Ryan’s Daughter

In August 1917, Rosy Ryan marries Charles Shaughnessy, the widowed village schoolteacher, and they move into the schoolhouse. The marriage reveals a mismatch: Charles' emotional reserve contrasts with Rosy's craving for a more exciting life.

Major Randolph Doryan arrives to command the local army camp, and a vulnerability-laden bond forms when Rosy comforts him after a collapse in the pub. Their growing closeness blossoms into a passionate affair, sparked during a secluded ride to the forest.

While guiding his students to the beach, Charles notices two sets of footprints—one from Doryan and one a woman's—leading to a nearby cave. He imagines Rosy and the Major together, reinforcing his suspicions about Rosy's fidelity.

Michael, a mentally disabled villager, enters the cave and discovers Doryan's Victoria Cross, a symbol of the Major's status. He parades through the village with the medal, drawing ridicule from the townspeople.

Rosy approaches Michael after the parade, offering compassion, and in the process unintentionally reveals her own involvement with Doryan. The revelation sows seeds of mistrust among the villagers who sense her infidelity.

In January 1918, IRB member Tim O'Leary and his men arrive in Kirrary to recover a shipment of German arms. Thomas Ryan secretly alerts the British authorities about the operation, betraying the local group.

The villagers join in recovering the truck carrying the arms, unaware of Thomas's betrayal. British troops led by Doryan ambush the group; Doryan fatally shoots O'Leary and then collapses from a flashback.

Charles confronts Rosy, admitting he had hoped the affair would end, yet he now wants to separate. Rosy insists it is over, but that night she visits Doryan again.

A mob led by Mr. McCardle storms the schoolhouse, seizes Rosy, and publicly humiliates her by cutting off her hair. Father Collins intervenes to stop the mob, while Thomas Ryan watches in silent remorse.

The next morning, Doryan encounters Michael on the beach and gives him a cigarette case. Michael shows Doryan a hidden cache of dynamite, hinting at a dangerous secret behind the affair and the arms operation.

Left alone with the explosives, Doryan uses the dynamite to commit suicide. The act closes his arc as a symbol of personal collapse under the war's pressures and his own guilt.

Charles and Rosy depart the village for Dublin, escorted to the bus by Father Collins and Michael. The departure marks the end of their troubled relationship and forces them to confront an uncertain future.

As they board the bus, Father Collins privately tells Charles that his remaining doubt mirrors Charles's own: whether he and Rosy should remain together. The film leaves their fate unresolved.