The BEST episodes of Ballykissangel
Every episode of Ballykissangel ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Ballykissangel!
Ballykissangel is one of the best British primetime shows ever seen on British television. The story follows people living in a village called Ballkissangel. Their hopes, fears, romances, mysteries, but mostly very calm stories without criminal acts and something similar are followed by million of viewers. The show was first based on a life of Peter Clifford, a young priest that arrived to Ballykissangel and noone liked him at first, but later turned out to be great while trying to connect to Assumpta Fitzgerald. But, after three seasons, Stephen Thompkins who played Peter leaves the show. Season four starts with new characters of which mostly important is a new priest that replaces Peter, Father Aidan O'Connell who just came out of monastery. The show aired continously by seasons from 1996 to 1999 and went into a break, just to return later in 2001 for one more season. There were 6 seasons and 57 episodes. In 1997 the show also had a Christmas Special Episode.
#1 - Missing You Already
Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 3/17/1996
Father Peter is told that he must return to England, but the BallyK community is determined to put a stop to that idea In the meantime, Brian is working overtime on a range of gimmicks designed to attract visitors to BallyK. The plan, which is causing most concern to Siobhan, is the idea of putting a live sheep at the top of some scaffolding - which Brian plans to crown in a ceremony. Siobhan makes a rescue attempt, which Peter and Assumpta inevitably get involved in. Plans for Niamh's and Ambrose's wedding are overshadowed by Brian's other venture - a three-day licence for a makeshift pub which is taking most of Assumpta's business.
#2 - Live in My Heart and Pay No Rent
Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 2/25/1996
Niamh's wedding plans are disrupted when a stone statue falls off the church and through her fiancee's car. As he had only just got out of the car he takes it as a sign that he should become a priest. Peter tries to talk him out of it, but Ambrose calls off the engagement. Niamh has other problems to deal with, as she becomes disgusted at the idea of her father meeting up with an ex-girlfriend. Local Hill farmer, Eamonn, attempts to provide evidence of his elusive sheep to the European Union, in order to get his subsidy, by constructing wooden sheep. Niamh decides she wants her wedding reception to go ahead, even if she's not having the wedding. 'Hardly a Wedding reception' results in large sales of stout which Assumpta was given without charge, and after a little intervention by Peter, Ambrose gatecrashes the party and Proposes to Niamh.
#3 - For One Night Only
Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 1/5/1997
Assumpta doesn't hold a very high opinion of the church. In the annual slave auction she is sold to Father Mac who does not hold a very high opinion of Assumpta. As a result, she has to provide accommodation for two visiting parish priests and a Bishop. Father Mac is less than impressed when he finds Father Peter pulling pints as Assumpta's slave. A musician, Enda O'Sullivan, moves into BallyK and is cast as Assumpta's love interest in the village play. Niamh is thrilled and thinks Assumpta should go out with him. Enda's ankle is injured during rehearsals and Peter is brought in to replace him, which leads to a compromising situation witnessed by Father Mac. Brian refuses to fund the play unless Enda plays the lead role. With a little help from Dr Ryan Enda is back on his feet in time for the opening night - much to Peter's disappointment.
