Ballykissangel was a
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
television drama set in
IrelandIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
, produced in-house by
BBC Northern IrelandBBC Northern Ireland is the main public service broadcaster in Northern Ireland.The organisation is one of the three national regions of the BBC, together with BBC Scotland and BBC Wales. Based at Broadcasting House, Belfast, it provides television, radio, online and interactive television content...
. The original story revolved around a young English
priestA priest or priestess is a person having the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities. Their office or position is the priesthood, a term which may also apply to such persons collectively.Priests and priestesses...
as he became part of a rural community. It ran for six series, which were first broadcast on
BBC One
in the
UKThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
from 1996 to 2001. A significant change in the cast occurred between the third and fourth series and to a lesser extent between the fifth and sixth.
The name of the fictional village in which the show was set is derived from Ballykissanne, a
townlandA townland is a small geographical division of land used in Ireland, believed to be of Gaelic origin; the term was at one time also used in Scotland.-Etymology:...
near
KillorglinKillorglin is a town on the Ring of Kerry, in County Kerry, Ireland. It is located on the river Laune, which boasts a rowing club and a new boathouse...
in
County KerryCounty Kerry is one of the traditional counties of Ireland. It is located within the province of Munster. Kerry is the fifth largest of Ireland’s 32 counties in area and 14th largest in terms of population...
, where the show's creator,
Kieran PrendivilleKieran Prendiville is a television writer and producer, and has also presented some shows.-Early years:Kieran grew up in England where his father had emigrated to practise medicine...
, holidayed with his family as a child.
Discussion
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Ballykissangel was a
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
television drama set in
IrelandIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
, produced in-house by
BBC Northern IrelandBBC Northern Ireland is the main public service broadcaster in Northern Ireland.The organisation is one of the three national regions of the BBC, together with BBC Scotland and BBC Wales. Based at Broadcasting House, Belfast, it provides television, radio, online and interactive television content...
. The original story revolved around a young English
priestA priest or priestess is a person having the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities. Their office or position is the priesthood, a term which may also apply to such persons collectively.Priests and priestesses...
as he became part of a rural community. It ran for six series, which were first broadcast on
BBC One
in the
UKThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
from 1996 to 2001. A significant change in the cast occurred between the third and fourth series and to a lesser extent between the fifth and sixth.
The name of the fictional village in which the show was set is derived from Ballykissanne, a
townlandA townland is a small geographical division of land used in Ireland, believed to be of Gaelic origin; the term was at one time also used in Scotland.-Etymology:...
near
KillorglinKillorglin is a town on the Ring of Kerry, in County Kerry, Ireland. It is located on the river Laune, which boasts a rowing club and a new boathouse...
in
County KerryCounty Kerry is one of the traditional counties of Ireland. It is located within the province of Munster. Kerry is the fifth largest of Ireland’s 32 counties in area and 14th largest in terms of population...
, where the show's creator,
Kieran PrendivilleKieran Prendiville is a television writer and producer, and has also presented some shows.-Early years:Kieran grew up in England where his father had emigrated to practise medicine...
, holidayed with his family as a child. The village's name in
IrishIrish is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now only spoken natively by a small minority of the Irish population but also plays an important symbolic role in the life of the Irish state, and is used...
is shown as "
Baile Coisc Aingeal", which means "The town of the fallen angel" on the sign outside the
post officeAn Post is the State-owned provider of postal services in Ireland. An Post provides a universal postal service to all parts of the country as a member of the Universal Postal Union...
.
Ballykissangel is often affectionately called
BallyK by its fans.
The show was filmed in Avoca &
EnniskerryEnniskerry is a village located in County Wicklow, Ireland, with a population of 2,672 according to the 2006 census.- Location :The town is situated on the Glencullen River in the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains to the east of the island, some south of Dublin. The R117 road, colloquially known...
in
County WicklowCounty Wicklow is one of the traditional counties of Ireland and is located within the province of Leinster. It was named after the town of Wicklow ....
.
Cast
- Stephen Tompkinson
Stephen Tompkinson is an English actor, born 15 October 1965 in Stockton-on-Tees but grew up in St. Anne's, Lancashire, attending St. Bedes Catholic High School, Lytham Lancashire. He is best known for his roles in Wild at Heart and Ballykissangel...
— Father Peter Clifford
- Dervla Kirwan — Assumpta Fitzgerald
- Gary Whelan
Gary Whelan is an Irish actor, best known for his work on British television.Although born in Ireland, Gary relocated to London when he was ten years old.-Acting:He is best known for portraying roles in the police force...
— Brendan Kearney
- Tony Doyle
Tony Doyle was an Irish television and film actor. He appeared in such popular shows as Coronation Street, Between The Lines, 1990 and Ballykissangel, and won an Irish Film and Television Academy Award for best leading performance for his role in the 1998 miniseries Amongst Women.Doyle starred as...
— Brian Quigley
- Frankie McCafferty — Donal Docherty
- Bosco Hogan
Bosco Hogan is an Irish actor of stage, screen and television.He is best-known as Dr. Michael Ryan on Ballykissangel. He appeared in a minor role in John Boorman's film Zardoz , but his first major film role was as Stephen Dedalus in the 1977 Joseph Strick film version of James Joyce's A Portrait...
— Dr. Michael Ryan
- Birdy Sweeney
Birdy Sweeney was born June 14, 1931, in Dungannon, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland and died, May 11, 1999, in Dublin, Ireland. He was a famous actor, starring in the Irish Drama Ballykissangel; wife, Alice; children: eight. Career: Actor, comic, and bird impersonator. Also billed as Birdie...
