''Killinaskully'' is an Irish television comedy series which details the bizarre goings-on in a fictitious Irish village called Killinaskully located in the hills of Ireland. It was actually filmed on location in the villages of

Killoscully Killoscully () is a small village, townland and civil parish in County Tipperary, Ireland. Located approximately northeast of Newport, overlooked by the Silvermine Mountains, the linear village has a Catholic church, graveyard, community centre ...

and Ballinahinch near

Birdhill Birdhill ()Placenames Database of Ireland
(see archival records) is a village in

County Tipperary County Tipperary () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary (tow ...

, the title being a fusion of these two placenames. The show's humour comes from the unusual characterisations of traditional, stereotypical rural Irish folk. The show was chiefly written by the comedian,

Pat Shortt Patrick Shortt (born 12 December 1967) is an Irish actor, comedian, writer, and entertainer. His role in the 2007 film '' Garage'' led to him receiving the IFTA for Best Actor. He is most notably remembered for his role as Tom in the television ...

, who also performed many of his own roles – starring among him were Jack Walsh,

Joe Rooney Joseph "Joe" Rooney (born 1 October 1963) is an Irish actor, comedian and singer-songwriter from Drogheda, County Louth. After four years fronting Dublin-based band Guernica in the mid-1980s, Rooney became better known for his acting and in ...

and

Páraic Breathnach Páraic Breathnach (born 1956) is an Irish actor, performer, writer and storyteller. Early life and education A fluent Irish speaker, Páraic grew up in Carna, County Galway. As a student in University of Galway, he was deeply involved with An ...

. It has spawned its own themed holiday in farm accommodation in the Slieve Felim Mountain range region, within walking distance of the village used for filming the series. In an allusion to the popular song released by Pat Shortt, visitors are given a complimentary "

Jumbo Breakfast Roll "Jumbo Breakfast Roll" is a 2006 single by Irish comedian Pat Shortt, under the guise of Showband singer 'Dicksie Walsh'. The subject of the song is the ubiquitous (in Ireland) breakfast roll. The song was a number one hit in the Republic of Irel ...

" upon their arrival. Killinaskully was produced by Shortt's own company and was broadcast by

RTÉ (; ; RTÉThe É in RTÉ is pronounced as an English E () and not an Irish É ()) is an Irish public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, ...

as part of their Sunday night schedule from 2004. All five series are available on DVD and have since been released in

box set A boxed set or (its US name) box set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box, hence 'boxed', and offered for sale as a single unit. Music Artists ...

format. The show's fifth and final series, began transmission on 28 September 2008. It ceased on 2 November 2008, although the traditional special at Christmas time aired as normal the following month; in 2008 there were two such specials. Despite having a weekly audience of 800,000, Shortt has stated that the fifth was the final series as he wished to concentrate on the development of a new show with a new style, characters and storyline. RTÉ continued to rerun the series as summer filler.

Background

Shortt wanted to do a show that would make use of his acting skills and comic talent and this led to him transferring some of his stage show on the screen in the form of Killinaskully; it is this that leads him to play all the different characters that he does in the show. Shooting for the first series commenced in May 2003 in Limerick and Tipperary, continuing for a period of eight weeks. The pilot episode, entitled "The German Fillum', was broadcast during the Christmas period of 2003 and proved to be a massive ratings success. The first episode was broadcast on Sunday 17 October 2004 at 22:50. The intro sequence of Killinaskully features Dan driving back home to Killinaskully.

Setting

Killinaskully, in keeping with the comic element of the show, has a fluctuating population; in the first episode it is said to consist of 167 inhabitants but in the second episode it is said to have a population of over 2,000 people. The village is located from the sea. The nearest town is neighbouring Bally, a mere from the coast. Bally is first alluded to in the fifth episode, entitled "The Pitch". The rural setting allows for greater comic effect in the introduction of such ideas as a

community radio Community radio is a radio service offering a third model of radio broadcasting in addition to commercial broadcasting, commercial and public broadcasting. Community broadcasting, Community stations serve geographic communities and communities o ...

station to the show. The series is largely set around the buildings that Killinaskully is composed of, i.e. the church, school, garda station, public house and a house that is used for the exterior of Goretti's

Bed and Breakfast A bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. In addition, a B&B sometimes has the hosts living in the house. ''Bed and breakfast'' is also used to ...

in the show. Dan and Bridie's cottage is located outside the village. . The show's humour draws from the archetypes of rural Ireland, the characters themselves are based on these archetypes such as 'the Auld Fellas', 'the grumpy, devoutly Catholic widow', 'the wealthy

Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the State rel ...

