Act III opens on Sarah and Owen working distractedly in the school room. There is an atmosphere of tension. Manus enters the room and hurriedly packs his books into traveling bags, dropping items in his state of distress. Manus reveals that he is hurt by Maire’s affection for Yolland, as he’d hoped to marry Maire himself. On the night of the dance, he even contemplated attacking Yolland with a stone, but he refrained because Maire and Yolland appeared to be so happy together (70). 

Owen and Manus discuss Yolland’s mysterious disappearance after the dance. The lieutenant has gone missing and a British search party is in pursuit of him. Manus asks Owen to communicate with the two men from the Inis Meadhon hedge school on his behalf, claiming he still wants the teaching job but that he feels the need to be alone for awhile (69-70). Owen tells Manus that if he leaves now, the British army will suspect he is responsible for Yolland’s disappearance. Manus decides to leave nevertheless. He bids Sarah good-bye, asking her to say her name once again (72).