The Lieutenant of Inishmore

Davey is a 17-year-old boy who accidentally finds his way into the narrative when he spots a dead cat on the road and attempts to do the right thing by returning it to its owner. He is proud of his long hair despite the teasing he receives from those who call it girlish, and his unintentional feminization is compounded by his riding everywhere on his mother’s pink bicycle. Davey is also symbolically emasculated by the bullying from his younger sister, Mairead. He is a stereotype of a small-town buffoon, and humor arises from his witless statements, such as asserting that a cat with his brains leaking out might be saved by the vet or suggesting that Padraic might be fooled by a shoe polish-covered cat. Davey doesn’t demonstrate any interest in taking part in the INLA’s cause, but he is aware of the differences between the paramilitary groups and the acts of violence they’ve committed. He is the only character who expresses a dislike of cats, although he likes Wee Thomas, and he exacts accidental revenge on his sister by stealing her cat and painting him black, not expecting Padraic to kill the feline.