Protestants', 'the new Parish Priest', and the 'Country School Teacher'.

Characters

Pat Shortt's characters

The Irish comedian Pat Shortt, who writes the series, is responsible for many of the characters in the show. He plays Dan Clancy the village's storyteller and regular at Jacksie's, corrupt politician Willie Power, sexually empowered bed and breakfast proprietress Goretti, teacher Louis Cantwell and traveller Pa Connors.

Cllr. Willie Power

Cllr. Willie Power is the only Local Councillor representing the Local Electoral Area of Killinaskully presumably on North Tipperary County Council where Killinaskully is based. wheeler and dealer, fixer and chairman of every committee imaginable in the tiny village. A master stroke-puller, he is capable of turning any situation to his advantage and is easily excitable when someone tries to oppose him, particularly his arch-rival Larry Cummins. He was last elected in the 2005 Local Elections. He ran as the "Independent Republican Christian Social Democrat" Candidate where he received 1,900 votes beating Larry Cummins Independent and Dieter Langer Green Party. Known to be corrupt, he has a conviction of obstructing a tribunal into an insurance scandal.

Dan Clancy

Dan Clancy is an almost permanent fixture in Jacksie's Bar, the local

public house A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...

. Dan is the man to ask about everything, he always knows an answer to everyone's question and he's known to be the best storyteller in the village, but as he says in S02 E03, most things in the parish, is made up. He boasted in the 2005 Christmas Special Episode that he had been to Jacksie's Bar "every day for the last 30 years". If in the bar he is rarely shown on-screen without a pint of

Guinness Guinness () is a stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at Guinness Brewery, St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in the 18th century. It is now owned by the British-based Multinational corporation, multinational alcoholic bever ...

on the counter in front of him. His trips to the toilet have become a regular gag on the show and have spawned Clancy a catchphrase. If he feels a need to go to the toilet he utter his catchphrase, "I must go strain the ole spuds", hops off his stool and walks to the toilet. Dan is rarely to be seen out of the company of his two sidekicks, drinking buddies and partners in crime Jimmy Bourke and Timmy Higgins. Dan first appeared in D'unbeliveables episode "D Mammy". He is shown to spend most of his time in the bar, albeit without his signature pint, instead with a whiskey. Dan is noticeably different in D'unbeliveables. While he still tells stories, he tends to seem drunk almost every time he's on screen, even in the morning. Whether there is some continuity between D'unbeliveables and Killinaskully is unknown, although it seems likely.

Goretti

Goretti is the sexually voracious

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

proprietress of the Mount Bernadette

bed and breakfast A bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. In addition, a B&B sometimes has the hosts living in the house. ''Bed and breakfast'' is also used to ...

which is located beside Sgt Dick O'Toole's Garda station. A mistress of the double entendre, she has lived alone since the mysterious disappearance of her husband, the magician Mossie The Magnificent. In her spare time she is the leader of the local

power walking Power walking or speed walking is the act of walking with a speed at the upper end of the natural range for the walking gait, typically 7 to 9 km/h (4.3 to 5.5 mph). To qualify as power walking as opposed to jogging or running, at least ...

group. She is good friends with the only other Protestant in town, Theo Wigmore. In S01 E02 Goretti's husband, Mossie the magnificent returns telling Goretti of how he was performing a magic when he made real magic! After sometime at home with her, he gets annoyed and stomps to the bathroom, where he lifts his wand and disappears!

Louis Cantwell

Mr. Cantwell is a teacher in the local school (albeit a not-so-good one as sometimes he smacks the children on the back of their heads ) and holds a not-so-secret affection towards Miss Fahy. He first appears in the second episode, entitled "The Date", when his affection for Miss Fahy meets competition in the newly arrived film maker Dieter Langer. Ever since Miss Fahy and Dieter got married, Cantwell is usually to be found in a depressed state over something or other, as the light has left his life. Cantwell appears as a caring person towards Miss Fahy but when it turns to school children, he's not short of insults for them!

