnell and dissatisfaction with the political status quo, Old Jack and Mr. Henchy are openly suspicious of Mr. Hynes. Radical change is undesirable for these two characters: Old Jack represents the uneducated endurance of Ireland’s working population, while Mr. Henchy resists the inconvenience and discomfort of revolution.

Mr. Hynes’s poem is a means for the story to explore the nature of political commitment, and the different approaches to nationalism in Ireland at the time. Mr. Lyons and Mr. Crofton react to differently to the “Death of Parnell” poem. These two men represent the most conservative factions of the Irish political spectrum, with Mr. Lyons representing the conservative Catholic anti-Parnellites and Mr. Crofton being a former Unionist (or a supporter of Ireland being a part of the United Kingdom). While initially uncomfortable in the presence of these two newcomers, Mr. Hynes proceeds to recite his poem with passion, and despite their differing political opinions, all the men of the room (including Mr. Lyons and Mr. Crofton) applaud the work.

The supporting character of Mr. Lyons is not introduced until late in the narrative. He represents the anti-Parnellite political faction present in Ireland at the time, and his inclusion is essential in the argumentative goal of the piece. Upon his arrival in the Committee Room, Mr. Lyons, slight and slender in appearance, immediately begins debating with Mr. Henchy. He rejects the claim of the king in Ireland but also of Parnell: Neither are fit leaders in his eyes due to their disreputable personal lives. Mr. Lyons marks himself as an anti-Parnellite, possibly a social conservative. His criticism of Parnell in the group and on Ivy Day is framed as tactless and provocative.

Despite these political leanings, Mr. Lyons applauds Mr. Hynes’s poem. This conclusion is ambiguous, as Joyce’s narrator doesn’t suggest what Mr. Lyons thinks. His applause could be a polite sign of social and political convention, or an indication of the poem’s argumentative and literary power.