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Martin Cunningham
Mr. M’Coy is one of the four men—in addition to Jack Power, Martin Cunningham, and Tom Kernan—who make up the main friend group in the story. Power and Cunningham enlist him to help convince Kernan to attend a Catholic retreat aimed at bringing him out of his downward spiral. M’Coy was once a semi-famous singer along with his wife, but he’s since had trouble holding down a job, bouncing between a clerkship for a railroad company, an advertising sales job, and a private inquiry agent job, before becoming secretary to the City Coroner. He has also engaged in some less legitimate ways of making money, such as pawning off old suitcases “borrowed” from friends such as Power—something that leads to resentment between Power and himself. He joins in the long discussion about Catholic history and Irish religion that takes up the majority of the story, asking questions and stating facts (usually incorrect) in turn. Among his friends, M’Coy occupies a lower station than Power and Cunningham, but he’s more successful than the troubled Kernan.
Mr. M’Coy Quotes in Grace
The Grace quotes below are all either spoken by Mr. M’Coy or refer to Mr. M’Coy. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Grace Quotes
--Yes, that’s it, said Mr Cunningham, Jack and I and M’Coy here – we’re all going to wash the pot.
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Every other order of the Church has to be reformed at some time or other but the Jesuit Order was never once reformed. It never fell away.
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--But, of course, said Mr Cunningham quietly and effectively, our religion is the religion, the old, original faith.
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--Allow me, said Mr Cunningham positively, it was Lux upon Lux. And Pius IX. his predecessor’s motto was Crux upon Crux that is, Cross upon Cross – to show the difference between their two pontificates.
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Mr. M’Coy Character Timeline in Grace
The timeline below shows where the character Mr. M’Coy appears in Grace. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Grace
Two nights later, three of Kernan’s friends—Mr. Power, Mr. Cunningham, and Mr. M’Coy—arrive at the Kernans’ house. Kernan is unaware that he's the victim of a plot that...
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The men begin to discuss Mr. Kernan’s incident in the pub. M’Coy asks Kernan if his tongue still hurts, which it doesn’t—but he’s still feeling sick. M’Coy...
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...been passed around, Mr. Cunningham subtly brings up a spiritual retreat that he, Power, and M’Coy are all planning to attend on Thursday. Kernan inquires more about it, prompting Cunningham to...
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...conversation turns to the Jesuits, an order of the Catholic Church. Mr. Cunningham and Mr. M’Coy each showily share their admiration for the Jesuits, proclaiming that the General of the Jesuits...
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...Burke’s sermons. Mr. Power points out that Burke appealed to both Catholics and Protestants, and M’Coy suggests that there is not much difference between the two sects of Christianity. Cunningham quietly...
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That Thursday, Kernan, Power, Cunningham, M’Coy, and Fogarty arrive at the Gardiner Street Jesuit Church for the retreat. They sit down...
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