6 October 1891

6 October 1891 is the date printed beneath the title of “The Death of Parnell,” the poem recited at a gathering on the anniversary of Charles Stewart Parnell’s death. In the scene, the date anchors a political argument in a commemorative ritual: speakers dispute Parnell’s fitness to lead while acknowledging the respect accorded to him after his death.

Anniversary and Political Disagreement

During the gathering, Mr Lyons questions whether Parnell had been fit to lead and challenges the comparison between him and Edward the Seventh. Mr O’Connor urges the company not to revive ill feeling on Parnell’s anniversary, adding that even the Conservatives respect him now that he is dead. The exchange shows that the date does not erase political divisions, but gives the participants a shared occasion on which to address them.

The Recitation

After the discussion, Mr Hynes stands, removes his hat, and lays it on the table. Following a pause, he announces “The Death of Parnell,” with the date 6 October 1891 printed below the title, and begins the recitation. The explicit date makes the poem’s subject a particular historical commemoration rather than an unspecified elegy.

Meaning in the Scene

The date connects public memory with the gathering’s present-day dispute. Mr O’Connor’s appeal to anniversary decorum and Mr Crofton’s statement that his side respects Parnell because he was a gentleman offer different grounds for honoring him; the poem’s opening, “He is dead. Our Uncrowned King is dead,” turns that recognition into formal lament. Thus 6 October 1891 marks both the remembered death and the continuing effort to define Parnell’s place in political memory.