The Weir is a play written by Conor McPherson in 1997. It was first produced at The Royal Court Theatre Upstairs in London, England, on 4 July 1997. It opened on Broadway at the Walter Kerr Theatre on 1 April 1999. As well as several other locations in the UK and the U.S., the play has been performed in Ireland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Australia and Canada.Kerrane, Kevin. The Structural Elegance of Conor McPherson's The Weir New Hibernia Review 10.4 (2006) 105-121
Plot summary The play opens in a County Leitrim pub with Brendan, the publican, and Jack, a car mechanic and garage owner. These two begin to discuss their respective days and are soon joined by Jim. The three then discuss Valerie, a pretty young woman from Dublin who has just rented an old house in the area.
Finbar, a businessman, arrives with Valerie, and the play revolves around reminiscences and banter. After a few drinks, the group begin telling stories with a supernatural slant, related to their own experience or those of others in the area, and which arise out of the popular preoccupations of Irish folklore: ghosts, fairies and mysterious happenings.
After each man (except Brendan) has told a story, Valerie tells her own: the reason why she has left Dublin. Valerie's story is melancholy and undoubtedly true, with a ghostly twist which echoes the earlier tales, and shocks the men who become softer, kinder, and more real. There is the hint that the story may lead to salvation and, eventually, a happy ending for two of the characters. Finbar and Jim leave, and in the last part of the play, Jack's final monologue is a story of personal loss which, he comments, is at least not a ghostly tale but in some ways is nonetheless about a haunting.
The building of a hydroelectric dam, or weir, on a local waterway many years before is mentioned early in the conversation.
Characters
Jack, a mechanic and garage owner in his fifties. Brendan, the owner of the pub in which the play is set. He is in his thirties. Jim, Jack's assistant, in his forties. Finbar Mack, a local businessman in his late forties. Valerie, a Dublin woman in her thirties.
Productions and cast Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, UK (Original cast) Finbar, Dermot Crowley Jim, Kieran Ahern Jack, Jim Norton Brendan, Brendan Coyle Valerie, Michelle Fairley
National Theatre, Prague, Czech Republic (2000) Finbar, Václav Postránecký Jim, Jan Hartl Jack, Alois Švehlík Brendan, Alexej Pyško Valerie, Miluše Šplechtová
Ljubljana National Drama Theatre, Slovenia (performing continuously since April 2001) Finbar, Aleš Valič Jim, Igor Samobor Jack, Ivo Ban Brendan, Branko Šturbej Valerie, Saša Pavček
The Gate Theatre, Dublin (2008)Meany, Helen. The Weir The Guardian, 12 June 2008 Finbar - Denis Conway Jim - Mark Lambert Jack - Sean McGinley Brendan - David Ganly Valerie - Genevieve O'Reilly
Cape Ann Theatre Collaborative at Gloucester Stage Company, Gloucester, MA (2010) Michael McNamara Rory O’Conner David McCaleb Michael O’Leary Kristen Searcy
Irish Repertory Theatre, Off-Broadway (2013) Finbar, Sean Gormley Jim, John Keating Jack, Dan Butler Brendan, Billy Carter Valerie, Tessa Klein
Donmar Warehouse, London (2013 Revival) Finbar, Risteárd Cooper Jim, Ardal O'Hanlon Jack, Brian Cox Brendan, Peter McDonald Valerie, Dervla Kirwan
Rover Rep Theatre, Hamburg Finbar, Roger Graves Jim, Jeff Caster Jack, John Kirby Brendan, Dave Duke Valerie, Valerie Doyle
Melbourne Theatre Company, Melbourne, Australia (2015) Finbar, Greg Stone Jim, Robert Menzies Jack, Peter Kowitz Brendan, Ian Meadows Valerie, Nadine Garner
Abbey Theatre, Dublin (2022–2023) Finbar, Peter Coonan Jim, Marty Rea Jack, Brendan Coyle Brendan, Sean Fox Valerie, Jolly Abraham
Nantwich Players Theatre, Nantwich (2023)
Jack, Don Hirst Brendan, Adam Goode Jim, Simon Porter Finbar, Chris Ridge Valerie, Megan Goode
Olympia Theatre, Dublin and Harold Pinter Theatre, London (2025 Revival)
Finbar, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor Jim, Seán McGinley Jack, Brendan Gleeson Brendan, Owen McDonnell Valerie, Kate Phillips
Critical response Reviews of The Weir have been positive. It won the 1999 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play. In addition, McPherson won the Critics' Circle Award as the most promising playwright in 1998 as a direct result of the success of The Weir. The play has received lofty praise, such as "beautifully devious,"Brantley, Ben. "Dark Yarns Casting Light." New York Times. 2 April 1999, p. b 1. "gentle, soft-spoken, delicately crafted work,"Curtis, Nick. Evening Standard. 19 October 1998. and "this is my play of the decade...a modern masterpiece."Langton, Robert G. The Express. 19 October 1998.
The Weir was voted one of the 100 most significant plays of the 20th century in a poll conducted by the Royal National Theatre, London. It tied at 40th place with Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh, Samuel Beckett's Endgame and Arthur Miller's A View From The Bridge.Page summarising the Royal National Theatre's NT2000 survey, originally at spot.colorado.edu Accessed 14 October 2017 The Guardian critic Michael Billington listed The Weir as one of the 101 greatest plays of all time in his 2015 book The 101 Greatest Plays: From Antiquity to the Present.
Awards 1999 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play
Adaptations In February 2026, it was announced that principal photography had begun in Ireland on a feature film adaptation of the play, directed by the playwright and featuring the cast of the 2025 Dublin/London revival.
References
Further reading
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