July 2005: Issue 6, Volume 1
BallyKissangel
The Whole Story (Part 2)
From The Insider, May 2003
When we last left BallyKissangel, the unconsummated love between a gorgeous pub owner and a handsome priest had come to a dramatic and tragic conclusion. Assumpta Fitzgerald was killed, and a devastated Father Peter Clifford, who had come to question his calling to the church, left the village he had grown to love. So, where do you go from there? Here's the rest of the story.
By the end of season three BallyKissangel had truly hit its stride. It received nominations for both best drama series and best actress (Dervla Kirwan) at the 1998 British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards.
Yet Dervla and Stephen Tompkinson decided it was time to leave. The loss of two main characters must have caused some sleepless nights among the show's writers, yet life in the small Irish village had to press on. Season four then introduced a number of new faces to liven up the scenario.
Don Wycherley as Father Aidan O'Connell.
Like Father Peter, Father Aidan is a fish out of water, arriving in BallyK after ten years in a monastery. In contrast to the more explosive, passionate Father Clifford, Father Aidan is a gentler, more soft-spoken man.
Don Wycherley was born and raised with three brothers near the Irish town of Cork and was a teacher before he decided change to the acting profession. He had roles on stage (with both Lorcan Cranitch and Niall Tobin) before he went through an extensive audition procedure and was hired as Father Aidan.
When he got the job, Wycherley admitted that it would be difficult to fill Stephen Tompkinson's shoes. He did his homework by spending time at a Benedictine monastery. There, one of the monks, a 75-year old named Father Gabriel, gave him a blueprint for the character of Father Aidan. Father Gabriel also blessed the rosary beads that Wycherley would use to calm himself during the tense early days on the set.
Wycherley is the brother-in-law of BallyK co-star Tina Kellegher, who plays Niamh.
Victoria Smurfit as Orla O'Connell.
When BallyK got Father Aidan it also got his beautiful, willful sister Orla. While Father Aidan was spending time in a monastery his sister was traveling around the world. The questions are: is she ready for the quiet life in BallyK? And is BallyK ready for her?
Victoria Smurfit comes from one of Ireland's wealthiest and most prominent industrial families. This has proved to be both a blessing and a curse. Her family was initially worried about her becoming an actress, and she agreed to give up the thought if she was not accepted into drama school within a year. Luckily, she was able to beat the deadline and trained at the Bristol Old Vic. Prior to BallyK she had roles in Ivanhoe and Berkley Square. In her hands, Orla became a worthy successor to the tough, free-spirited Assumpta.
Lorcan Cranitch as Sean Dillon.
Sean Dillon is Bally K's prodigal son, who returns to town after twenty years following the death of his wife.
Dillon's return to his BallyK after does not please Brian Quigley, who still has hard feelings against Dillon's father, a legendary wheeler-dealer in his own right. Others in town also remember Dillon and his family with less than kindness. Hot on Sean's footsteps another Dillon arrives in town - his rebellious teenage daughter Emma, played by Kate McEnery.
Cranitch, the Dublin-born son of a civil servant, left Ireland to train at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. His family wasn't exactly pleased with his choice of profession - they wanted something with more stability - and there were lean times when Cranitch almost gave up on the idea of being a professional actor. After working in such far-flung locales as Russia and Australia his career gained momentum with a role as a detective on the series Cracker with Robbie Coltrane. After years in England Cranitch then returned to his birthplace to play the mysterious and sexy Sean Dillon.
Colin (Col) Farrell as Danny Byrne.
Sean Dillon isn't the only mysterious, moody man who arrives in BallyK during series four. There's also farmer Eamonn's great-nephew Danny, who arrives from Dublin astride a magnificent white horse.
Colin Farrell's father probably had hopes that his son would follow in his footsteps as a professional soccer player, but Colin caught the acting bug during his teens and studied briefly at Dublin's Gaiety school. He didn't finish the course, but his good looks and natural talent got him jobs early on, and he hasn't stopped working since his big break on BallyKissangel.
Season four's twelve episodes show these new residents settling into town with the patented BallyK mix of drama, comedy and whimsy.
As it starts, the future of Fitzgerald's is uncertain now that Assumpta is gone. A mysterious woman (played by Pauline McLynn of Father Ted) attempts to buy it and make it part of a chain, but Niamh and the other residents convince her that Fitzgerald's should remain locally owned. Niamh then takes over the bar, but this causes friction with her father and her husband. She finds a sympathetic ear in Sean Dillon who isn't finding much sympathy from the rest of the townspeople.