Pa Connors

A member of the travelling community with a keen eye for business. Based on Pat Shortt's character of Pa Connors from his DVD "Live and A Bit Dangerous". Has a brother, also called Pa Connors. He was named after his grandfather while the other Pa was named after his father. Pa and the local (quite corrupt) Garda, Sgt. Dick O'Toole are always trying to flog some bootlegged or stolen gear, Pa's sales techniques are that of an old time fair goer! Pa has a cousin Martin who accompanies him in his pursuit to get his mare Brandy, in foal to the fast race horse!

Sgt. Dick O'Toole

Played by Pascal Scott, O'Toole is the local member of the

Garda Síochána (; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace") is the national police and security service of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards". The service is headed by the Garda Commissio ...

. He presides over a garda station, which is part

betting Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three ele ...

office, part hardware store and part adult video rental agency amongst other things and will never meet a member of the public without trying to sell them something. Business partner of Pa Connors as well as being a good friend and co-conspirator of Willie Power. Several years after the ending of the series, Sgt. Dick O'Toole moved residency to the picturesque town of Schull in West Cork, where he has formed a family and does road bowling in his spare time.

Jacksie Walsh

Jacksie Walsh, played by

, is the very grumpy proprietor of ''

An Bonnán Buí "" (; "The yellow bittern") is a classic poem in Irish by the poet Cathal Buí Mac Giolla Ghunna. In addition to the conventional end-rhyme, it uses internal rhyme ("A bhonnán bh''uí'', is é mo léan do l''uí'' / Is do chnámha s''í''nte tar ...

'' ( Irish for "The Yellow Bittern" and the title of a classic Irish language poem) and spends his days indulging Dan Clancy, Timmy Higgins and Jimmy Bourke, without whom he would long since be redundant. Jacksie was formerly a Christian Brother, although he was asked to leave by his superiors who believed his severe methods of

corporal punishment A corporal punishment or a physical punishment is a punishment which is intended to cause physical pain to a person. When it is inflicted on Minor (law), minors, especially in home and school settings, its methods may include spanking or Padd ...

were an embarrassment to the order. Strictly a

man he has little time for people who order what he would consider exotic drinks. As of late, Theo Wigmore has moved in with Jacksie (in a bid to avoid a loan shark) leading to a lot of "Odd-Couple" style situations to occur between both men.

Jimmy Bourke

Bourke, played by Jack Walsh, is a mechanic by trade and is Dan Clancy's sidekick. Jimmy is an expert rally car driver and has won many racing titles. He spends most of his day in the local pub where he delights in hearing (and interrupting) Dan's stories.

Timmy Higgins

Timmy Higgins, played by

, is another one of Dan Clancy's sidekicks who spends most of his time in the pub. He is more often than not the butt of Dan and Jimmy's gibes and is frequently referred to by his two drinking buddies as a ''liúdar''‚ through a succession of daft questions and observations. Timmy reveals he is 48 years of age when Dan asks him his age after Timmy tries to convince him that Santa is real. Timmy is in a relationship with Nurse Maloney, although he fears her greatly. According to the third episode his mother died in 1974.

Miss Catherine Fahy

Played by Aoife Molony, Fahy is the local primary school teacher. She is the object of Louis Cantwell's affections but marries the German Dieter instead. She makes her debut in the second episode, entitled "The Date", when the love triangle is first examined. She later marries Dieter.

Dieter Langer

Dieter Langer, played by Louis Lovett, is a former German filmmaker who arrives in Killinaskully in the first episode with his partner Hans. Langer is a big fan of the singer Johnny Logan. After some difficulty in making their film, including the squashing of their equipment (and Hans) and Dieter's growing love for the local schoolteacher, Miss Fahy, Dieter switches trade to become a cheese vendor, a respectable trade which he hopes to use to woo his new love. He operates his ''Dieter's Driven Deli'' through the village from the back of his van. However, his cheese is responsible for causing some very strange dreams and the concepts of cheese and cheese-vending are used repeatedly for comic effect throughout the series. Still trying to come to terms with the strange ways of the locals, Dieter's desire to fit in is somewhat hampered by his innate belief in the importance of being earnest. Dieter ran against Cllr. Willie Power as the Green Party candidate in the 2005 Local Elections for the Killinaskully Local Area, he received 2 votes coming 2nd. His Father was a member of the German Parliament.

