The Weir Brendan Gleeson: Dublin 2025 Plot, Cast, Reviews

When Brendan Gleeson walked onto the 3Olympia Theatre stage in August 2025, it marked his return to Irish theatre after a decade away. Gleeson, the Oscar and Emmy-winning actor known for everything from The Banshees of Inisherin to Harry Potter, chose Conor McPherson’s The Weir—a ghost story about four men sharing supernatural tales in a rural Irish pub. The production sold out within weeks, and now the West End awaits.

Playwright: Conor McPherson · Lead Actor: Brendan Gleeson · Dublin Venue: 3Olympia Theatre · Dublin Run: 8 Aug – 6 Sep 2025 · World Premiere: 1997, Royal Court Theatre

Key production details confirm the cast, timeline, and reception for this high-profile revival.

What is the plot of The Weir?

Conor McPherson’s play is set in a rural Irish pub where four local men—Jack, Finbar, Jim, and Gerry—gather for their usual evening. The men’s routine storytelling session takes an unexpected turn when Valerie arrives. Her presence changes the atmosphere entirely, and the conversation shifts toward the supernatural.

Setting and characters

The Weir takes place entirely within the confines of a small-town Irish pub—a setting McPherson uses to explore themes of Irish folklore, storytelling, and rural pub culture (The Reviews Hub). The male characters have known each other for decades, sharing stories and gossip that reflect their community’s values and fears.

Jack serves as the group’s natural leader—the “rueful Jack” whose presence anchors the ensemble (The Arts Review). Tom Vaughan-Lawlor plays Finbar, a character critics have compared to “rural Del Boy” for his comedic timing and optimistic outlook.

Key supernatural elements

What elevates The Weir beyond simple pub conversation is how McPherson layers ghost stories throughout. Each character shares increasingly personal tales—some mundane, some chilling—creating a collective narrative that builds toward something profound about grief, memory, and the stories we tell to make sense of loss.

Is Brendan Gleeson in The Weir?

Yes, Brendan Gleeson stars as Jack in this production. His casting represents a significant return: Gleeson had not performed on the Irish stage for a decade before this production (RTE). The role of Jack—a curmudgeonly elder statesman of the local community—has been described as a “masterclass in performing for the stage” in his hands (The Reviews Hub).

Gleeson’s role

As Jack, Gleeson serves as the fulcrum around which the ensemble revolves. The Irish Times described his performance as “kingly” while noting how he anchors the production’s emotional weight (The Irish Times). This contrasts with his recent film work in The Banshees of Inisherin, where he played a very different kind of Irish character.

Cast details

The full cast features Tom Vaughan-Lawlor as Finbar and Seán McGinley as Jim, alongside Gleeson (The Arts Review). The production is produced by Landmark Productions and Kate Horton Productions in association with 3Olympia Theatre (Landmark Productions).

What is the new play in Dublin with Brendan Gleeson?

The production runs at Dublin’s 3Olympia Theatre from 8 August to 6 September 2025 (Address Citywest Hotel). Note that 3Olympia Theatre is distinct from the standard Olympia Theatre—both are Dublin venues, but this production uses the larger 3Olympia location (The Reviews Hub).

Production dates and venue

The Dublin run follows a specific schedule: no performances on Sundays, with Saturday matinees available (Address Citywest Hotel). Tickets went on sale 3 May 2025 at 12pm, priced from €25 (RTE), and the run subsequently sold out.

Tickets and box office

The Dublin run sold out completely during its engagement (Landmark Productions), with the production then transferring to London’s West End. The West End leg opens at Harold Pinter Theatre from 12 September to 6 December 2025 (The Arts Shelf), with no gap between the two runs.

Is The Weir a good play?

The Weir is an Olivier Award-winning play that has been performed worldwide since its original 1997 premiere (The Weir official site). It won the 1997 Olivier Award for Best New Play and has maintained its reputation as a modern classic of Irish theatre.

Reviews and awards

The Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards nominated this production for Best Revival and Best Actor for Gleeson (Landmark Productions). The Reviews Hub gave it a rare 100% star rating, calling it a “cornerstone of Irish Theatre” (The Reviews Hub). The Irish Times praised both Gleeson (“kingly”) and Vaughan-Lawlor (“magnificent”) (The Irish Times).

Recent revival reception

The play had a critically acclaimed revival at Abbey Theatre Dublin in 2022 starring Brendan Coyle (RTE). The current Gleeson production has matched or exceeded that critical response, with The Arts Review noting it as “a play that reminds you why you love theatre” (The Arts Review).

What happens at the end of The Weir?

The climactic moment of The Weir comes when Valerie, the woman who has disrupted the men’s evening, chooses to share her own ghost story. Her tale—a deeply personal account of loss—transforms the gathering and shifts the power dynamic among the characters. The play emphasizes Irish folklore and storytelling traditions, with Valerie’s contribution reframing everything the men have shared.

Final act summary

Without spoiling the specific details of Valerie’s story, the ending creates a haunting atmosphere within the pub setting. McPherson structures the play so that each character’s contribution builds toward this female character’s climactic revelation—turning the male-dominated storytelling tradition on its head.

Themes and impact

The play explores how storytelling serves as a coping mechanism for grief and isolation in rural Irish communities. McPherson uses the pub setting—a traditionally male space—to examine vulnerability, memory, and the gap between the stories people tell publicly and the truths they keep private.

For Irish theatre audiences, the Gleeson-McPherson reunion represents a once-in-a-generation event. The production’s sold-out run confirms what critics have said: this pairing delivers exactly what Irish theatre does best—language, character, and stories worth telling. Whether catching the West End transfer or waiting for touring announcements, audiences who value intimate, dialogue-driven drama should prioritize seeing The Weir before it closes.