#4 - The Reckoning
Season 3 - Episode 10 - Aired 5/3/1998
Peter returns to BallyK with a lot of things on his mind. Ambrose catches him, and most of the regulars, at Fitzgerald's after hours, and all face charges. Assumpta's pleas that it was a private party fall on deaf ears. Assumpta and Peter are double-booked to baby-sit for Kieran, and it gives Peter the opportunity to tell her how he feels. She wants to know exactly what he wants, but it is clear that he still doesn't know himself. The pub regulars are let off the hook after it is revealed that they were only drinking cans bought from Kathleen's shop. Peter and Assumpta discuss their situation again, and Peter takes time to make his decision. A disparaging remark about Assumpta, made by Father Mac, helps Peter to make up his mind. He wants Assumpta, whatever it takes. They make plans for him to leave the priesthood and work at the pub. But tragedy strikes at the pub, that night. Assumpta has been having problems with the fuse box and she is electrocuted as the lights fail again. Father
#5 - Catch of the Day
Season 5 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/10/1999
Liam and Donal have been sent to buy washed sand for a bunker on Brian's golf course. With fifty pounds in their pockets they reckon that sand from the beach will be just as good. While they are loading the sand onto a lorry, a car drives past at speed, stops, and the occupants push a large wooden chest into the sea. Liam and Donal open the chest and even though they're not sure what the contents are, bring it home. They later discover that the caviar inside is worth a lot of money. Sean and Niamh have not spoken since the funeral. Niamh talks to Father Aidan in the confessional and his advice is that she has to decide what is best for her. After much indecision, she agrees to meet Sean. She tells him that she is going to leave BallyK. Meanwhile, Orla and Conor have their first date - if it is a date. They are both intensely competitive and they end up racing around a muddy course on Quad Bikes.
#6 - Moving Out
Season 5 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/17/1999
Niamh has decided that she must move away from BallyK. The decision spurs Brian to sell Fitzgerald's. Two parties are interested. One is a retired civil servant from Dublin, who is looking for an investment. He manages to annoy Brian by talking about getting the pub ""up to scratch"". The second party is Oonagh Dooley, who is more interested in keeping the family atmosphere of the pub. Brian takes a liking to Oonagh, but he doesn't realise that she is the wife of his former enemy, Paul Dooley. When the deal with the civil servant falls through, Brian makes Oonagh and offer to rent the pub, leaving Niamh with some control. Emma and Sean fall out over driving lessons and Sean's and Niamh's relationship. Emma feels that Sean should be doing something. Niamh is grateful that Aidan has given her the freedom to make up her own mind.
#7 - Love's Labours
Season 5 - Episode 11 - Aired 12/19/1999
Mairead has a crush on Aiden, but he doesn't realise this until she kisses him. Her mother wants answers, and Frankie has to question Aiden, who blames himself. Meanwhile, Niamh and Sean announce their engagement, and set about arranging the wedding. But Brendan is worried about his best man's speech, and Sean seems to be having second thoughts. Even Niamh is unsure: everything and everyone she knows are here in Ballykissangel, but she would rather leave and be with Sean. Liam and Donal, in a desperate attempt to find money for a wedding present, end up in the bookies. To their surprise they are lucky with the horses and before long they have raised the sum of two thousand pounds. An old man, who has been watching them proposes a game of cards. They play 'higher or lower' with the old man and have soon bet away all their money. That night, as they sit despondently at the bar of Fitzgerald's, Paul produces a parcel 'some old man' left for them. They open it to find a cut glass ornament
#8 - Chinese Whispers
Season 2 - Episode 8 - Aired 2/23/1997
Two mysterious strangers have the villagers intrigued. They come to the conclusion that they are revenue men, and everyone apparently has something to hide: Eamonn has been using farm diesel in his car; Father Mac has concerns about his finances; and Assumpta persuades Peter to hide her stash of duty free lager. Assumpta's problems have been mounting up and she tells Niamh that she might leave the village to run a wine bar in Dublin. Peter is upset that she didn't talk to him first. Everyone's minds are put at rest when the strangers are revealed to be fraud investigators who are arresting Sean Dooley for bribery and corruption. Niamh reveals that she is pregnant again, and the party that follows uses up Assumpta's tax-free lager.
#9 - River Dance
Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 1/12/1997
Local school teacher, Brendan, faces losing his job because of falling numbers at the National School in BallyK But parents and fiends discover that Father Mac is responsible for the decision, and so they rally round to save their favourite teacher. Having seen Enda panning for gold in the River Angel, Liam and Donal decide that they can exploit the situation. They create a shrine on the riverbank and tourists pay to hear tales of the Angel's abundant gold. However, Peter is less than impressed with the tacky statue of the Blessed Virgin, with its glowing heart. Niamh's and Ambrose's attempts to conceive are exhausting Ambrose, but the regulars at Fitzgerald's are amused that he is constantly called on to do his duty. Enda sends his son to the BallyK National School, thus making up the number of pupils, and Brendan's job is safe. Niamh finally announces that she is pregnant.
