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How the Irish took over cable TV

TOM DEIGNAN

Irish America Magazine Columnist

Published Friday, May 29, 2009, 9:16 AM

Updated Thursday, July 23, 2009, 6:11 PM

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Read more: Brotherhood (TV Show), Rescue Me, Jimmy McNulty, Home Box Office Inc., Showtime Networks Inc., Tommy Gavin, The Sopranos, FX Networks LLC, The Tudors (TV Show), Denis Leary

The cast of Showtime's "Brotherhood"

“There was uncles giving lectures / On ancient Irish history. / The men all started telling jokes. / And the women they got frisky. / At five o’clock in the evening / Every b****rd there was piskey.”

Fittingly, the stars of “Rescue Me” – which is on FX Tuesday at 10 p.m. – and “The Wire” knew a thing or two about the Irish experience in real life: both Leary and West are the sons of immigrant parents.

If “The Wire” and “Rescue Me” played with classic Irish-American stereotypes, Showtime’s “Brotherhood” (Sundays at 8 p.m.) dug far and deep into the conflicts inherent in the Irish-American psyche: in the show, one brother is a politician, the other a criminal. Both must contend with one of the towering female characters in TV history, the boys’ mother, brilliantly played by Fionnula Flanagan.

Of course, the lines between right and wrong, family and foe, are blurry. Like “The Wire” (not to mention Edwin O’Connor’s novel of 50 years earlier “The Last Hurrah”), “Brotherhood” explores the waning days of Irish-American influence, and the lengths to which the Irish will go to cling to whatever slice of power they continue holding on to. The fact that “Brotherhood” also has the whiff of real life (the Bulger brothers of Boston come to mind) gives the show even wider resonance.

Once “Rescue Me”, “The Wire” and “Brotherhood” proved that great drama could be made about characters who were not named Tony Soprano, executives began turning to Irish-born talent.

Gabriel Byrne took on the challenging role of psychoanalyst Paul Weston in HBO’s “In Treatment.” Based on an Israeli drama, the show’s ambitious first season aired every night of the week, showcasing Dr. Weston’s five patients. The show now airs Sundays at 9 p.m.

Meanwhile, over on Showtime, Jonathan Rhys Meyers stars as King Henry VIII in the third season of “The Tudors,” which shows just how contemporary the trials and tribulations of a 16th-century royal family can be.

Interestingly, in June, yet another strong Irish-American character will show up on cable. Edie Falco will star in Showtime’s “Nurse Jackie,” about a nurse coping with adversity at work and home. Initially, Falco’s name in the show was Jackie O’Hurley. Producers played up her tough Irish girl image. But reports now suggest the character’s name has been changed to Jackie Peyton.

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As the Irish people have a genuine sense of fun, Irish entertainment can be found in every town, village, city and county. One of the most popular forms is the festival, which is used to celebrate all sorts of occasions &emdash; everything from literary pursuits to a love of oysters. Here are a few highlights of entertainment in Ireland throughout the year: Londonderry boasts the biggest Halloween Festival in the world with around 30,000 celebrating the ancient Celtic New Year every October. Grab a dodgy mask and join the party! / The Belfast Festival at Queen’s is Ireland’s biggest International Festival and boasts an eclectic mix of music, talks, comedy, exhibitions and film. / The Galway Races, the Rose of Tralee Festival, Puck Fair in Killorglin, and the Oul’ Lammas Fair in Ballycastle are world famous and offer a great chance to enjoy Irish entertainment, life and laughs with the locals. / Food festivals are now a big draw in Ireland with local produce scoring high among international foodies. Head to the famous oyster festivals in Clarenbridge in Galway, or Hillsborough, County Down. / Tune in to a spot of music with the Open House Festival in Belfast, the Waterford International Festival of Light Opera, or the Feile an Phobail in west Belfast. Or grab a pint and tap your feet to some cool tunes at the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival. / If you prefer your festivals small and intimate, try the harp festivals in Roscommon or the rough and ready horse and pony fairs from Cavan to Cork. Even today, the horses are priced in guineas, and bought and sold with a spit in the hand. / At the other end of the scale of entertainment in Ireland lies the Wexford Opera Festival with full-scale opera productions, concerts, recitals, talks, cabaret, fireworks, and, of course, parties. / For something a little different, try the Magnus Barelegs Festival in Downpatrick offering a slice of Viking life, or the Eagle Wing Festival in Groomsport, County Down, which celebrates Ireland’s cultural links with America. / Theater fans should head to Dublin for both the Dublin Theatre Festival and the excellent Dublin Fringe Festival, with wildly exciting performances taking place in fabulous venues. / Around March 17, the country turns a shade of green for a host of St Patrick’s Festivals. All over the country, from the Saint’s hallowed burial place in Downpatrick to the more carnival atmosphere of parades and exceptional fireworks in Dublin and Belfast. / Literary lovers should head to Dublin in June for the intriguing Bloomsday Festival, where fans of Joyce’s Gargantuan Ulysses dress up in traditional gear and scoff old Dublin food like “nutty gizzards” and “urine-soaked kidneys”. Alternatively, seek out the delights of the Aspects Literature Festival in Bangor in September, an annual celebration of Irish literature with lectures, discussion and music. But festivals are just one aspect of Irish entertainment—let's not forget about music! From impromptu sessions in your local bar to the thrilling beat of U2, Ireland has always been home to the best sounds of music. Ireland’s massive successes in the Irish entertainment world include some bands and artists you may have heard of…U2, The Corrs, Enya, Westlife, Snow Patrol, Ash, David Holmes, Van Morrison and The Thrills, to name just a few. Unique and distinctive, the harp holds a special place in Irish entertainment and has come to symbolize the harmony of people and music in Ireland. It’s the earliest musical instrument mentioned in Irish literature and has been used as an official emblem for Ireland since medieval times. Today, it’s on Irish passports and stamps. But there's more: Fleadhs, or festivals, are a major part of Irish entertainment as well as cultural life, and impromptu trad sessions have become the stuff of legend at West Belfast’s Feile an Phobail, the Galway Racing Festival or Kerry’s Puck Fair. Rock and dance music festivals are also big news with the Oxegen Festival, Tennents Vital Belfast and the Electric Picnic held in summer.

How the Irish took over cable TV

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