Dillon's daughter Emma arrives unexpectedly and gives her father plenty of grief by stealing Niamh's car. Brendan and Siobhan become the parents of a baby girl named Aisling (born in Quigley's Jacuzzi) and come close to getting married. But they decide at the end to stay as they are. Quigley's latest pie in the sky venture is a golf course, and he enlists the aid of Liam and Donal to ensure that a potential investor - a lotto winner who is persona non grata at most golf courses in Dublin - has a good game.
Padraig's fancy has definitely been captured by the beautiful Orla but he finds out, to his regret, that his feelings are not reciprocated. Orla's brief flirtation with Sean Dillon (who tells her he prefers his own company) sends Padraig into a drunken, jealous rage.
The season ends with old hatchets being buried, and Sean Dillon is made welcome in the village again. His dance with Niamh (seen from a distance by Ambrose) is a foreshadowing of unsettling events to come.
SEASON FIVE
Unfortunately, season five started out with the sad passing in May, 1999 of Birdy Sweeney, who played the eccentric farmer Eamonn. His last performance was in the second episode of this season.
Birdy's actual name was Edmund. He got his nickname because he was known for doing bird impressions. He had suffered from diabetes and heart problems and collapsed one morning while on the way to the set. He left behind a wife and eight children. Sweeney's passing certainly left a hole in BallyK but new faces were there to fill the bar at Fitzgerald's.
Owen Roe as Paul Dooley.
Dooley is another person Quigley does not want to see return to BallyK. Dooley had taken on Quigley in the first couple of seasons when he was a Councillor but was sent away for tax crimes. In season five Dooley returns to face his old nemesis once again.
Owen Roe started out in the 1980s as a stand-up comic and says that early in his career he modeled himself on Steve Martin in the "wild and crazy guy" era with a little political satire thrown in. Along with being a well-known actor Roe is also an accomplished writer.
Marion O'Dwyer as Oonagh Dooley.
Being married to someone like Paul who's always getting into trouble has to be hard for a woman, but Oonagh Dooley is tough and can handle it. In fact, she's a bit like Sybil Fawlty to Paul's Basil - she always knows when her husband is up to something suspicious. The Dooleys also bring two children, Grainne and Dermot, to BallyK.
O'Dwyer's father worked in radio, so show business came naturally for her. She spent time at the Gaiety Theatre and did cameo appearances on television before getting her big break as the strong-willed Oonagh.
Owen Teale as Conor Devlin.
Conor is the fisherman who arrives in BallyK and becomes quite infatuated with the strong-willed Orla. She, on the other hand, is unsure of how to deal with him.
Owen Teale came to BallyK after winning a Tony Award for his performance in A Doll's House. Not bad for someone who hadn't planned to be an actor but signed up for Guildhall Drama School just because that's where his girlfriend was going.
Teale is originally from Wales and had never been to Ireland before he went there to film BallyK.
Catherine Cusack as Frankie Sullivan.
Despite what is normally a masculine name, Frankie Sullivan is a woman who arrives in BallyK to be the new garda. Being both an outsider and a woman makes the job doubly tough.
Catherine Cusack is from a very distinguished acting family as her father was the great stage and screen actor Cyril Cusack. Before moving to Avoca to work on BallyK, Cusack was best known as a star of the long-running soap opera Coronation Street. To prepare for the role of Frankie, Cusack spent time with a female garda at a station in County Wicklow.
All these new faces are on hand for some stunning and heartbreaking developments in season five.
Niamh decides that her marriage is over, but before she has the chance to tell Ambrose he is killed trying to help a couple trapped on the side of a cliff. Niamh's guilt causes problems with Sean, and she needs time alone to deal with Ambrose's death.
She decides she has to leave BallyK and sell Fitzgerald's. When the sale falls through, it is rented to Oonagh Dooley, the wife of Quigley's old rival Paul Dooley.
Meanwhile, Orla moves into a cottage owned by Conor, and the two have a memorable first date racing quad bikes. Orla continues to have doubts about starting a relationship with him, and Conor eventually leaves.
The town rallies around Brendan when it appears that he is going to be passed over for the job of headmaster.
Sean and Niamh finally reconcile, and as the season ends they are married. Father Aidan, who is helping Frankie, almost doesn't make it to the church in time to marry them.
SEASON SIX
The marriage of Niamh and Sean was seen by over 9.2 million viewers (a huge audience by UK measurement), and BallyK was renewed for a sixth season. Kieran Prendiville, who had turned the writing of the show over to others, came back to take charge of his "baby."
