La ballade de County Clare

If you like Irish music, that is, traditional Irish music, known to us who know, love and play, as sessions, then you'll love this little film. Colm Meaney, Jimmy, and Bernard Hill, Johnjoe are brothers in competition for winning a ceilidh band contest. Jimmy has immigrated and enjoys a modicum of success and Johnjoe has remained at home. The plot is thickened by the presence of Andrea Corr, Anne, who is Jimmy's daughter out of Charlotte Brtadley, Maisie, JohnJoe's piano player. The love interest is sparked by Jimmy's Liverpudlian flautist, Shaun Evans, Teddy, who falls heavily for Anne and were off the races. The dialogue is lively and the shenanigans are rampant. The payoff is fun and the music..., ah, the music. The music is aoibhinn ta gael. Under the wise baton of Fiachra Trench, the music is grand. Too, Andrea Corr of her own group, The Corrs, adds a bit of freshness to the pot with her perky Irish beauty. If you like sessions, you'll love this one. If you don't, well... listen anyway. The music is tops.

Two estranged brothers who haven't seen each other for 20 years meet up for the annual Irish music festival. They both have ceili bands and will compete for top honors in a traditional Irish music venue. The younger brother has been living in England where he has succeeded in business, while the older brother stayed home on the family farmstead. Colm Meaney plays Jimmy, the younger brother. A romance develops between a boy and girl from either band. There's more to the story, as well.

The film has a fine cast, all of whom do well. Bernard Hill was especially good as John Joe, the older of the two brothers. Shooting was on the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, The scenery and pictures of the town and people gathered for the music competitions gives the film a real down-to-earth feel.

"The Boys & Girl from County Clare" is a good light comedy drama with some very good doses of music. The ending is a surprise but very good and appropriate. But for some unnecessary nudity of a young woman going for a swim, and frequent use of vulgar language, this would be a good film for the whole family.

Here are some favorite lines from the film.

John Joe, "It's better to gain a musician than lose a daughter, I always say."

On the ferry across to Ireland, Jimmy tells the band that if they don't win, they will have to walk home. Later, one of the boys asks, "Is he serious?" Another boy asks, "About what?" The first lad says, "About us walking home if we lose." The other boy replies, "Didn't you bring your swimming trunks?"

Not much of a plot to this, most of my points are for the lovely Andrea Corr and the acting of the three brothers, Colm Meaney, Bernard Hill and Noel Bridgeman.

All plot lines are totally predictable if not contrived. The abandoning father, the bitter mother, the angry daughter. However, it is saved, and this is refreshing, by there being no mawkishness or melodrama.

Poor County Clare gets short shrift and never appears, Isle of Man and Northern Ireland stand in for it.

I don't know what the reasons for not filming it in today were. There are frequent references to the Beatles to remind us it is taking place in the sixties. But I know for a fact that a Clare man married five times in England and returning to County Clare in the sixties would have been met by the priest and run out of town on a rail as giving bad example to the young ones.

Also the single mother lying about her marital status (a widow), that was never clear, did she invent a man who died and a name for herself and her daughter? I don't like plot holes likes this. With such a simple storyline these should have been tightened up.

The ceili band and actors were badly out of synch in some of the scenes, feet tapping hopelessly out of rhythm. But that said all in all it was a pleasant little froth of a thing with lovely music.

7 out of 10.

Some films may be predictable, with minimal storyline and action sequences and still be a hit. THE BOYS AND GIRL FROM COUNTY CLARE hits that description on target. This is an emerald of a jaunty little Irish tale that thoroughly entertains with a fine cast and superb Irish music and leaves the audience wholly satisfied - AND has a fine social comment! The setting is County Clare where the International Irish Music festival is at hand. For years John-Joe McMahon (Bernard Hill) and his little band have won the ceili (Irish dance music) band competition. Members of his hometown orchestra include young Anne (Andrea Corr) and her unmarried grumpy piano-playing mother Maisie (Charlotte Bradley). Word comes round that John-Joe's long estranged brother Jimmy (Colm Meaney) has a band from Liverpool, a band that includes Liverpudlian types including young and handsome flautist Teddy (Shaun Evans) and is aimed in the direction of the Festival to compete. In fine Irish tradition the two mutually angry brothers try to sabotage each other's appearance, but alas they both come face to face in the competition. With Jimmy's arrival we discover that Maisie's negative outlook comes from the fact that Jimmy is the one who wantonly got her pregnant and Anne is Jimmy's daughter. Maisie is forced to admit to Anne her betrayal of ancestry news and the mother/daughter relationship is strained to the breaking point.

Anne and Teddy (naturally) fall for each other and the two of them decide to return to Liverpool after the festival ends with neither's band the winner. This development is threatening to Maisie and she finally confronts Jimmy with her pent up resentment and disappointment. How the young ones cope with their situation and emotions and resolve the problem of distance is the finale of this sweet story and is best left to the viewer to discover.

The acting is homogeneously fine with the comedy and drama in fine balance. And oh the music! Director John Irvin has created a little jewel of a film that warms the proverbial cockles of your heart. Grady Harp

A cutesy make ya feel good movie I enjoyed it just for the light entertainment no need to think point of view. The real downer for me - and this is because I play music - is that none of the musicians in this movie could play anything and it was painfully obvious. Most of them didn't even move their fingers on the fingerboards. I had expected and watched this movie to see some decent Irish musicians playing as the backdrop for the movie and there was none. How much more could it have cost the movie makers to have had some real musicians in here ? They would have loved the exposure and it would have been a win win situation.