Ballykissangel

Lately, Rob and I seem to hurry the kids through bathtime, rush the goodnight kisses, and race to the TV room. All to see an old BBC show from the 1990s.

Ballykissangel obsorbs my thoughts!

The storyline revolves around a young English priest, Peter Clifford, who is posted to the tiny Irish village of Ballykissangel. There, he finds himself having to deal with an Ireland that he is totally unfamiliar with.

The main reasons for his difficulty are the colourful array of characters that he finds himself faced with. There is Brian Quigley, the wheeler-dealing businessman and his sidekick Fr MacAnally, the Parish Priest who is not quite as holy as he appears to be. The local Garda, Ambrose and his wife Niamh who just happens to be Quigley's daughter. Most significantly, Peter meets Assumpta Fitzgerald, the young landlady of the local pub. Assumpta has little time for the English and less time for the clergy, which does not explain why she is so interested in Peter.

So, OK, Rob and I admittedly have a bit of a soft spot for the love lives and love interests of young priests. But this show is more than that. The characters are some of the most well developed and real characters I've seen on a show. It makes me sad to know that there are no new episodes coming out. These are characters that I'd like to know for a long time!