Eureka Street

A wonderful book, one of the most moving, funny and perceptive to come out of The Troubles...and I remember the TV series with huge affection, especially when I see Mark Benton in those appalling bank adverts. Anyone who visits Belfast and goes on one of the hilarious and enlightening bus tours will recognise the humour and insight of the series. As to a DVD...must be some clearance/residual problems involving actors or music(BBC Scotland made what were probably similar mistakes with Tutti Frutti) - but it's a politically and historically important piece that really MUST be re-released. If GBH can finally see the light of day...we can only live in hope. As for Vincent Regan....what on earth happened to him?

If at all possible, take time out to watch Eureka Street - that time will be well rewarded. Set in Belfast, Northern Ireland during a brief ceasefire in The Troubles, Eureka Street deals with the reality of everyday life in such a grim situation as civil conflict.

However, the show never descends to cliche - each episode is fresh, confronting, and brilliantly scripted and acted.

All I've said you can read in the other reviews - I fully agree with those other summations of this show - but I will add that Eureka Street is based on a book ("Eureka Street" by Robert McLiam Wilson) and adapted perfectly by Donna Franceschild (who also wrote Donovan Quick, a great telemovie). I highly recommend the book - it is a good read whether you have seen the tv adaptation or not.

I thought that the way in which Eureka Street the tv show captured the spirit of Eureka Street the book was inspiring. While both deliver a very real and disturbing picture of the horror of The Troubles, Eureka Street is rare in that it also gives a message of hope - one that begins in the small pieces of everyday life and which ends in a vision that is international.

One of the best TV dramas to come from Northern Ireland in some time. It centres on Chuckie Lurgan, an overweight entrepreneur who finds that everything he touches turns to gold. Woven into the story are the brutal and often hilarious adventures of his mates and their struggle to cope with life against the backdrop of the troubles. It never travels down the road marked cliche but thanks to some crisp dialogue, fine performances and nicely directed moments, ES creates the same sense of wonder and compulsive drama not seen since the likes of The Crow Road series in 1996. Not for the faint hearted - Chuckie's love interest confessing the dark history of her past while in a lighthouse will leave you slack of jaw, while his mother's own revelation after a party is nicely shocking. Great stuff with a finale that will leave you hooked - that closing scene with Ballykissangel's Dervla Kirwan is heartwarming.

I must say that I was pleasantly surprised with this one. So many programmes dealing with this sort of genre are stereotypical and clichéd, but it wasn't the case with "Eureka Street" at all. Definitely a breath of fresh air. Very good acting, great script, not one to be missed.

After having read Eureka Street countless times, I was delightfully surprised when I found out that the book had been turned into an award winning miniseries! However, being up in the Great White North, our access to fine BBC programming is limited. I've inquired to see if BBC Canada is willing to air the show but thus far, I've received no reply from them.

Does anyone know if Eureka Street (the miniseries) is available on DVD or VHS? I've seen the soundtrack available on Amazon (even this took a while from the 1999 air date to show up online) but my efforts to find it in a form I can watch have come up with nothing! Help!