In “Ivy Day in the Committee Room,” Joyce subtly captures the early 20th century Irish dialect of his characters. Old Jack’s speech in particular contains these sorts of linguistic flourishes, as seen in the following passage:
– He told me: What do you think of a Lord Mayor of Dublin sending out for a pound of chops for his dinner? How’s that for a high living? says he. Wisha! wisha, says I. A pound of chops, says he, coming into the Mansion House. Wisha! says I, what kind of people is going at all now?
Here, Old Jack is gossiping with O’Connor and Henchy, sharing a story he heard from one of the Lord Mayor of Dublin’s manservants about how frugal the Mayor is, as evidenced by the fact that he only asks for a pound of pork chops for dinner (even though he could have anything). Old Jack's use of the exclamation “Wisha!” is one example of the Irish dialect—the word originally came from the Irish Gaelic language and was likely an alternation of the word for “Mary,” Jesus’s mother. It was historically used to express surprise.
Old Jack’s grammar also highlights Joyce’s use of dialect, particularly the way Old Jack says, “What kind of people is going at all now?” In his Irish dialect, this is his way of asking what sorts of people run for political office, implying that he is used to politicians being greedy and self-centered.
The substance of what Old Jack is saying here is worth noting. Despite being a member of a progressive political party, he is judging the Lord Mayor for saving taxpayer money by living in a frugal manner. Joyce is signaling the moral decline of the Nationalist Party here as he shows that even elders like Old Jack—who are supposed to teach the younger generation about the importance of morality—have developed a cynicism about politics and no longer care about progressive values.
