The Weir (Masterplots II: Drama, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Conor McPherson
- First Published: 1997
- Type of Plot: Comedy
- Time of Work: The late twentieth century
- Setting: Rural northwest Ireland
- Principal Characters: Jack, Brendan, Jim, Finbar, Valerie
- Genres: Social realism, Drama, Comedy
- Subjects: Folkloric or magical people, Mythology or myths, Restaurants, bars, taverns, or pubs, Ghosts or apparitions, Alcohol, Death or dying, Drinking or drunkenness, Loneliness, Bereavement or grief, Ireland or Irish people, Dams or reservoirs, Fairies
- Locales: Ireland
The Play
The Weir depicts an evening at a small bar located on a farm in rural Ireland where the proprietor, three other local men, and a woman new to the area meet, drink, and tell stories. The banter consists of friendly local talk and gossip that is uneventful in itself, but overall reveals the characters’ isolation and the figurative ghosts that haunt them.
The play opens as Jack, a customer clearly familiar with the bar, comes in and, in the absence of the proprietor, helps himself to a drink. Brendan then enters carrying peat for the fire to warm them on...
[The entire page is 1821 words long]