Season six saw a major shake-up in the cast including, tragically, the loss of Tony Doyle (Quigley). Doyle died from an apparent heart attack in January of 2000. He left behind six children, one of whom joined the cast.
The death of Doyle was an immeasurable loss. His roguish charm made Brian the schemer you couldn't help but love, and Quigley's antics had provided some of the show's best plotlines.
In a wonderful move on the part of series producer Kieran Prendiville, Quigley isn't killed off. Instead, consumed by debt, he "vanishes" to Brazil. Niamh receives an e-mail with a picture of him waving goodbye.
Also leaving the cast were Colin Farrell (Danny) and Don Wycherly, who played Father Aidan. Father Aidan begins to feel that he isn't making enough of a difference in the village so he leaves. His sister Orla goes along with him. Sean, Niamh and Emma move to London. Danny follows them to be with Emma.
However, a new group of regulars have moved into town and reinvigorated the series.
Robert Taylor as Father Vincent Sheahan.
As always, the new priest in BallyK needs to be something of a fish out of water, and Father Vincent fits the bill as he just happens to be Australian. He also happens to have a skeleton in his closet - a drinking problem.
Father Vincent is something of a throwback to Father Peter in that he is more of a thorn in Father Mac's side and prone to challenge the elder man's authority.
Robert Taylor was on the popular Australian soap opera Home and Away but then left to work outside his native country. He came to BallyK straight from appearances in two Hollywood blockbusters - Vertical Limit and The Matrix.
With those successes under his belt he saw his future more in feature films. Yet he decided to join the cast of BallyK because he knew it was a quality production.
Susannah Doyle as Avril Burke.
Avril Burke is an attractive 30ish horse trainer who bonds with Father Vincent because of their mutual love of horses and past problems with alcohol.
Susannah is the daughter of Tony Doyle, and her appearance on the show provided a link to the late actor. Before joining the cast of BallyK she was on the popular sitcom Drop the Dead Donkey.
Other new characters included garage mechanic Edso Dowling (played by Paul Ronan) and farmer Louis Dargan (played by Mick Lally.)
Prendiville's influence is definitely seen in season six. Taking over from Quigley as the town's main wheeler-dealer, Paul Dooley attempts many memorable get-rich schemes, including an Internet site that allows people to have their sins forgiven for a fee.
In other episodes Father Vincent is picked up for drinking and driving. Avril has her own problems with alcohol when she falls off the wagon after finding out that her ex-husband's new girlfriend is her sister. Avril goes to an AA meeting and is surprised to see that one of the people there is Father Vincent.
Also, Liam and Donal have to pull a Godfather stunt, putting a horse's saddle in Dooley's bed to get him to repay a debt he owes them.
In the final episode, the priest's house has been sold and, finding himself homeless, Father Vincent moves in with Avril. Could they be treading on dangerous ground?
Following that episode BallyKissangel was cancelled. This came because it had been gradually slipping in terms of ratings and - some might say - quality.
It can be argued that the quality had become erratic, but there were high spots, especially in season five when Niamh had to come to grips with her guilt over the death of Ambrose just as she was going to leave him for Sean Dillon. These were some of the most emotionally wrenching and effective episodes of the whole series, and Tina Kellegher did some outstanding, powerful work as Niamh. In fact, Kellegher said that she received a lot of mail after that season, much from women who chastised her for leaving Ambrose.
Part of the reason for the perceived decline in quality may have been the old cliché that too many cooks spoil the broth. The program was the vision of one man - Kieran Prendiville - and over the first few seasons there were a relatively small number of writers who contributed episodes to the show. As the seasons wore on, however, the number of writers increased - as did the number of episodes - so it was hard to keep a consistency.
The numerous cast changes may also have affected the quality. Viewers got used to characters like Orla but then she was gone. However, once Prendiville was involved again the show got back on track.
It's a shame that BallyK was cancelled just as it seemed to be regaining momentum. Father Vincent was a strong character and his relationship with Avril was worth more exploration.
Nevertheless, the series succeeded beautifully in doing what Prendiville wanted to do. His purpose was to show the changing face of rural Ireland without resorting to stereotypes. Over six wonderful seasons, the warm, endearing people of BallyK showed that yes, Ireland is now a country where "Rupert Murdoch speaks to as many people as the Pope," but it is also a place where the old-fashioned virtues of family, friends and community are still strong.
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