#10 - Amongst Friends
Season 3 - Episode 11 - Aired 5/4/1998
Peter says a final goodbye to Assumpta and takes off on a long walk. Ambrose eventually finds him at the statue of the Blessed Virgin where he and Assumpta once met and talked. Ambrose is angry that Peter seems to think that he is the only one who is grieving. He went to school with her, and every person in BallyK had something to do with her upbringing. He takes Peter home where Father Mac, who wants to know whether Peter will be staying with the Church, confronts him. It's not something Peter wants to think about. A journalist is trying to dig up some dirt about Assumpta, but is blocked at every turn by her friends. Peter organises a wake on the hillside, and the next day he conducts Kieran's christening. Afterwards, he leaves the town without saying goodbye to anyone but Brendan. He takes one look back at the village and leaves in much the same way that he arrived.
#11 - Eureka
Season 5 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/24/1999
A woman representing Australian mining interests arrives in BallyK looking for a ""man called Quigley"". If Brian can prove his relationship to another Quigley from BallyK, who owned an Australian gold mine in 1854, he stands to earn half a million Australian dollars. Brian's attempts to prove his relationship with jack Quigley are ambushed several times by bad luck until he eventually uncovers the evidence. But there are doubts about the genuineness of the Australian offer. Orla unexpectedly invites a man onto Conor's boat. She claims that he is a writer for a fishing guide, and a favourable review in the book will give Conor's business the boost it needs. But, if he is an expert, why doe he not use the correct bait? Is it just part of an elaborate cover-up to keep his true reason for being on board hidden? Imelda arrives to help Niamh, but her criticisms and barbed comments are too much to bear, and there is a frank exchange of views.
#12 - Smoke Signals
Season 6 - Episode 8 - Aired 4/15/2001
Father Mac is outraged when he learns that Vincent has married Barry and Lyn, and to make matters worse the Bishop has found out as well. Also, the bank has foreclosed on the priest's house, so Vincent is forced to find a place to sleep in various places. Meanwhile, Louis's dog is unwell, and when Siobhan seeks to find out why she finds some strange plants on the mountain, which attracts the interest of both Doc Ryan and Frankie. And then there's Liam, the cool dude....!
#13 - He Healeth the Sick
Season 4 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/27/1998
Father Aidan's alleged healing hands land him in trouble when it transpires that the woman he helped is making a fraudulent compensation claim for her injuries. He appeals to her conscience to get her to withdraw the claim. Niamh is disgusted when Brian changes the pub's name in an effort to appeal more to the tourists. She walks out and leaves him surrounded by irate customers. He makes allowances for her family life, which eventually brings her back, but Ambrose is not happy. Sean's compassion for an injured fox puts him in Eamonn's bad books, and Padraig is influenced by past events - Sean owns Padraig's family's land.
#14 - Drink
Season 6 - Episode 2 - Aired 3/4/2001
Father Vincent has got troubles: he's tested positive for drink driving, and the bank is about to take away the cottage which used to belong to Brian, and in which he lives. Meanwhile, Liam's fallen in love with Siobhan's niece, Elaine, and Siobahan is furious with Brendan for being irresponsible. Then there's Paul, who wants to buy Louis's cottage . . .
#15 - The Wedding
Season 5 - Episode 12 - Aired 12/28/1999
It is the day before Niamh and Sean's Wedding and the men of the village are desperate for him to have a stag night. Sean isn't too excited about the prospect of a night around the bar in Fitzgerald's, so Uncle Minto suggest a Celtic ceremony instead. Sean agrees, and while Minto begins to consecrate the land for the celebration, Liam and Donal are plotting how they can turn this into a more conventional stag night involving alcohol. Meanwhile, the women are going on a pub crawl. When Sean arrives in the woods, and sees the party split, he insists that the men unite. Most of the men try Minto's potion and begin to notice strange things happening. Brendan is cured of a toothache, while Danny keeps seeing Rabbits! Later, Brian learns from Sean of the plans to move away from Ballykissangel. In Cilldargen, the woman, even Kathleen, are getting thoroughly inebriated. Siobhan is run off the road by a rogue driver. Frankie is called to investigate and asks Aidan to assist.
