

John B Keane
 John
B. Keane was born in 1928 in Listowel, County
Kerry and it was here that he spent his literary
career, running a pub which provided him with
inspiration for his characters and ideas.
 Keane,
one of Ireland's most well known and
respected literary figures, died on 30 May 2002 at
the age of 73, after a long and difficult battle with
cancer.
 Sive
is a play that depicts Irish rural life in the
1950s.
 The story is centered on an illegitimate eighteen
year old girl called Sive. She lives with her uncle
Mike, his wife Mena and Nanna, Mike’s mother.
 A local matchmaker Thomasheen decides that
Sive should marry an old man called Sean Dota.
Sean is rich but very old and haggard.
 Thomasheen
convinces Mike and Mena to
organize the marriage of Sive to Sean Dota.
They will receive two hundred pounds as
soon as she marries him.
 Sive
however is in love with a young man
called Liam Scuab. Mike refuses permission
for Liam to marry Sive and Mike and Mena
plan to force her to marry Sean Dota.

The main character of the play is Sive, yet she rarely speaks
in the play. We get a clear sense of how she is being used:
her voice is literally drowned out by the power-hungry nature
of the society in which she lives.

The drama is a clear tragedy – many of the characters
reveal their selfishness and greed throughout the play.
Money dominates almost every line of the play, which
shows us the moral of the story -- that innocent people
suffer in a society that is dominated by powerful and selfabsorbed people.
 Sive
 Mike
Glavin (Sive’s uncle)
 Mena Glavin (Mike’s wife)
 Nanna Glavin (Mike’s mother)
 Thomasheen Sean Rua (the local
matchmaker)
 Sean Dota (the man Sive is meant to marry)
 Liam Scuab (the man Sive wants to marry)
Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What clues are there that Nanna doesn’t like
Mena?
How did Sive’s father die?
Why do you think Sive wants to know about her
parents?
Thomasheen tries to convince Mena to marry
Sive off to Sean Dota. Describe three ways he
does this.
Do you think Sive and Sean Dota would be a good
match? Explain why or why not.
Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
What arrangement does Thomasheen make with
Mena before he leaves?
What does Nanna think of Thomasheen? Find a
quote from the play to back up your answer.
What does Mena say Mike has a great love of?
What is Mike’s reaction to the planned marriage
between Sive and Sean Dota? Find a quote from
the play to back up your answer.
Scene Two Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What kind of person do you think Sean Dota is?
Give examples from the play to support your
answer.
What excuse do Mena and Thomasheen make for
Sive and Sean Dota to be alone together?
Why is Mike starting to come around to the idea of
Sive marrying Sean Dota?
What do Mena and Thomasheen plan to do to
keep Sive away from Liam Scuab?
What does Sive think of Sean Dota? Give
examples from the play to support your answer.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
In your opinion, why do Mena and Mike lie to Liam
and say that Sive isn’t getting married?
How does Liam try to persuade them to stop the
marriage?
What reason does Mena give Sive for Liam calling
to the house?
How do you think Sive feels after hearing that
news?
How does Mike react when Nanna tries to
persuade him to stop the marriage?