Torchwood: Belfast

[owl]

Ok, shoot me now. If it had been set in Belfast instead of Cardiff....

The characters:

Richard Oldham. Token ethnic minority, ie English. Has angsty past (he's a vampire), and current problem; the fact that the Prodisans and Cafflicks dislike him almost as much as they do each other.

Seosamh O Mhaollchallann, né Joseph Mulholland. (The other Torchwood members call him Joe because they can't pronounce Irish). Does the history-geek stuff. Lecturer in Irish Studies at Queen's University Belfast. This only takes up 5 hours of his week, so he has plenty of time for Torchwood.

Ian McCaughey. Computer-genius boy. Grew up on dairy farm in Kells Ahoghill, which he avoids visiting. Sexist in a teenage sort of way. Was called after Ian Paisley. Finds this embarrassing, but still votes DUP.

Heather Blair. Hails from Cherryvalley. Source of ready cash (rich family) and general facilitator, the Ianto type. Has a dark secret in the basement, possibly involving Semtex. Slightly pretentious middle-class.

Cliodhna O'Neill. Native of Tuam, County Galway. (Ian tends to mention Galway hookers*) Annoys Joe by speaking better Irish than he does. She's the one who froths at the mouth and starts kneecapping people for the greater good of humanity in the first episode.

Frankie Devlin. As a bisexual Catholic female, she was a godsend to the PSNI recruitment. She found out there was a Torchwood and a rift in space and time in the middle of Belfast after being hit on the head with a half-brick during a sectarian riot on Donegall Pass. Possesses an alledged background in Ballymurphy, stripey hair, mum (Bernadette) played by Ma from Gie ma Head Peace, put-upon boyfriend called Mickey and an anomalous middle-class mindset.

*Galway hooker=variety of small boat

Possibly doyle_sb4 and marymac are the only two people on the intarwebz who would get both the TW and nI references.

Comments

[ankaret.livejournal.com]

I suspect all the NI references have just flown straight over my head, but I howled with laughter anyway.

[owl]

:D Have you watched much of TW?

[ankaret.livejournal.com]

The first three. I haven't seen the infamous pterodactyl episode yet.

It's okay, but John Barrowman just seems to be twinkling on autopilot and I haven't really warmed to the rest of the cast.

*raises eyebrows*

[clanwilliam.livejournal.com]

*coughs*

Although, admittedly, when you say Kells to me, I think Meath, not Antrim. But that's cos my uncle used to live there.

Re: *raises eyebrows*

[owl]

What's all the coughing and eyebrows about?

Bother, I was thinking of a rural Uniionist area and I forgot about the more famous Kells. Perhaps I shpuld go with Ahoghill for having a humourous name when read by and Estuary-speaking BBC presenter.

Re: *raises eyebrows*

[clanwilliam.livejournal.com]

Possibly because I got all the references too?

Of course, you are talking about a woman whose trigger phrase for speaking in a Norn Irish accent (in the absence of anyone from there or, failing that, a Scot) is "Bring back the days when Harland & Woolf didn't *need* to employ Catholics, thank you very much!"

Re: *raises eyebrows*

[owl]

Um, not offended coughing?

Re: *raises eyebrows*

[clanwilliam.livejournal.com]

Oh crap, no. Just laughing at it - nice touch.

Did I ever tell you about the girl from the Malone Road who wanted to know how I knew she was from there?

Re: *raises eyebrows*

[owl]

Did I ever tell you about the girl from the Malone Road who wanted to know how I knew she was from there?

No, do tell :D

Re: *raises eyebrows*

[clanwilliam.livejournal.com]

Years ago, I was chatting to this girl in the gym who mentioned she was from Belfast. She'd already said she'd been to university over here, and she didn't have much of an accent.

So just as a piss-take, I said "Oh, Malone Road?" and she turned and said "Yes, how did you know?"

I couldn't really tell her the truth so I muttered something about having friends from there...

[doyle_sb4.livejournal.com]

I loled. And inevitably Ma from Give My Head Peace would be in it since we only have about 3 actors in the whole country (who's May McFetridge going to play?)

[ianmcdonald.livejournal.com]

Just had that May McFetridge in the office.(as you do) (Not sexually, I hasten to add)

[owl]

A Dalek!

[shezan.livejournal.com]

This is pretty damn funny. Makes Wales sound sadly blah, though...

[owl]

Oh, it'd probably make more exciting TV (if anyone could ever disentangle the issues), but it would be nice to live somewhere blah.

[shezan.livejournal.com]

Has a dark secret in the basement, possibly involving Semtex. Slightly pretentious middle-class.

Still chuckling at that one.

[owl]

:D

[ianmcdonald.livejournal.com]

I think you need an ex-Priest, maybe an alcoholic, with anger management issues, and maybe Tourette's .. oh sorry. Wrong show.

[owl]

nostalgia_lj did advance the theory recently that Captain JackFather Jack off Father Ted.

[doyle_sb4.livejournal.com]

I think Richard would quickly find that all sectarian tensions are cheerfully forgotten as both sides gang up on the English Oppressor.

[owl]

It's v odd that with all the hooha from the Loyalists about how British they are, they really don't like the English. Well, I suppose not many people do :-P

[elerrina-amanya.livejournal.com]

What am I, next door's cat?

*sez the girl who taped Torchwood for you...*

[owl]

I didn't think you were on the intarwebs these days :)

taped Torchwood for you

Ah, and for yourself too, admit it....and if you didn't watch it, how did you get the references?

[lesserstorm.livejournal.com]

Now I really, REALLY want to see that show...

[owl]

My imaginary Norn Irn version or the original?

[lesserstorm.livejournal.com]

Oh the NI version. I'm already watching the real one, but I'd dearly love to see all the fine details of yours on screen (and yes I "get" most of the local detail)

[lilliburlero.livejournal.com]

This made me giggle even though I don't know much about Torchwood.
Just popping in via ankaret I fink.
I'm flitting around looking for new stuff to read, but I thought I better offer the standard disclaimer about my handle (doesn't indicate Unionist sympathies*) rather than just doing a sub voce add.

*But I spose you prolly guessed that, cos if it did I'd be able to spell it.

[owl]

Like the icon!

As long as you've no IRA sympathies either it's all good :)

[lilliburlero.livejournal.com]

No fear of that!

Father Ted icon courtesy of hinkicons. There's a good few over there, including some My Lovely Horse ones I think.

[mscam.livejournal.com]

Possibly doyle_sb4 and marymac are the only two people on the intarwebz who would get both the TW and nI references.

No, there are more of us! ;)

Was called after Ian Paisley. Finds this embarrassing, but still votes DUP.

LOLOL

I definitely prefer your Norn Irish version.

[owl]

*waves*

[padmez.livejournal.com]

Here via torchwood_three and cackling away - you can put me down as another to get both sets of references ;)

[owl]

Ooooh, I was redd'd? Pretty good for a silly post that spun off a comment!

[padmez.livejournal.com]

I saw the comment too actually, and laughed myself silly over it ;)