A 60-year-old former sea captain who serves as the patriarch of the Boyle family. He actively avoids employment by claiming to suffer from sudden pains in his legs whenever a job opportunity arises. Instead of providing for his household, he spends his days drinking in local snugs and singing traditional songs. He presents himself as a poet and storyteller, preferring to recount tales of his days as a seaman rather than face the harsh economic realities of 1922 Dublin.

The 45-year-old matriarch of the Boyle family who bears the physical marks of working-class stress. As the primary breadwinner, she works tirelessly to keep her family fed despite their poverty and her husband's refusal to secure a job. She employs a tough-love approach to manage her household, maintaining a deeply practical mindset that contrasts with her family's various idealisms.

The 22-year-old eldest child of the Boyle family. She possesses a strong interest in literature, reading playwrights like Henrik Ibsen despite her father's belief that she is consuming trash. She is currently on strike from her job due to her firm belief in union principles, a decision that adds to her family's immediate financial strain.

The younger Boyle sibling who carries heavy physical and psychological burdens from fighting in the 1916 Easter Rising and the ongoing Irish Civil War. He lost an arm and took a bullet to the hip, leaving him unable to perform manual labor. He insists he would sacrifice for Ireland again, though he exhibits signs of severe trauma regarding recent events in their neighborhood.

An older, single man who lives in the same Dublin tenement building as the Boyles. He serves as Captain Jack's constant drinking buddy and enabler, providing an escape from family responsibilities. He acts cheerful and agreeable but quickly flees to the roof or out the window whenever Juno approaches the apartment.

A schoolteacher studying to become a solicitor. He represents upward mobility and education, which strongly attracts Mary. He brings the Boyles news of a potential inheritance and introduces philosophical concepts like Theosophy into the household, contrasting sharply with the family's traditional background.

Mary's on-and-off-again boyfriend who remains deeply attached to her. He is a practical, working-class young man who tries to be helpful to the Boyle family by securing employment opportunities for Jack, hoping this will earn him favor and help win Mary back.

A neighbor living in the same tenement building. She is deeply embedded in the local community gossip and social life, ready to share a drink, sing a song, or speak her mind about the Boyles' changing fortunes.

A grieving mother who lives in the neighborhood. She has just lost her only child, Robbie, to the ongoing political violence in Ireland. Her tragedy brings the reality of the civil conflict directly into the daily lives of the tenement residents.

The local tailor who operates near the tenement. He acts as a voice of traditional respectability in the community, demanding appropriate behavior from his neighbors during solemn occasions.

A young Irish Die-hard soldier and neighbor of the Boyles who was recently found dead, his body riddled with bullets. Though he does not appear alive onstage, his death heavily impacts the neighborhood and specifically haunts Johnny Boyle.

A militant figure connected to the civil war factions. He tracks down Johnny Boyle to demand his attendance at a meeting regarding Robbie Tancred's death, insisting that no sacrifice is too great for Ireland.

The local priest who holds significant influence over the community. Though he does not appear physically, his job offers and religious authority frequently steer the actions and conversations of the tenement residents.