Ireland

The country of Ireland is the broad-strokes setting of the play. Its long history of Catholic faith, economic hardship, and being a source of large numbers of immigrants to America provides a multi-faceted context for the action of the play, and the longings of its characters.

Ballybeg

The fictional village of Ballybeg is the locality within which the action of the play unfolds. There is a sense that its lack of opportunity and limited circumstances are those of many small towns, in literature and arguably in reality. This, in turn, lends the play and the stories of its characters a universality that perhaps transcends the boundaries of the play being set in Ireland, and about Irish people.

The House / Shop

For the most part, the action of the play takes place within the walls of the building where protagonist Gar both makes his home and goes to work...