#16 - With a Song in My Heart
Season 5 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/5/1999
Sean decides to go and see Niamh, although it turns out to be a far bigger experience than he had expected, what with ruining the market and racing through a stream to get Kieran. Meanwhile, Aiden is having trouble getting people to join the choir, and Orla doesn't help by telling a few lies to the Dooley children, which makes them think they are going to be on TV. Also, there is a young girl with a wonderful voice whose mother doesn't want her to have anything do with the church. At the close, Sean asks Niamh to marry him, and she tells him that she loves him.
#17 - A Few Dollars More
Season 5 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/21/1999
Uncle Minto reckons that there is a fortune to be made with illegal spirits. He enlists the help of Liam and Donal to make it, and soon convinces Paul to buy a large consignment, behind Oonagh's back. Unfortunately, things don't go as they hope, and the scam does not go unnoticed - the pub's guest, Frankie, seems to know what's going on. A reluctant Orla lets Conor stay the night on her couch while his boat is being fixed. Things get decidedly awkward when he brings her breakfast in bed, and then Aidan arrives to see Conor doing the washing-up. Frankie turns out to be the new Garda.
#18 - Brendan's Crossing
Season 5 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/7/1999
The Headmaster's post is soon to be vacant and Brendan is in line for the job. He withdraws his name from the list of candidates when he sees a Christian Brother is one of the candidates, and with father Mac on the Board Brendan thinks the Brother has the job in the bag. When Sean points out that the Brother will be his boss, Brendan decides that he must go for the job, After a certain amount of swatting and worrying, he is successful. Paul is causing Oonagh problems: He decides to ""recycle"" the slops from the bar, takes in a paying guest for the night, even though there is no accommodation, and forces Orla to resign - briefly. Emma helps Danny's pig to give birth, and has to put up with Danny's mother hen act in the process.
#19 - Two Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest
Season 5 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/26/1999
It is still the night of the bonfire party, which ended the previous series. Niamh decides she must tell Ambrose that the marriage is over. The next day, Niamh leaves Kieran with Siobhan and spends the day with Sean at the lake, and they discuss their future. Sean tells her that he loves her. Meanwhile, Ambrose goes for a walk by the shore at Durrus Head. He is engrossed in thought about his troubled marriage when he sees two people in difficulty on the rocks below. He shouts to tell them that he will try to find a way for them to escape the incoming tide. Elsewhere, a Frenchman called D'Argan, has come to challenge ""the head man of the village"" to a balloon race. Donal and Liam go to find Brian who is the closets they can think of. Brian is uninterested until he discovers that the event is to complete a race started 200 years previously, and that £40,000 is at stake. However, Monsieur D'Argan has forgotten that the French economy has had one major change since Napoleonic times. Inspec
#20 - The Final Frontier
Season 4 - Episode 12 - Aired 12/6/1998
A big storm threatens the town, all the animals on Eamonn's farm are acting strangely and Donal's Uncle Minto thinks the storm could be a signal of an imminent UFO landing. Not only that, but he thinks he's going to be abducted by the aliens. Emma receives an acceptance letter from an art college in London and has to decide whether to accept. She wants to know if Danny will be upset if she goes. Ambrose is finding it difficult to talk to Niamh and Brian suspects that there's something between her and Sean. He could be right. She fells that she is now 'established' and keeps wondering what might have happened if things had been different. After their talk, Sean drives her home and Ambrose sees them. He confronts her and she admits that she's bored with him never changing, always loving her, never moving on. Ambrose goes round to Sean's convinced that he and Niamh are having an affair. Sean's newly constructed farmhouse is wrecked by the storm and a tree falls through the roof, just miss
#21 - Stardust in Your Eyes
Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 3/15/1998
With Assumpta on a break in London, Niamh is left to look after the pub, but the new baby is taking it's toll her and she agrees to let Ambrose's mother Imelda help her. Brian is still trying to bring Korean business to BallyK, but it involves the assistance of the whole community, which could be a problem. Brendan is concerned that the children will be exploited. The Koreans are impressed, but despite his best efforts Brian loses the deal. All his finances were tied up in the deal and he now faces bankruptcy. Despite the collapse of the deal, the 1950s party in Padraig's ballroom is a great success.
