Grimes and McKee back on the box

DONAGHMORE comedian Conor Grimes has joined forces with his partner in crime Alan McKee for a return to St Mungo’s which will air on BBC One next Friday night.

This latest half-hour outing for the pair which is filmed in Glenavy, follows Barry McGurk as he returns to the rural Northern Ireland village where he grew up. Along with his English wife Madeleine and their young children Caoimhe and Oisin, they intend to build their dream house and establish a wind energy business, selling turbines to local farmers.

Their estate car is laden with all their worldly belongings as they drive to the fictional village of Luganulk, along the way encountering; a fitness boot camp, led by Martina the slightly scary instructor; an enormous tractor driven by a distracted farmer who nearly drives into them, and a cyclist whom they nearly drive into. They eventually arrive at their building site where, to Madeline and the kids’ horror, there is a caravan for them to live in.

In the meantime, well-meaning, but inept Chairman (Alan McKee) and Vice Chairman (Conor Grimes) of the local GAA club, St Mungo’s, discuss the problems with the club. They are regularly unable to field a full team, and the sporting authorities are not happy. The club is also in financial difficulties, compounded by a bill presented to them by local plumber, Davy the Drip.

The McGurks settle into their new life. Madeleine takes the kids to a local history night and Barry goes to the pub, where it’s the St Mungo’s weekly club rattle. He signs the kids up for the Mini Mungos football team, after meeting the Chairman and Vice Chairman. They are delighted that Barry, a former star player, agrees to help out coaching the kids.

Local married historians, Proinsias (Conleth Hill) and Shauna Stevenson, are delivering a very dry lecture in the parish hall and Madeleine and the kids struggle to stay awake.

When a hungover Barry awakes late next morning, he admits he has agreed to assist with coaching the kids.

Madeleine reminds Barry that they have a house and a business to build, stressing there is no time for him to get obsessive about Gaelic football, as he has in the past. He promises her that isn’t going to happen, despite his memory being fuzzy about what he agreed to.

Looking forward to next week’s screening, Conor Grimes said, “We were looking for a location that hadn’t been seen on TV before and we already had a great rapport with the local GAA club and community having performed our shows in Glenavy a number of times. Glenavy offered us all the locations we needed, terrific supporting artists and great grub – much to the delight of the cast and crew.

“Maybe St Mungo’s can do for Glenavy what Game Of Thrones did for The Dark Hedges.”

The comedy also stars Shaun Blaney, Roísín Gallagher, Gerard Jordan, Julia Dearden, Abigail McGibbon, Mary Moulds, Declan Rogers, Chris Robinson, Brendan Quinn, Patrick McBrearty, Jo Donnelly, Gavin Peden, Hannah-Rose Magill and Daniel Lamont.

St Mungo’s is on BBC One NI, Friday, February 25 at 10.35pm, and also on BBC iPlayer.