When Mrs. Kernan brings a tray of beer for her husband’s friends who are visiting their home, her husband asks her what she’s brought for him, using verbal irony in the process:
Her husband called out to her:
—And have you nothing for me, duckie?
—O, you! The back of my hand to you! said Mrs Kernan tartly.
Her husband called after her:
—Nothing for poor little hubby!
He assumed such a comical face and voice that the distribution of the bottles of stout took place amid general merriment.
Kernan referring to himself as “poor little hubby” is an example of verbal irony because he, his wife, and all of his friends know that he should not be drinking beer in this moment. Not only is he an alcoholic, but the reason that his friends are all visiting him is because he drunkenly fell down the stairs at a pub the night before and injured himself, forcing his wife to drop everything and take care of him. That Kernan “assume[s] such a comical face and voice”—and that his comment leads to “general merriment”—shows that he is intentionally feigning innocence for comedic effect. In other words, he knows that he is not a "poor little hubby" in this situation.
This moment is significant because it shows how, when compared to Kernan and the friends huddled around him laughing at his jokes, Mrs. Kernan is quite isolated. While the men in the story get to drink together, support one another, and have fun, Mrs. Kernan is serving them and spending time alone.