— Eamonn Byrne
- Stephen Brennan — Enda Sullivan
- Niall Toibin
Niall Tóibín is an Irish comedian and actor. Born in Cork on November 21, 1929 into an Irish speaking family, Tóibín grew up on the north-side of the city in Bishop's Field...
— Father MacAnally
- Aine Ni Mhuiri — Kathleen Hendley
- Joe Savino — Liam Coghlan
- Tina Kellegher
Tina Kellegher is an Irish actress, born in Dublin in 1967. She is best known for her role as "Niamh" in BBC television series Ballykissangel. She is also a well known voice on BBC Radio 4, having played policewoman Tina Mahon in the first four series of Baldi. She is married to Gordon...
— Niamh Quigley/Egan/Dillon
- Peter Caffrey
Peter Caffrey was an Irish actor best known for playing Padraig O'Kelly on Series 1-4 of Ballykissangel, but also well-regarded for his role as a transvestite in the film , and ....
— Padraig O'Kelly
- Deirdre Donnelly — Siobhan Mehigan
- Stephen Kennedy
Stephen Kennedy is a Northern Irish actor from Co. Tyrone.He was educated at St. Colman's High School, Strabane. He is perhaps best known for his role in the BBC Radio 4 series The Archers, as Ian Craig. He has appeared on stage in Tamburlaine , The Birthday Party, , The Agent...
— Timmy-Joe Galvin
- Peter Hanly — Ambrose Egan
- Owen Teale
Owen Teale is a Welsh actor.Trained at the Guildford School of Acting, Teale made his television debut in The Mimosa Boys in 1984. He later appeared in Knights of God , Great Expectations , Waterfront Beat and Boon before being cast as Will Scarlet in the 1991 TV movie Robin Hood...
— Conor Devlin
- Colin Farrell
Colin James Farrell is a Golden Globe-winning Irish actor, who has appeared in Hollywood films including Tigerland, Daredevil, Miami Vice, Minority Report, Phone Booth, Alexander, In Bruges and S.W.A.T....
— Danny Byrne (Credited as Col Farrell)
- Ciaran Owens — Dermot Dooley
- Kate McEnery
Kate McEnery is an English actress, best known for her roles as Colin Farrell's love interest in the BBC Northern Ireland series, Ballykissangel and as Jodie Nash in the Channel 4 teen soap opera, Hollyoaks, from 2001 to 2003....
— Emma Dillon
- Don Wycherley
Don Wycherley is an Irish actor who is well known for the portrayal of Father Cyril McDuff in the comedy Father Ted. Don is the brother of Gordan Wychereley. Other roles include Raymond in Bachelors Walk and Fr...
— Father Aidan O'Connell
- Catherine Cusack
Catherine Cusack is a British/Irish actress.She was born and raised in London. She is the half sister of the actresses Sinéad Cusack, Sorcha Cusack and Niamh Cusack, and the fourth daughter of the late actor Cyril Cusack and his second wife Mary Rose Cunningham's only child.She was accepted to...
— Frankie Sullivan
- Katie Cullen — Grainne Dooley
- John Cleere — Kevin O'Kelly
- Sam Farrar — Kieran Egan
- Marion O'Dwyer — Oonagh Dooley
- Victoria Smurfit
Victoria Smurfit is an Irish actress. Smurfit gained fame for her role as Orla O'Connell in the BBC television series Ballykissangel. Since 2003 she has taken over from Kate Buffery in the lead role in Trial & Retribution as DCI Roisin Connor...
— Orla O'Connell
- Owen Roe — Paul Dooley
- Lorcan Cranitch
Lorcan Cranitch is an Irish actor.Born in Dublin, Cranitch became involved in drama while a student, and moved to London where he entered RADA in 1980. His first major role on British television was as Tim Healy in the 1991 BBC drama series, Parnell and the Englishwoman...
— Sean Dillon
- Susannah Doyle
Susannah Doyle is an English actress, playwright and film director, best known for her roles in situation comedies Drop The Dead Donkey , and Ballykissangel ....
— Avril Burke
- Paul Ronan — Edso Dowling
- Robert Taylor
- Biography :Taylor is best known internationally for his role in The Matrix as Agent Jones. He also appeared in the crocodile horror film Rogue and stars in Australian thriller Storm Warning and forthcoming Australian movie Coffin Rock....
— Father Vincent Sheahan
- Mick Lally
Mick Lally is an Irish actor.Lally was born in Tourmakeady, Ireland. He was educated, as a boarder, at St. Mary's College, Galway. He began a career as a teacher, but gave it up for the stage...
— Louis Dargan
Episodes
The programme ran for six series from 1 February 1996 to 1 April 2001. Almost all episodes were 50 minutes in duration.
External links
- Ballykissangel at bbc.co.uk
BBC Online is the brand name and home for the BBC's UK online service. It is a large network of websites including such high profile sites as BBC News and Sport, the on demand video and radio services co-branded BBC iPlayer, the pre-school site Cbeebies, and learning services such as Bitesize...
- Ballykissangel at World Productions
World Productions is a British television production company, founded in the early 1990s by acclaimed producer Tony Garnett. The company's first major series was the police drama Between The Lines , and throughout the decade they went on to produce a succession of highly successful drama series...
- Ballykissangel at the British Film Institute
The British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
- Ballykissangel, The Fan's Resource