Peter and Assumpta


The Peter and Assumpta story goes right back to one of the very first scenes in the first series. Young, handsome man in strange country is offered a lift in the rain by young beautiful girl. There is an immediate attraction. Great, you think, until the young man reveals that he is a Catholic priest.Young girl is taken aback, partly because she despises the clergy, partly because she is disappointed. Young man looks, though he knows he can't touch. It is a recipe for public interest and it has certainly caught the imagination of the British public.

It is largely the public reaction that has made this story what it is. Father Peter Clifford is the central character in Ballykissangel, Assumpta Fitzgerald was a sparring partner, an unlikely friend for the young priest. However, the few small sparks that were seen in series one were fired by the public reaction to these two characters and, in this present third series, things have hotted up immensely. For this reason I have decided to take a closer look at this partnership and why it was such a huge success. Sorry, but the English Literature graduate in me can't help analysing these things!

The Story
Peter and Assumpta first met on the open road. On his first trip to BallyK Peter abandoned his bus in favour of a gentle stroll through the glorious Wicklow countryside in the sunshine. However, as usually happens in Ireland, the rain is never far away and before long, forty shades of green have turned to forty shades of grey. Peter is rescued by a young woman in a distinctive blue van who offers him a lift. At first, the Assumpta we see is a perfectly pleasant young woman chatting idly to the young man. However, as soon as she learns that he is a priest her whole attitude changes. Nearly every word he says is met with a sarcastic comment and the relationship as we know it starts to develop. Within seconds we know how Assumpta views the clergy and the church.

Assumpta "One thing this country needs is priests from England."
Peter "We have enough of yours."
Assumpta "We have enough of ours!."

From then on, Peter realises that he is in for a hard time. When Fr Mac invites him to Fitzgerald's for tea, Peter is wary. He is not keen on another encounter with Assumpta although Fr Mac obviously delights in winding her up. It is not long, however until Peter and Assumpta strike a friendship.Despite his dog-collar, Assumpta sees that Peter is not your usual, run-of-the-mill priest. He is willing to let people make up their own minds and think for themselves. He doesn't have the holier-than-thou (if you'll forgive the pun) air that priests of Fr Mac's type have. He drinks pints in the bar, he watches football and, most importantly of all he is able to stand back from any given situation and give good advice that doesn't necessarily come word for word from the Bible. Assumpta explains it best to Enda Sullivan, a would-be suitor who takes her to dinner in episode 2.3

Enda "For an atheist you seem to get on okay with the priest."
Assumpta "I'm not an atheist, and even if I was, it wouldn't stop me being friends with Peter. He's a good man."

Peter, in turn, can see that something has made Assumpta react the way that she does and he is quick to realise that she can be a good friend as long as he keeps religion out of the equation. From then on, there is the odd confrontation (like about 2-3 times a day!), but Peter and Assumpta, without realising it, get closer and closer. We really only see that anything is developing when Leo McGarvey, Assumpta's boyfriend from university and her future husband, makes his first appearance in episode 1.5. He is still in love with Assumpta and asks her to go with him when he leaves. Assumpta refuses. Something is keeping her in BallyK but we get the feeling that even she is not sure what it is, but that it has to do with Peter.

Through series 2, their relationship is not at the forefront of the storylines, but it is still bubbling under, ready to break loose in series 3. There are really only two points in series 2 when we see any evidence of their felings for each other. The first, obviously is when they are cast to play male and female lead in the village play. These roles involve a passionate kiss towards the end of the play which the viewer never actually sees, but is very much a part of their characters' development.

Also important is the night that Assumpta gets slightly tipsy while tidying up the bar with Peter and decides that she needs to talk. Peter cannot mistake the meaning of her questions and runs out, not trusting himself to be able to answer questions that he himself is having trouble with.

Assumpta "Do you ever want what you can't have?."
Peter "Yeah."
Assumpta "Well what stopped you?."
Peter "Me."
Assumpta "Why? What are you afraid of?."
Peter "Nothing. I'm afraid I have to say Mass at eight."

But, it is only in this present series that things are really starting to happen. At the time of writing, Peter and Assumpta's feelings for each other are crystal clear, although still largely unspoken. Peter has *confessed* to Fr Mac and gone on retreat to try to get over Assumpta. Assumpta has dealt with the situation by marrying someone else, the unfortunate Leo who realises early on that he is on a hiding to nothing. However, Leo cannot deal with living in Peter's shadow, or life in a country town, so he leaves after a very short period of time. Niamh prompts Assumpta to go after him, which Assumpta does, knowing that Leo at least deserves an explanation.

When she returns, Peter has gone to his mother's deathbed. He returns *home* to BallyK with a lot more on hs mind. It is obvious that he has reached the end of the line - he cannot go on any longer blanking out his feelings for Assumpta. In The Reckoning, he finally tells her how he feels. Assumpta stil realises that this si wrong, although she finds it hard to tell him. Eventually, they begin to communicate and start to plan their future together, if only briefly.

From the brief clips shown, it seems as if the whole village knew how Peter and Assumpta felt about each other and, what's more, if they had been allowed to develop their relationship, I feel they would have had total support from (nearly) everyone in BallyK. However, as usually happens, they were never allowed to be together. Assumpta is tragically killed a couple of days later by faulty wiring in the pub, leading Peter to abandon the village and return to England in despair.

Basically, the attraction is simple. Handsome man and beautiful woman meet and fall in love. It is, in the words of Dervla herself, an old fashioned love story. People want to be reminded that life isn't always doom and gloom. This love between these two people is strong and passionate, but you are never going to see them fall into bed - it is worth more than that. The viewer is torn between wanting the suspense to last and seeing them give in to their true feelings. Of course, this is all fuelled by the real life romance of the actors who play the roles, so much so that many journalists still refuse to believe that the relationship between Stephen Tompkinson and Dervla Kirwan is genuine. It is, after all, a publicist's dream. But, that is another, separate story not related to their characters and their feelings. The relationship between the priest and the publican has captured the hearts of everyone who saw them, not least of all me and the end of the third series has come as an unwanted shock to all. However, in the heart and on the videos of their fans, Peter and Assumpta belong, and will always be, together.


visitors since 13.April.98

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