Ivy Day in the Committee Room

“Ivy Day in the Committee Room” is principally concerned with the portrayal of political principle and commitment, as represented by the various characters in the story and, by extension, in Dublin society at large. The story takes place on October 6, Ivy Day, the anniversary of Parnell’s death, a figurehead of political commitment within the Irish Nationalist cause and representative of a past political unity and fervor that, the story suggests, is largely lost. Charles Stewart Parnell’s presence permeates throughout the narrative of “Ivy Day in the Committee Room.” While not an active character within the story, each character has their own relationship with Parnell’s memory.

The various characters in the story react to Parnell and Ivy Day in ways that reflect their various political principles but also their level of commitment to those principles. Mr. Lyons, a socially conservative Nationalist member, and Mr. Crofton, a Conservative member, are similar in that they are not Parnellites. However, the Conservative expresses more support for Parnell as a “gentleman” than the Nationalist, who considers Parnell was not a “fit man to lead” (103). Here, the story reverses expectations to refute the false simplicity of party-political allegiance and to reveal the complex matrix of political affiliation and personal principle.