Ballykissangel

When Ballykissangel first aired on BBC One in 1996, it arrived like a breath of fresh country air — gentle, warm, and unassuming. Set in the fictional Irish village of Ballykissangel (inspired by Ballykissane in County Kerry), the series followed the fish-out-of-water story of Father Peter Clifford, a young Roman Catholic priest from Manchester, portrayed with quiet charm and vulnerability by Stephen Tompkinson (Drop the Dead Donkey).

Transferred to what is wryly described as “the back of beyond”, Father Peter quickly finds himself immersed in the everyday dramas of a close-knit rural community, where life tends to orbit around two buildings — the church and the pub. The latter is run by the sharp-tongued, fiercely independent Assumpta Fitzgerald (a compelling Dervla Kirwan, Goodnight Sweetheart), whose distrust of the clergy is as strong as her espresso.

At the heart of Ballykissangel is the slow-burning, achingly restrained relationship between Peter and Assumpta. Their dynamic — full of banter, mutual exasperation, and undeniable affection — is the show’s emotional anchor. But this is no typical romance. Peter’s vocation demands celibacy, and the show never trivialises this; instead, it explores the tension with grace and sadness, capturing the emotional cost of choosing between personal happiness and spiritual duty.

Beyond the central pairing, the series paints a vivid picture of an Ireland in transition. Set during the Celtic Tiger boom years, it touches — often lightly, sometimes more daringly — on subjects such as divorce, pre-marital sex, and the growing cracks in the authority of the Catholic Church. Tony Doyle’s Brian Quigley, the local wheeler-dealer and embodiment of entrepreneurial Ireland, offers a sharp contrast to the more traditional voices in the village, such as Niall Tóibín’s Father Mac. Their clashes, often mirrored in the friction between Assumpta and Father Peter, reflect a society caught between old certainties and new freedoms.

Donal Docherty (Frankie McCafferty) is known for his good-natured, slightly dim-witted personality. He serves primarily as Brian Quigley's right-hand man and general dogsbody, often found helping out with odd jobs, construction work, or any number of dubious schemes Brian had cooked up. Alongside his partner in comic relief, Liam (Joe Savino), the pair become a sort of rural Irish Laurel and Hardy. Whether they are botching a job or getting tangled up in village antics, Donal’s wide-eyed innocence and often hilariously literal interpretation of instructions makes him a fan favourite.

Siobhan Mehigan (Deirdre Donnelly) is the village’s no-nonsense vet, known for her strong will, quick wit, and deep compassion — especially towards animals and those in need. Siobhan represents a modern, professional woman often serving as a voice of reason among the sometimes chaotic or eccentric goings-on in Ballykissangel. She’s pragmatic, fiercely independent, and well-respected by the villagers, often called upon in times of both medical and emotional need. One of her most significant relationships in the series is with Brendan Kearney (Gary Whelan).

Filmed in the picturesque County Wicklow towns of Avoca and Enniskerry, the visual charm of Ballykissangel cannot be overstated. The landscape becomes a character in itself — lush, green, occasionally misty — lending an almost mythical quality to the village of Ballykissangel, whose Irish name, "Baile Coisc Aingeal" ("The town of the fallen angel"), hints subtly at the moral ambiguity and emotional turbulence beneath the surface.

While the early seasons were a resounding success, becoming quintessential Sunday night family viewing and drawing audiences of up to ten million, the departure of Tompkinson and Kirwan at the end of series three, having decided that they'd taken their character's journey as far as they could, proved a blow from which the series never truly recovered. Later seasons introduced a raft of new characters, including Robert Taylor’s Father Vincent Sheahan, and Colin Farrell’s Danny Byrne, marking one of Farrell's earliest television roles before his rise to international stardom. Farrell is a young, cheeky, and charming Dublin lad who arrives in Ballykissangel to work as a stable hand. Danny is a bit of a rogue with a good heart — street-smart, mischievous, but ultimately kind and likeable. But despite their best efforts, the show’s soul seemed to have quietly left with its central duo. Subplots involving supporting characters such as Kathleen, Niamh, and Brian were expanded, but the narrative spark was dimmed.

Created by Kieran Prendiville and produced by BBC Northern Ireland, Ballykissangel was never about grand drama or high stakes. Its success lay in its ability to find depth in the mundane, to elevate small-town squabbles and quiet heartbreak into compelling television. Repeats continue to air on Drama and in the U.S. on PBS affiliates, testament to the show’s enduring charm.

By the time it bowed out in 2001, with viewing figures having dwindled to under five million, Ballykissangel had become a shadow of its former self. Yet, for all its later missteps, the early seasons remain a tender, thoughtful portrait of love, faith, and community — a gently humorous window into a world where nothing much happens, but everything matters.