Ballykissangel

This is one of the best shows that I watch. It is part of my Thursday night line up. My mother loves it too. We watch it regularly. It has all the makings of a soap opera but a much better story line!! You could actually believe that it is something that would happen to anyone. If you haven't seen it before, watch it!!

Now being re-run on ITV3, I am really enjoying BallyK all over again. For me, the acting of the whole ensemble cast is wonderful and particularly Stephen Tompkinson as Father Peter Clifford. His relationship with Assumpta is fascinating, even when I know what happened, because it shows them actually relating to each other as people and not in the roles that they play in the village. Peter goes beyond the traditional remit of the priest, while executing it faithfully, and his kindness and good judgement are an inspiration to all. He is an example of a really good man, although he has his own inner conflicts which are played convincingly. Most of all, I feel that all the characters in BallyK are friends who I want to visit - I feel as if I know them. It also hasn't dated too much and I think new viewers would enjoy it as much as those of us who remember it warmly from the first time around.

I suspect it's difficult to sustain a long story line without occasional lapses into soap-opera territory. The occasional agonized glances and cryptic dialogue remind me I should say, "Offer it up."

That said, the writers do a masterful job with the various roles. It's reminiscent of some of Peter DeVries, whose dotty Irish characters alternately delighted and irritated. I've watched three series, and it's remarkable how the actors vanish into their roles, unlike other bar-themed productions like Cheers. Frazier was a great character, but he was still Kelsey Grammer.

Sidenotes--If Gary Whelan (Brendan) isn't a reincarnated Joe McCarthy, I don't know who could be, and if If the late Niall Tobin as the pastor wasn't a priest, he should have been.

The ensemble simply shines from top to bottom. Deirdre Donnelly as the vet and Bosco Hogan as the town GP make you wish they were treating you or your pets, and Peter Caffrey as Padraig is the barfly you'd always buy a drink for.

In 1998, I toured Ireland with a group of Aussies. We stopped in Avoca only because Ballykissangel was filmed there. All the Aussies were excited to see the church, the store, and Fitzgerald's just as seen on their BBC back home. I remembered the cute name for the town (Ballykissangel) when I joined Netflix. The characters are so well developed. No U.S. TV series is ever this good. Only when PBS shows a series of BBC programs is there any quality, and this has never been shown where I have been. The quirky people of BallyK just keep on coming. Some better than others, but each disc always leaves me wanting more. This show could have continued longer that six seasons with Kieran Prendiville back in the helm, but alas, it didn't. I will be sorry when I watch the last disc. Should it ever appear on PBS, I will become an avid watcher again. It is worth seeing again and looking forward to each episode. Ballykissangel wins my highest praise as quality storytelling.

I somehow started liking the series, the chemistry between priest and the pub owner was good, there was good humor, the family drama, the amateurity writings ,the smalltown character they were going good somehow. But they killed the main character immaturely, they killed the show at the end of the season 3. And I stopped watching it then.