MovieChat Forums > Ballykissangel (1996) Discussion > Liam and Donal complete the BallyK arc.....

Liam and Donal complete the BallyK arc...A Question?

posted 19 years ago by MoHairMediaCEO
4 replies | jump to latest

Series 1 opens with Liam and Donal (Liam driving) transporting a custom-made confessional strapped to the Esuzu truck owned by Quigley Developments. The episode is "Trying to Connect You" (#1.1 original airdate 11 February 1996).
Series 6 ends with Liam and Donal (Donal driving) transporting Liam back to his home in the same Esuzu truck, which Donal has just purchased at auction, from the assets of a bankrupt Quigley Developments. The episode is "Smoke Signals" (#6.8 original airdate 15 April 2001). Thus Liam and Donal complete the program's developmental arc, as both episodes were written by Kieran Prendiville, "Ballykissangel's" creator.
BallyK throughout its entire run (Series 1-6) has been careful to explain the departures of every principal character, with two exceptions.
"Orla O'Connell" and her Cistercian Monk/brother "Father Aidan O'Connell" (Series 4-6) appear to just disappear at the end of Series 5. The episode is "The Wedding" (#5.12 original airdate 28 December 1999). At the time, the actor who played "Niam Quigley/Egan" (Tina Kellegher) was married to the actor who played "Father Aidan O'Connell" (Don Wycherley), and it is understandable that both would want to depart Series 5 together.
However, Tina Kellegher makes a guest appearance as "Niam Dillon" to bring closure to the departure in Series 5 of Tony Doyle, who played her luckless entrepeneurial father "Brian Quigley". The episode is "God.com" (#6.1 original airdate 1 March 2001).
Unfortunately, the only episode in the entire series that I missed was "God.com".
Was there any mention of the departure of the characters "Orla O'Connell" and "Father Aidan O'Connell" in the episode "God.com"?
Several BallyK "fan sites" give a synopsis of the episode "God.com", but there is no mention of "the O'Connells".

[–] sassy-50 19 years ago

Tina Kellegher isnt married to Don Wycherley.

shes married to his brother Gordon Wycherley. So Tina and Don leaving at the same time has nothing to do with each other.

[–] Jrkrrdd 18 years ago

Tina Kellegher is married to Gordon Wycherley, brother of Don.

[–] chalice1999 18 years ago

The episode before God.com seems pretty shaky and I think a little more vague than their normal episodes. After Orla's admirer, Connor Devlin, decides to ship out, it seems that Orla's character flounders about without direction. I think at this time Victoria Smurfit (Orla) decides to leave the show to pursue other interests. Now her brother (character), Father Aidan, after the whole ordeal with Maraid, the young singer who kissed Father Aidan, begins to get more closer with Frankie Sullivan (the garda (cop)). In the episode before he leaves the show, there is a last glance he has with Frankie, she then looks away talking to someone and he's just looking at her admireringly.

It seems that in all three parts of the six seasons, the writers have the same theme going on. Father Peter Clifford (the English priest in the Irish town)likes Assumpta Fitzgerald, Father Aidan (the Irish monk, not use to being around people) starts falling for Frankie Sullivan & in the last season, Father Vincent Sheahan (The Australian Priest trying to make it in the little Irish village) starts falling a bit for Avril Burke (the horse trainer). There is also a side story with perhaps Frankie falling for Father Vincent also (there is a lot of tension between their characters although, I'm sure Frankie would not go there being a good Irish Catholic girl and as a garda, following rules).

I hope this helps, it appears in summary, that Orla's character starts to flounder and is anyway deemed (in the show) a world traveller and free spirit, so it's not unnatural that she would pull off and go somewhere else and as for Father Aidan, he didn't want to face the temptation of Frankie (being a good Catholic monk/priest). But, no there are no explanations, you just have to come up with these conclusion from watching all the previous episodes.

In God.com, Those two characters are completely gone and not even mentioned. But, the most funniest scene in the opening of season six (God.com) has the Australian priest (Fr. Vincent) arriving in Fitzgerald's and the whole crew is watching some steamy soap opera opera about a woman temptress trying to seduce a priest in her bedroom. And as Fr. Vincent walks in and they are all shouting, do it and come on, Fr. Vincent says, they don't get together you know, I've seen it in Australia before coming here. And everyone groans and looks at the new priest. That was a little inside joke/barb for Fr. Clifford & Assumpta & Fr. Aidan & Frankie.

And the funniest line (I think), down the road in one of the later episodes has Siobhan and Brendon coming home from some event and Fr. Vincent is supose to be babysitting Ashleen. Well, Avril comes over to return some wine, she borrowed. It ends up with Fr. Vincent asleep on the couch one way and Avril on the same couch in the opposite way. They drank the wine, chatted and dozed off after listening to some 70's album. As Brendon and Siobhan walk in, Avril wakes up and sees Fr. Vincent reading some book, they look like the kids that got their hands caught in a cookie jar. And Brendon ask hilariously, "What is it with this town?" That crack again, for Fr. Clifford & Assumpta, Fr. Aidan & Frankie and now Fr. Vincent & Avril. That was great.

I feel really bad for season six, because Keiran Prendivile (the creator) was just asked to come back and start again, but with the death of Tony Doyle (John Quigley), the BBC pulled the show even though it was slated for 12 episodes. Only 8 were made and that was it. Such a sad end for such a great show. :o(

[–] queenofthestars-1 14 years ago

The new priest (Vincent) asks Brendan in God.com what happened to his predecessor. He is told that Aidan just felt he wasn't making a difference. The inference to make there is that he transferred. There is no mention of Orla, but it is not unreasonable to assume that she would move on when her brother did.