This mini-series was obviously - and successfully - designed to boost tourism for Ireland in the early 80ies. The story is good, the characters are funny and likable, and all this makes up just a lovely picture of Ireland. Christophe, a Paris newspaper photographer, is shooting pictures of the Irish rugby team in their locker room, when one of the players realizes his name. He calls two teammates (his brothers) and Christophe gets heavily beaten by the trio and ends up "folded" in a locker. As it turns out, 10 years ago, Christophe had spent a night with their sister, Spring Kavanaugh. But he didn't know there was a leftover: Anthony, who lives with his mom, her parents and her brothers (the three Rugby internationals) in a small town in Ireland. Chrstophe decides to go there and find out about his son. His arrival soon stirs up confusion and controversy within the Kavanaugh family, but all over the little community. As soon as he meets his son, he's determined to stay and win back his mother. But Spring rejects him time after time. When Spring, privately admitting to love Christophe, decides to marry Fritz Hutzinger instead, a rich man who has always been courting her, there's a dramatic showdown. "Les Roses de Dublin" maybe created it's own genre, beautiful landscape and great romances, copied by authors like Rosmunde Pilcher and produced in mass to please their audiences. The difference here is the abundance of funny characters and little stories apart from the main drama. Some of them really good, others rather ridiculous or embarrassing. While Jean-Claude Boullion gives a solid performance as Christophe, Berenice Toolan plays rather uninspired, and this movie remains her only appearance on the screen. Paul Kinlay (Anthony) is absolutely remarkable, but he too didn't make it to the movies again. My favorite actor in this one is Jacques Maury as Homere Kratsinas, a big drama-fan from Greece who once stranded with his ship on the shores of the Town and tries to set up a Russian drama with the locals as actors. The mini-series takes its time to tell all of it. So, I would rate it just 6 out of 10, but definitely worth watching with your family.