Fr. Philip Eno

Played by John Keogh, Fr. Philip makes his first appearance in the third episode of the first series when the previous parish priest, Fr. Mullarkey, is no longer fit to function and is packed off to a home for the bewildered. Eno is an amiable type who just wants people to get along, albeit his inadvertent habit of making insensitive remarks at the wrong time. He also has trouble remembering people's names. His name sounds like "Filipino" when said quickly, a running joke throughout the episode of his arrival as caused confusion prior to his coming. Amongst other things his unusual name led to a Filipino tourist being sworn in as parish priest of Killinaskully.

Larry Cummins

Played by Gerry Walsh, Cummins is a local politician with a consistent record: 1 vote at every council election. He is always seeking to put one over on Willie Power. Cummins makes his debut in the fourth episode of the series, entitled "The Sign".

The Widow Gilhooley

Played by

Maria McDermottroe Maria McDermottroe () is an Irish people, Irish actress, known for her work across screen and stage. She portrayed Molly Ivors in John Huston's 1987 film ''The Dead (1987 film), The Dead'', based on the James Joyce novella The Dead (Joyce short ...

, Mrs. Gilhooley is a stern woman who is "not in the habit of repeating" herself which she says in most of the episodes she features in. Mrs. Gilhooley is an exceptionally pious woman who always makes time for the church in her life and has a habit of being preachy towards others. She is also an award-winning fiddler. She makes her debut in the same episode of Fr. Philip Eno.

Theo Wigmore

Played by Jim Queally, Theo is a well-educated

Pharmacist with an air of sophistication and fan of literature who regularly quotes poetry and who likes to assist in the artistic and literary aspects of the community, such as directing the

nativity play A Nativity play or Christmas pageant is a play which recounts the story of the Nativity of Jesus. It is usually performed at Christmas, the feast of the Nativity. For the Christian celebration of Christmas, the viewing of the Nativity play is o ...

at Christmas. He makes his debut in episode two of the series, entitled "The Date". As well as dispensing medicines for all the unusual ailments suffered by the local inhabitants, Theo was once the acting landlord at Jacksies while Jacksie was at a funeral and now lodges with him since the time his life was put under threat by his dead mother's dealings with a notorious money lender. Their living together leads to frequent bickering which leads both men to look like an old married couple, much to the amusement of Dan, Timmy and Jimmy. Incidentally his mother makes an appearance in the fourth episode, entitled "The Sign", when she is portrayed by

Ronnie Masterson Ronnie Masterson (4 April 1926 – 10 February 2014) was an Irish people, Irish actress. Masterson was born in Dublin. She trained at the Abbey Theatre and first appeared on stage there in 1944. At the Abbey, she met and then married actor Ray ...

Nurse Sheila Maloney

Played by Eileen Gibbons, Maloney is infatuated with Timmy. This infatuation is first addressed in the fifth episode, entitled "The Pitch". She expresses concern for him when he is in danger and is full of praise for him when he does something correctly. Although at the wedding of Dieter to Miss Fahy, she and Timmy share a drunken sexual encounter (in the bridal suite), which by the start of the following series, has blossomed into a relationship. She first appears in the second episode, entitled "The Date".

Bridie Clancy

Played by Mary Harvey, she is Dan's sister. She makes her first appearance in the first episode of the second series, entitled "The Election". She is an expert at rabbit hunting and has a knack for getting into potentially lethal situations and coming out unscathed. It is shown on several occasions that she has a soft spot for Sgt. Dick.

Cissy Cullen

A close friend of Mrs. Gilhooley, Nurse Maloney and Goretti. She is a very talented accordion player, and is fairly well-liked in the village. She is seen dancing with Jimmy at Catherine and Dieter's wedding.

Mrs. Collins

A close friend of Bridie and Dan, she is often seen chatting with Bridie in the village.

Michael Clancy

Played by Paul Fitzgerald. A troublesome schoolboy who has a habit of ruining important moments, such as spoiling the nativity play by saying that there was in fact room at the inn. He shares Dan's surname although it is not clear if he is related to him or not.

The Bally Boys

The Bally Boys are the arch rivals of Killinaskully's Dan, Jimmy, Jacksie and Timmy, they are from the neighbouring rival village of Bally.

