The Playboy of the Western World
play by J. M. Synge
The Playboy of the Western World is a three-act play written by Irish playwright John Millington Synge, first performed at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, on 26 January 1907. The work is considered a centerpiece of the Irish Literary Revival movement and influenced numerous other writers of the period, but was initially met with riots and protests in Dublin when it first premiered. It is set in Michael James Flaherty's public house in County Mayo during the early 1900s, and tells the story of Christy Mahon, a young man running away from his farm, claiming he killed his father.
The play is known for its use of the poetic, evocative language of Hiberno-English, heavily influenced by the Irish language, as Synge celebrates the lyrical speech of the Irish. It remains a popular piece of literature in Ireland, and has been adapted for theatre musicals, plays, and films.
Characters
Christy Mahon, a man who brags he has killed his father
Old Mahon, Christy's father, a squatter
Michael James Flaherty, a publican
Margaret Flaherty, called Pegeen Mike, Michael's daughter and the barmaid
Shawn Keogh, a young man who loves Pegeen
Widow Quin, a widow of about thirty
Philly Cullen and Jimmy Farrell, farmers
Sara Tansey, Susan Brady, Honor Blake, and Nelly, village girls
A Bellman
Some peasants and farmers
Synopsis
On the west coast of County Mayo Christy Mahon comes into Flaherty's tavern. He claims that he is on the run because he killed his father by driving a loy into his head. Everyone is impressed by Christy's boldness, and Flaherty's daughter (and barmaid), Pegeen, falls in love with Christy, to the dismay of her suitor, Shawn Keogh. Because of the novelty of Christy's exploits and the skill with which he tells his story, he becomes something of a town hero. Other women also become attracted to him, including the Widow Quin, who tries unsuccessfully to seduce Christy at Shawn's behest.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “The Playboy of the Western World” as play by J. M. Synge. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the arts & letters register because the source frames it as play by J. M. Synge. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 25, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q451517. VIAF identifies the subject as 210101794. The Library of Congress control number is n79109677. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1907.
Titles can refer to several editions, objects or performances, making precise identification essential before interpretation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “The Playboy of the Western World” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.