Old Jack is an elderly caretaker who manages the fire and runs small errands in the Committee Room. As an uneducated laborer, his aged face bears the physical toll of a lifetime of hard work in Ireland. He constantly worries about his adult son, who struggles with alcohol dependency and a lack of direction. Though he shares a working-class background with radical candidates, he defers completely to the conservative social hierarchy of the men around him.

Mr. O'Connor is a gray-haired young man employed to canvass for the municipal candidate Mr. Tierney. Rather than walking his neighborhood in the rain, he remains indoors, paralyzed by apathy and a general fatigue with the state of Irish politics. He considers himself a moderate Parnellite and wears an ivy leaf pin on his lapel to commemorate the late political leader.

Mr. Henchy is a bustling, outspoken canvasser who shifts his political opinions based on his personal comfort and social advantage. He openly complains about Mr. Tierney failing to pay them, but instantly praises his employer the moment free beer arrives. He uses jokes and a loud personality to mask his underlying self-interest and lack of firm political conviction.

Mr. Hynes is an energetic young radical republican within the Nationalist Party, frequently dismissed by conservative members as a "Fenian." He actively campaigns for the working-class candidate Colgan and openly disrespects the British monarchy. Like Mr. O'Connor, he wears an ivy leaf pin, but he expresses his devotion to Charles Parnell through active writing, specifically composing a passionate tribute poem.

A slender, socially conservative canvasser who firmly opposes the memory of Charles Parnell. He refuses to separate a political leader's public fitness from their private morality, viewing past marital scandals as disqualifying. He readily engages in debate regarding the appropriateness of King Edward's upcoming visit to Ireland.

A Conservative and former Unionist who only canvasses for the Nationalist Mr. Tierney because his own candidate dropped out of the race. He considers the other men in the room socially inferior and maintains a quiet, polite distance from the republican sentiments expressed around the fire.

A seventeen-year-old worker employed by Mr. Tierney. He acts as a courier, delivering the porter that the candidate uses to pacify his unpaid canvassers. When offered a drink by Mr. Henchy, he eagerly accepts it, ignoring the silent judgment of the older men.

A Nationalist Party candidate running in the municipal election who owns a local pub called The Black Eagle. Though he never physically enters the room, he dictates the actions of the canvassers. Nicknamed "Tricky Dicky," he delays paying his workers their wages, instead sending them alcohol to keep them quiet while he prepares to welcome the British king.

A young Catholic priest whose shabby, unkempt dress stands out to the men in the room. He stays only a moment before departing, prompting immediate gossip the second the door closes behind him.

A working-class political candidate running against Mr. Tierney in the municipal election. Though he does not appear in the room, he represents the true working-class interests in Dublin. The conservative and moderate canvassers dismiss him as a "tinker," while radical members view him as the only genuine choice for the people.