#22 - When a Child Is Born
Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 3/1/1998
With the birth of Niamh's baby approaching the last thing she needs is a stressful visit from Ambrose's mother, Imelda. Kathleen discovers a miracle at the church 0 a statue has started to sweat. Within hours the town is filled with people and Peter is suspicious that several residents stand to gain from the 'miracle': Assumpta's doing good business at the pub; Padraig's got his first scoop for the local paper; Liam's and Donal's fast-food van is doing a roaring trade; and father Mac is happy to see the donations increase. Padraig's journalistic talent is also put to good use trying to find out what Brian is up to. He's buying land from Eamonn, but he also wants two access roads and he's not saying why. The 'sweat' on the statue is finally identified as chip fat, and Peter gives Liam and Donal an angry lecture on the evils of exploiting the church for their own gain. Ambrose's mother is sent home on the advice of Dr Ryan, but Niamh gives birth in the car on the way back, with Ambrose d
#23 - Only Skin Deep
Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 2/9/1997
Brian is organising a beauty contest as part of the village festival, to find the new model for a bottled water company. Every entrant has to be local. Eamonn stuns the town by introducing his niece, Naomi. She's from Dublin and finds the rural life dull. After a bit of detective work by Siobhan it transpires that Naomi is the daughter of a shipping firm owner. Brian wanted the contract so in order to get her into the contract he brought her in as Eamonn's BallyK-born niece. Her father is not impressed when a local girl wins the contest. Ambrose unexpectedly befriends the school's worst troublemaker and persuades him to do an act at the festival. After an argument with Brian Siobhan is comforted by Brendan. When he wakes up in her bed the next morning he is worried what she will want out of the relationship.
#24 - Lost Sheep
Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 4/12/1998
A young woman arrives in BallyK hoping to find news of her family. Kathleen and Father Mac are particularly uncomfortable around her and Padraig thinks he might be the girl's father, but his suspicions are unfounded. Parenthood is also an issue for Siobhan who finds out she is pregnant. Brendan is the father, but she won't tell him until she's worked out what she's going to do. After much contemplation she decides to keep the baby and tells Brendan. Assumpta's and Leo's marriage continues to flounder: Leo feels isolated in BallyK. Any glamour he may have envisaged in running a pub has long since disappeared and Assumpta is keeping him at arms length. She feels they missed their chance the first time around, but Leo remains adamant - he's only ever loved her. He leaves town having told Peter that trying to make his marriage work is a waste of time because Assumpta's still interested in someone else.
#25 - Fallen Angel
Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 3/3/1996
Angel FM, a pirate radio station in the village, keeps Ambrose busy, while Father Peter is told he must get his own transport or lose his job. Assumpta gives him driving lessons which prove to be a little more dangerous than she anticipated. Whilst on a hospital visit, Peter meets a former judge, Michael Bradley, who has a low opinion of the church. Peter befriends him but is shocked when Mr Bradley tells him that he helped his wife to die. The young priest turns to Father Mac for advice, but during the conversation it emerges that the driving test that he is about to take will be fixed. Peter takes the test as Mr Clifford, rather than Father Peter, and passes. He triumphantly returns to the town only to be told that Michael Bradley has died. When he returns to the hospital, he is given a set of keys to a sleek vintage car that Bradley has left to him.