Four men gather in a small Irish pub. One is the young owner and the other three are regulars with a long history together. Jack (an impressive Dan Butler) regrets choices he made as a young man, leaving him alone and single which is why he urges Brendon, the pub owner (Johnny Hopkins) to marry. Butler (who spent seven seasons as boorish womanizer “Bulldog” on TV’s “Frasier”) displays warmth and concern, in a departure from his TV character. Jim (John Keating) lives with his mother. Though married, Finbar (Sean Gormley) often seeks the company of the others at the pub. In a sense, they are family.

Having known one another for years, they share the same stories and fall into familiar patterns. Jack and Finbar interact like a comedy team or a long-married couple, yet it is all done with familiarity and affection. With every other comment, they treat one another to drink. Their loneliness is relieved by the company of the other men as their stories and companionship enable them to escape the sadnesses of their lives.

Into this neighborly mix comes a newcomer, Valerie (Sarah Street) a recent transplant from Dublin. Chivalrously and proprietorially, Finbar shows her around the neighborhood. Although the dynamics change, the men have found a new audience and begin to share quiet supernatural stories with her, one of which concerns the house in which she has moved. The stories maintain the somber mood of the play; they aren’t the eerie frightening Stephen King-type stories.

They soon regret having spooked her with scary stories until she tells them her own tale of personal loss. Valerie shares her own story, and finds her place of belonging. At the beginning of Conor McPherson’s play, Valerie is a receptive audience, listening to what are essentially monologues as the men describe their stories. Yet when she tells her tale of a phone call that might have come from beyond-the-grave, the focus changes dramatically. Now the story is tragic but also personal.

There’s something as cozy and comforting about Brendan’s bar as there is about the Irish Repertory Theater itself. Like the theater, the pub itself is dark and intimate yet familiar. (Scenic Design-Charlie Corcoran.) There’s a slightly haunting mood with the blustery wind howling outside. The inhospitable weather makes the pub feel even more cozy. The excellent cast, well- directed by Ciaran O’Reilly, leads us into this isolated world.

“The Weir” is about loneliness and fascination and the need for connections. The intimate play with its moving stories is more profound and impactful when framed by ghosts and delivered by skilled expert performers.