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Are you planning to move to Ireland and you would like to know something more about Irish people?
The way you can is by watching some Irish TV series. By doing that you will:
- Improve your listening skills
- Learn some Irish idioms and slang
- Have a glimpse of the Irish culture
- Enjoy and entertain yourself
- Have something to talk about with an Irish person.
Put some popcorn on and sit comfortably, here comes our shortlist of the most known and beloved popular Irish TV shows aired in recent years.
Father Ted
Ted is a priest who was “exiled” to the parish of Craggy Island, off the western coast of Ireland. He lives and suffers in the squared parish house, with two fellow priests – the young enthusiastic father Dougal and the old drunkard father Jack – as well as the tea loving housekeeper Mrs Doyle.
Celebrating its 20th anniversary this week, Father Ted is the dark comedy that has changed the way Ireland saw itself and its tradition. Well, maybe you can find that statement a bit exaggerated, but no one can deny that the series Father Ted has shortly dug its space into Irish popular culture.
Would you like to have a taste of the series? Find the episode “Kicking Bishop Brennan up the arse” on YouTube.
Careful now! You can find the entire series on Channel4.com
Love/Hate
Probably the most popular Irish TV shows of the last few years, Love/Hate portrays the criminal underworld of Dublin, by telling the stories of a gang battling their way to the supremacy.
The title mirrors contrast between the extreme violence that the characters have to use to survive in the criminal world opposed to their feelings and hopes towards family and friends.
Trademarks of Love/Hate are the cinematography (long panoramic shots of the city) and the body count.
If you like violent, brutal mobster-like series, Love/Hate is your show.
Moone Boy
Have you ever had an imaginary friend? Martin Moone does, and his friend is a thirty-something man called Seán.
Martin lives in Boyle, at the end of the 80’s, with his parents and his four elder sisters.
Martin’s imagination and his unique point of view are the spice to his adventures: short animations and the presence of Seán are the key for Martin’s inner world.
Seán is portrayed by Chris O’Dowd (The IT crowd. Does it ring a bell?) who’s also the co-writer, with Nick Vincent Murphy.
The Fall
Aired by both BBC Two and RTÉ One, the cold colours of the streets of Belfast are the scenery where Detective Stella Gibson and the serial killer Paul Spector move, in a classical “will the hunter become a prey?” situation.
The series is still running – it has been renewed for a third season- and its dry style might be perfect for those who likes Scandinavian crime series (and for who suspect their neighbours to be serial killers).
You will recognise at least 2 famous faces: the protagonists are played by Gillian Anderson (Dana Scully of X-Files) and Jamie Dornan (Christian Grey of 50 Shades of Grey).
Fair City
The most long-running soap opera in Ireland, Fair City is set in the imaginary Carrigstown, a suburb of Dublin and the plot revolves around the community and their lives.
The showed is aired by RTÉ One, four times per week (on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday) and during the years has been telling the changes in Irish society, touching important themes such as domestic abuse, abortion, drug addiction and rape.
If soap operas are your cup of tea, Fair City should be your choice. Here a sequence that shows the opening theme in the years.
