BBC TV's Ballykissangel: Did this stir up any controversy?

IMDB ^ | 11/19/2014 | Vanity

[Usagi_yo]

I've been binge watching an ITV series on Amazon Prime. It ran from 1996-2001.

Storyline

Peter Clifford, a young Catholic priest from Manchester, is transferred to the village of Ballykissangel, Ireland, and is taken by the dry-humored publican Assumpta Fitzgerald who has almost the exact opposite of his good nature and dislikes the organized church. He has to deal with occasional battles against his hateful superior, Father MacAnally, and the day-to-day problems of the people:

[Usagi_yo]

I bounced of 'Peaky Blinders' and into Ballykissangel and just completed a binge watch on Monday/Tuesday series 1-3.

Kind of reminded me of 'Monarch of the Glen'. Both are slow dripping drama with fast paced wit and humor.

I was curious as it treats Catholicism rather roughly as a Priest is slowly drawn to an anti-catholic Publican woman who seems to be drawn to him too. Not giving any spoilers away as the opening episode bludgeons us with hints that the Priest had had a similar problem at his last parish.

Anybody remember how well this series was received in green Ireland (aside from the Orange part of Ireland)?

Did it cause any controversies or harsh criticism from the Church or Irish Politics? It treats extramarital affairs, abortions and other hot social issues or catholic issues rather cavalierly.

[wally_bert]

I passed on BallyK due to the name for a long time. My mom liked it and my wife Netflixed some episodes. I learned to like it a great deal.

I even have the CD soundtrack that I bought a few years ago.

There is a lot about Ireland that I don’t know and will probably never understand but the series is worth a watch.

The only other series regarding Ireland that I recall watching and really liking was The Irish RM with Peter Bowles.

[gorush]

There is a “Michael Forsythe” trilogy” by Adrian McKinty, read By Jarrod Doyle, audiobook series (”Dead I Well May Be” is the first)...if you like novels and don’t mind a bit of violence. I found them very entertaining even though I prefer history. He has other novels about Ireland as well if you like his style.

[Liberty Valance]

Saw most of it when it ran on PBS. Great writing, acting and soundtrack. It’s been so long I might watch it again.

[Savage Beast]

I don't know the answers to your questions, but I liked both Ballykissangel and Monarch of the Glen very much. The only thing I didn't like is that both series continued after the compelling story lines were finished and the series should have finished. I really liked the characters and missed them when the series were over.

BTW--I particularly liked Dervla Kirwan (Assumpta Fitzgerald) and Dawn Steele (Lexie McTavish)!

After watching Ballykissangel I had the urge to move to Ireland.

After watching Monarch of the Glen I looked into real estate in the Scottish Highlands.

[miserare]

It is a charming series.

There was no controversy over it as far as I know.

It treated the subjects you list with charity and wisdom, and everything always came out well in the end.

[Michael Collins]

The series went down fairly well in the UK, it being a relatively harmless and non-threatening Sunday evening series. Both it and Father Ted benefited from the unfolding political progress in Northern Ireland at the time and the ensuing, if brief, novelty of Ireland and the Irish in the UK being newly perceived as something other than a threat by portions of the British public. Normality, of a sort, being restored as it were.

[sinsofsolarempirefan]

Stephen Thompkinson, who played the English priest is from my home town and went to my school’s rival one. I recall they did a crossover dream sequence between Ballykissangel and Father Ted in the latter’s Xmas special.