Patrick McBride

Set in a struggling Irish language newspaper in Belfast, the series is built around the character of Rob Cullan. a journalist who has left a high flying job in an English newspaper under a cloud. He is persuaded to return to the community he grew up in by the wily newspaper proprietor Diarmuid Black to help rescue his ailing publication.

Sparks fly in this upbeat and funny film about the lives of Mei, Kenny, Ciaran, and Niamh, four young people coping with a tangle of friendships, family life, and local politics in Belfast. Mei, a local Chinese girl, finds that falling in love with Kenny, a Protestant boy, is far from simple as they try to negotiate their way through their cultural differences. Complications arise for both of them when their relationship overlaps with that of Ciaran and Niamh from the Catholic Falls Road. Matters finally come to a head in a frightening confrontation which severely tests cross-community relations. This ‘made for schools’ drama explores the narrow ground of conflicting loyalties, identities and family traditions. Shining through is the Belfast humour – sometimes unforgiving, but more often full of warmth and humanity. The film is scored by John O’Neill of the Undertones.

Set in a struggling Irish language newspaper in Belfast, the series is built around the character of Rob Cullan. a journalist who has left a high flying job in an English newspaper under a cloud. He is persuaded to return to the community he grew up in by the wily newspaper proprietor Diarmuid Black to help rescue his ailing publication.