Two Gallants

Joyce’s publication of Dubliners in 1914 corresponded with a tumultuous period of Irish history. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Ireland experienced both political and economic struggles. Joyce remained highly conscious of Ireland’s national struggle throughout his career and indirectly explored these issues in his fiction.

“Two Gallants” is set in the late 19th century of the author’s boyhood. The specific event that likely inspired the story was the fall from grace of the Irish politician Charles Stuart Parnell. The disgrace of Parnell, a prominent Irish nationalist leader, had significant ramifications for Irish nationalists who wanted independence from the United Kingdom. Parnell was a key figure in the fight for Irish Home Rule (self-government), and his downfall stemmed from his affair with Katharine O’Shea, the wife of a fellow Irish member of Parliament. The affair became public knowledge in 1890, causing a scandal that rocked Irish politics. In the context of Victorian morality and the religious beliefs of Parnell’s predominantly Catholic supporters, his political career became untenable (Callanan, Frank. “The Parnellism of James Joyce: ‘Ivy Day in the Committee Room.’” Joyce Studies Annual, vol. 2015, pp. 73-97). The repercussions of Parnell’s disgrace were deeply felt within the Irish nationalist movement.