Ivy Day in the Committee Room Characters

Old Jack is the elderly caretaker of the political Committee Room where the story takes place. An Irish Nationalist, he is a patriot with seemingly strong political convictions, but he struggles to act on… read analysis of Old Jack

Mat O’Connor—a young, lazy man with prematurely grey hair—represents the sorry state of the Nationalist Party’s youngest generation. The story opens on him loafing in an armchair in the Committee Room on an evening when… read analysis of Mat O’Connor

John Henchy, a Nationalist canvasser, is an energetic and manipulative salesman. He is the smoothest talker among the story’s characters, but he has no genuine moral values, no firmly-held opinions, and no allegiance to truth… read analysis of John Henchy

Joe Hynes, a fellow Nationalist canvasser and a convincing speaker on politics, delivers a pious and overdramatic elegy to the late Nationalist leader Charles Stewart Parnell in the story’s finale. Unlike his colleagues, it’s clear… read analysis of Joe Hynes

Crofton, a Conservative who begrudgingly joined the Nationalists after his candidate dropped out, has exactly one line in the story, but he is crucial to illustrating the discord that consumes the men’s relations. A “very… read analysis of Mr. Crofton

A young, prudish canvasser with a “frail” frame and “thin” face, Bantam Lyons challenges his colleagues on the moral legacy of the late Nationalist leader Charles Stewart Parnell, whose affair cost him his party… read analysis of Bantam Lyons

Richard Tierney, a corrupt and moneyed career politician, is the Nationalist candidate in an upcoming municipal election. He employs the canvassers in Joyce’s story. As a Poor Law Guardian, Tierney is in charge of distributing… read analysis of Richard Tierney

Charles Stewart Parnell (1846-1891) was the leader of Irish Nationalism until the Catholic Church ousted him for having an extramarital affair, a disgrace that led to his untimely death. A famously strong leader, Parnell rallied… read analysis of Charles Stewart Parnell

Son of Victoria, Edward VII ruled the United Kingdom from 1901-1910, including the year in which Joyce’s “Ivy Day” likely takes place, 1902. The Nationalist canvassers in Joyce’s story see Edward as a representative of… read analysis of Edward VII

The 17-year-old delivery boy arrives with a case of stout (a type of beer) for the men in the Committee Room. The boy symbolically represents Ireland’s youth, so when Old Jack (who has just… read analysis of Stout delivery boy

Mentioned twice briefly, Fanning is the sub-sheriff of Dublin. The party men discuss the Nationalist candidate Richard Tierney’s suspicious closeness with Fanning and suggest that Tierney buddies up to city officers to win higher… read analysis of Fanning

Colgan is the opponent of the Nationalist candidate Richard Tierney. Colgan never appears in the story, but Joe Hynes mentions him as an upright, blue-collar candidate who is possibly superior to Tierney. Though Hynes’s… read analysis of Colgan