Ivy Day in the Committee Room by James Joyce. Short summary

5 seconds

Joyce describes events that took place during the celebration of one of Ireland’s national celebrations. Old Jack was visited by Mr. O’Connor. They began to discuss the upcoming election.

1 minute

The author shares with the reader a story that took place during the celebration of the so-called Ivy Day, one of the national celebrations of the writer’s homeland.

On October 6, old Jack lit a fire in the fireplace of his own home. Soon Mr. O’Connor, who was sitting beside him, asked his grandfather if Tierney had mentioned the time of his return. The elderly man answered in the negative. O’Connor took a card out of his own pocket and in the poor light read the letter Tierney had drafted. As it turned out, Jack’s friend had become Tierney’s political consultant — O’Connor was to persuade voters in a Dublin neighborhood to vote for the appropriate candidate, and in return he would receive money.

Jack began to tell his comrade about his son, 19-year-old Colgen, who liked to drink and hardly ever worked. O’Connor supported the old man.

After a while a good acquaintance of the two aforementioned men, Joe Hines, came to the house. The latter doubted that Tierney would pay O’Connor.