Cast

as Dan Clancy/Willie Power/Goretti/Cantwell/Pa Connors *Jack Walsh as Jimmy Bourke *

as Timmy Higgins * Pádraic Breathnach as Jacksie Walsh *Pascal Scott as Sgt. Dick O'Toole *Louis Lovett as Dieter Langer *John Keogh as Father Eno *Mary Harvey as Bridie Clancy *Jim Queally as Theo Wigmore *

as Mrs Gilhooley *Aoife Molony as Miss Fahy *Gerry Walsh as Larry Cummins

Guest appearances

A number of well-known personalities have made appearances as themselves in ''Killinaskully''. In episode six, entitled "The Funeral", RTÉ newsreader Ken Hammond and sports broadcasters George Hamilton and Jimmy Magee visit the village.

Episodes

The series has often been repeated by RTÉ; below are the dates of original transmission of each series.

Reception

''Killinaskully'' received poor reviews from critics but earned large viewership figures. Shane Hegarty, ''

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...

s television critic, said the programme emphasised the rural/urban divide and "because TV critics tend to stand very firmly on one side of that gap, they have seldom attempted to understand the popularity of something so old-fashioned, predictable and lazy." John Drennan of the ''

Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray backgrou ...

'' commented if there was "a sweeter sound in Irish journalism than the wails of the effete South Dublin TV critic when RTÉ viewing figures show ''Killinaskully'' has trounced John Kelly's ''

The View ''The View'' is an American talk show created by broadcast journalist Barbara Walters. , in its 28th season, the show has aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC as part of the network's ABC Daytime, daytime programming block since August ...

'' once again?" Drennan said division over the show was the modern equivalent of the 19th-century cultural wars over the language movement, with one side featuring "the sort of cultural snob who faints at the sight of a

Centra Centra is a convenience shop chain that operates throughout Ireland. The chain operates as a symbol group owned by Musgrave Group, the food wholesaler, meaning the individual shops are all owned by individual franchisees. The chain has three ...

breakfast roll and who also fondly imagines the drawing rooms and restaurants of South Dublin bear an uncanny resemblance to the set of ''

Frasier ''Frasier'' () is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey (screenwriter), Peter Casey, and David Lee (scr ...

''". John Boland in the ''

'' has said how the characters lack depth: "I've never been much of a fan of Pat Shortt's broad brand of comedy, with its gallery of cartoon-culchie villager wearing silly wigs and speaking in exaggerated mock accents." Boland continued, "Killinaskully makes Shortt's earlier work with

Jon Kenny Jonathan Kenny (28 September 1957 – 15 November 2024) was an Irish comedian and actor, best known as one half of the Irish comic duo D'Unbelievables with Pat Shortt. They were a successful duo until 2000, releasing ''One Hell of a Video, D'U ...

D'Unbelievables D'Unbelievables were an Irish comedy duo from Limerick formed in the late 1980s by Pat Shortt and Jon Kenny. Together they created characters which could be seen on every street corner and pub in Ireland. They toured extensively all over Irelan ...

seem like ''

Curb Your Enthusiasm ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'', also known colloquially simply as ''Curb'', is an American television comedy of manners created by Larry David that premiered on HBO with an hour-long special in October 17, 1999, followed by 12 seasons broadcast from Oc ...

'' by comparison".

Adele King Adèle King (born Adèle Condron-King, 4 April 1951) is an Irish entertainer better known as Twink. She is from Dublin. She is the mother of singer Chloë Agnew Despite repeated negative publicity from critics the show pulls in an average viewership of 500,000 for each episode, which rose as high as 800,000 for the Christmas specials on 25 December. In 2004 and 2005 it was Ireland's top-rated programme during the festive season. On 25 December 2005, 825,000 viewers tuned in to watch "A Killinaskully Christmas Carol". 25 December 2007 special episode attracted viewing figures of 770,000 for "Christmas Special IV: The Last Round". The 2008 festive double episode parodying The Emergency attracted 757,000 viewers, surprisingly losing its crown as Ireland's most popular Christmas Day show for the first time ever by 3,000 viewers to RTÉ News: Nine O'Clock. Despite this, the Christmas special was the fourth most watched television show in Ireland of 2008.

References

External links

Official siteReview of Killinaskully
* {{RTÉ Comedies 2003 Irish television series debuts 2008 Irish television series endings RTÉ original programming Fictional populated places in Ireland Television shows set in the Republic of Ireland