Character guide

Pegeen Mike

major

Also known as Pegeen, Michael, Pegeen Speaking, Michael Loudly, Pegeen Providence, Pegeen Jumping, Pegeen Breaking, Pegeen Fiercely, Pegeen Sharply

Pegeen Mike keeps the ledgers, the porter, and the peace in a shebeen where the nights are long and the company thin. Betrothed by arrangement to her timid cousin Shawn Keogh, she mocks him openly and dreads the grey safety he promises. When a stranger stumbles in with a wild story, her hunger for something vivid makes her the story's emotional center.

Christy Mahon

major

Also known as Christy, Christy Christopher Mahon, Christopher Mahon, old Mahon, Mahon, Christy Encouraged, Christy Gruffly, Christy God, Christy Shocked, Christy Considering, Christy That God, Christy Bitterly, Christy Beaming, Christy Fasting, Christy Impatiently

Christy Mahon arrives footsore and frightened, but the tale he tells transforms him into the local sensation. Flattered into courage by Pegeen and the village girls, he discovers a self he never knew he had. His story is the engine of the play, and the question of whether it is true becomes the hinge on which everything turns.

Widow Quin

supporting

Also known as Voice The Widow Quin, the Widow Quin, Widow Quin Aye, Widow Quin Stiffly, Widow Quin Not, Widow Quin And dark, Widow Quin Considering, Widow Quin Impatiently, Widow Quin Shouting

Widow Quin knows every scandal on the coast and is not above using them. She offers Christy shelter and protection, but her motives are tangled between genuine sympathy and her own designs on him. Her rivalry with Pegeen sharpens the contest over who gets to define the stranger's story.

Shawn Keogh

supporting

Also known as Shawn, Shawn Keogh of Killakeen, Shawn Retreating, Shawn Screaming, Shawn Keough, Shaneen, Shaneen Keogh

Shawn Keogh has the land, the dispensation pending, and no stomach for anything else. He wants Pegeen the way he wants a safe transaction, and he trembles at every shadow on the road. His timidity sets off Christy's bravado, making him the play's comic measure of what the village considers a man.

Michael James Flaherty

supporting

Also known as Michael James, Mister Michael James Flaherty, Jimmy, Michael

Michael James Flaherty leaves his daughter to mind the pub while he goes to Kate Cassidy's wake and the fair beyond. He is genial, thirsty, and easily swayed by whoever tells the best story in his own house. His return, and his willingness to be impressed, helps decide what the village makes of its new hero.

Philly Cullen

supporting

Also known as Philly, Philly Retreating, Philly The peelers, Philly Suspiciously, Philly To Jimmy

Philly Cullen is one of the men who gather at the shebeen to trade news and porter. He is quick to be suspicious of strangers and quicker to be thrilled by them once the story suits. His talk helps spread Christy's fame and, later, helps turn the village's mood.

Old Mahon

supporting

Also known as Christopher Mahon Old Mahon, Mahon, Mahon Puzzled, Mahon Raging, Mahon Amazed, Mahon Dark, Mahon Eagerly

Old Mahon is the drunken, quarrelsome father whose violent brawl with his son sets the whole play in motion, and whose unexpected survival turns Christy's celebrated parricide into a lie. His rage and bewilderment at being struck down by his own son give the story its sharpest comic and moral friction, since he refuses to stay buried in either grave or memory. His arrival forces the villagers, and Christy himself, to reckon with what kind of man the 'playboy' really is.

Sara Tansey

minor

Also known as Sara, Sara Eagerly, Sara The lepping

A young village woman who admires Christy's supposed bravery.

Jimmy Farrell

minor

Also known as Jimmy, Jimmy Calls

A local man who joins the crowd at the pub.

Nelly

minor

Also known as the Lady Helen of Troy

A minor character mentioned in the village crowd.

Father Reilly

minor

The local priest, often invoked but never appears on stage.

Susan Brady

minor

Also known as Susan

A village girl who takes part in the festivities around Christy.

Honor Blake

minor

Also known as Honor

A young woman from the village who interacts with Christy.

Kate Cassidy

minor

A local woman briefly mentioned in the play.

Marcus Quin

minor

A deceased husband of the Widow Quin, mentioned in passing.