Kieran Duffy

Kieran Duffy is a supporting character featured in Red Dead Redemption 2.

Background
Little is known about Kieran's background prior to 1899. His father was an Irishman with a dream of farming West in California, but would inevitably die of cholera with Kieran's mother suffering the same fate. This left a young Kieran orphaned. At some point, Kieran became a member of the O'Driscoll Boys, a rival of the Van der Linde gang. He also mentions that he has a good knowledge of horses, as he worked as a stable boy for the O'Driscolls.

Colter Chapter
When the Van der Linde gang are scouting the O'Driscoll camp, Kieran is seen being scolded by Colm O'Driscoll before leaving on his horse.

As they head back from attacking the camp, they come across Kieran stood by the river, whom they recognise from earlier, Kieran bolts as soon as he sees the gang on horseback. Arthur captures him via lasso and takes him back to camp, and Dutch orders the gang to lock him up in one of the cabins and not give him food until he talks. Kieran tells them that he was part of the O'Driscoll gang unwillingly, and that he hates Colm O'Driscoll.

Horseshoe Overlook Chapter
When the gang settles near Valentine, Kieran is seen tied to a tree, looking malnourished and weak. The gang decide to interrogate him again and threaten him; Kieran again tells them that he hates Colm. After the gang threatens to use gelding tongs on him (castrating him), he admits to them that he knows where one of Colm's supposed safe-houses is located. He leads Arthur, John and Bill to Six Point Cabin, the aforementioned supposed safe-house.

After Arthur and the other two clear out the camp of O'Driscoll members, Arthur heads for the cabin in the rear of the camp, assuming that Colm is hiding there on account of his body not being among those they killed. As Arthur opens the door, he is jumped by an O'Driscoll and is knocked to the ground. Before he can be killed, Kieran appears and fatally shoots the O’Driscoll, saving Arthur’s life. When Arthur realises that Colm O’Driscoll isn’t there, he assumes that Kieran set them up, and points his gun at Kieran. However, Kieran quickly argues that he would not have saved Arthur just moments earlier if that were the case, to which Arthur decides to reluctantly set him free, although Kieran instead insists he should join the Van der Linde gang, having made enemies of the O'Driscolls and would die in the wild otherwise. After some more convincing from John and Bill, Arthur eventually agrees and allows Kieran to stay with the gang.

Upon returning to camp an event can play where Bill teases Kieran about castrating him with gelding tongs again, which causes Kieran to run off.

Clemens Point Chapter
Kieran does not have much action during this chapter, he is usually just seen around camp performing chores during the day and sitting by himself at night, as he still doesn't feel as though the gang fully accepts him yet. He is not involved during any main quest and was the only male member of the gang besides Micah to be left at camp during the gang's attack on the Braithwaite Manor. Earlier on in the chapter he does however have a small mission where him and Arthur can go on a fishing trip together on a stretch of shore near the camp. While fishing, the two men see another man skinny dipping in the water, and the man directs the two towards another tip of shore that had some abnormally large fish. Kieran and Arthur head in to the new spot pointed out, where Arthur can catch the Legendary Bluegill. After Arthur's first few attempts Kieran will say it is getting late and ride back to camp, leaving Arthur to fish a little longer.

Saint Denis Chapter
At some point after the gang relocated into Shady Belle, Kieran was captured by the O'Driscolls. He was tortured until they found out the Van der Linde gang's location. After he had told them everything he was decapitated, and his corpse was sent to Shady Belle on horseback. His corpse was tied up in a manner that displayed his decapitated head being held in his cupped hands. Soon after, O'Driscoll Boys ambushed the Shady Belle manor.

Following the gunfight, Dutch and the rest of the gang began to clean up the mess. Dutch ordered Reverend Swanson to bury Kieran somewhere that's "close, but not too close". Arthur later wrote about his regret at being unable to save him, even though he saved him, in his journal. Kieran's death also had an impact on the gang's already deteriorating emotional state, most notably Arthur, Bill and Mary-Beth.

Beaver Hollow Chapter
Colm O'Driscoll was later captured in Saint Denis and sentenced to be hanged. Fearing the O'Driscoll Boys would rescue their leader, Arthur, Dutch and Sadie attended the execution in disguise to ensure the sentence was carried out. While carrying out the mission, Dutch pointed out Kieran's fate as one of the reasons why they had to succeed.

In the end, the trio successfully thwarted the O'Driscolls plan to rescue Colm and he was hanged, effectively avenging Kieran's death.

Mission appearances

 * "Old Friends"
 * "Eastward Bound"
 * "Paying a Social Call"
 * "The New South"
 * "Blood Feuds, Ancient and Modern"
 * "The Battle of Shady Belle"
 * "Horsemen, Apocalypses" (Corpse)

Trivia

 * Based on dialogue in the mission "No, No and Thrice, No", Susan Grimshaw mentions that she hadn't seen Kieran around the camp recently, alluding to his eventual demise.
 * His grave site can be found near Bolger Glade. This can be visited after "Horsemen, Apocalypses".
 * He appears to have a Cattleman Revolver which has an iron frame and a bone grip.
 * In the mission “Paying a Social Call”, Bill tells Kieran "You’re going to die, but you‘ll lose your balls first". Kieran’s eventual fate of suffering and then dying is foreshadowed by Bill to some extent, and, given that his eyes (eye balls) appear to get gouged out, it appears his fate was foreshadowed fairly literally.
 * Kieran doesn't have a concept art feature although Sadie Adler does, this is presumably due to the fact that Kieran was originally a prisoner and Sadie wasn't
 * Kieran's death is more likely a reference to the Catholic martyr, Saint Denis, who was decapitated and is often depicted in art holding his head in his hands. This is further confirmed since the featured city in the chapter is also named Saint Denis.
 * During the third conversation he has with Mary-Beth, it appears that Kieran is illiterate.
 * Kieran appears to have a crush on Mary-Beth and vice versa, this is shown by Kieran always talking to Mary-Beth and Mary-Beth quoting after his death that she "always had a soft spot for him"