Manus
Manus is the elder son of Hugh, the headmaster of the hedge-school in Baile Beag. He is in love with Maire, who won't marry him because he doesn't have a job to provide for them. He is very sensible and helpful to his father, in part because when he was a baby, Hugh fell on his cradle, rendering Manus lame for his life. He is rather stubborn and serious, refusing to learn English when the English soldiers arrive in the town. When he learns that Maire is in love with the English soldier, Yolland, he is completely heartbroken.
Owen
Owen is Manus' younger brother, a charming young man employed by the English Army to help Yolland anglicize the Irish names in the village. He grows to like Yolland and for much of the play sees nothing wrong with English incursion on Irish soil, but when he learns of how ruthless the English soldier Lancey is, he joins the resistance, breaking ranks with his English employers and fighting alongside his fellow countrymen.
Hugh
Hugh is the headmaster of the hedge-school in Baile Beag, and the father of Manus and Owen. Throughout the play, he is constantly inebriated. He teaches the students to speak Irish, Latin, and Greek, but not English. He's offered a prestigious position at a school which he accepts, remaining ambivalent but resigned to the increasing British political influence in his homeland.
Sarah
Sarah is a young Irish girl who has great difficulty speaking. With the help of Manus, she is able to learn to speak her name, which he says is all she needs in order to make it in the world.
Lieutenant Yolland
Yolland is a Lieutenant in the English Army who has come to Ireland to anglicize the placenames of the Irish countryside. In the process, he falls in love with Ireland as a country and after a dance in the village of Baile Beag kisses Maire, an Irish girl with whom he can barely communicate. We learn that he was supposed to go and work with the East India Company, but enrolled in the army instead, against his father's wishes.
Maire
Maire is a young Irish woman who desires to leave Ireland and go to New York City. She wants to learn English, which Hugh does not teach his students, and she refuses to marry Manus as he doesn't have an adequate salary. She develops an affection for Yolland, and even though they cannot communicate with one another, she loves him deeply, and wants to go away with him.
Doalty & Bridget
Doalty and Bridget are two high-spirited students at the hedge-school. They are often seen together, and have a gossipy and lighthearted relationship to the events in the play. By the end of the play, Doalty resolves to join the resistance and fight back against British incursion.
