''Eipic'' (, "epic"), stylised as ''EIPIC'', was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

teen drama In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...

which was broadcast on

Irish-language Irish ( Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was th ...

station

TG4 TG4 ( ga, TG Ceathair, ) is an Irish free-to-air public service television network. The channel launched on 31 October 1996 and is available online and through its on demand service TG4 Player in Ireland and beyond. TG4 was formerly known ...

in 2016, coinciding with the centenary of the

Easter Rising The Easter Rising ( ga, Éirí Amach na Cásca), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the a ...

. It depicts five teenagers in contemporary Ireland who take over an abandoned

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

and aim to start a "musical revolution." It was written by Mike O'Leary of ''

Misfits Misfits or The Misfits may refer to: Film and television * ''The Misfits'' (1961 film), a film starring Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, and Montgomery Clift * ''The Misfits'' (2011 film), a Mexican film * ''The Misfits'' (2021 film), an American ...

'', who wrote in English and then had his scripts translated into Irish.

Production

''Eipic'' received funding from TG4, the

Broadcasting Authority of Ireland The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) ( ga, Údarás Craolacháin na hÉireann) was established on 1 October 2009 effectively replacing the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) ( ga, Coimisiún Craolacháin na hÉireann). The BAI is ...

and the Section 481 tax scheme. The scenes in the village of Dobhar were filmed in

Woodford, County Galway Woodford () is a village in the south-east of County Galway, Ireland. It is situated between the River Shannon and the Slieve Aughty mountains. History The village's industrial history is indicated by a variant of its Irish name, ''Gráig na ...

. Writer Mike O'Leary said that "The aim was to explore the idea of how teens today living in rural towns straddle two worlds ecause of

the internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

and

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...

��On the one hand they’re stuck in the

back of beyond ''Back of Beyond'' is a 1995 Australian film. According to Ozmovies: "The film was released in Sydney and Melbourne on 2nd November 1995, but quickly disappeared." It was released on VHS in Australia and laserdisc in the United States but is no ...

, and on the other hand they’re plugged into this global network.”

Plot

Five misfit teenagers living in a grim small Irish town ("Dobhar", from an Irish word meaning "gloomy") come together to rebel against the tedium of their lives.

Reception

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

'' praised ''Eipic'', Una Mullally saying that it "could be one of the best homemade dramas in recent times. ��It’s frenetic and funny, touching and blunt, equal parts '' Pure Mule'', '' Skins'' and ''

Glee Glee means delight, a form of happiness. Glee may also refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 30 ...

''. ��O’Leary’s writing is brilliantly boisterous, and aside from five excellent performances from the leads, the ancillary characters also shine ��The tone, pace, soundtrack ��and creative choices throughout bristle with an energy that’s been missing from a lot of Irish drama." ''Eipic'' won the prize for Best TV Series at the Oireachtas na Gaeilge 2016 Media Awards. Róisín Ní Chéileachair was nominated for Best Actress for her role as Móna. At the IFTA Gala Television Awards 2016, ''Eipic'' was nominated for Best Children's and Young People Programme; Best Director – Soap and Comedy (Louise Ní Fhiannachta); and Best Irish-Language Programme.

References

External links

* {{TG4 Shows 2016 Irish television series debuts 2016 Irish television series endings Irish drama television series Irish-language television shows TG4 original programming Irish teen drama television series 2010s teen drama television series Television series about teenagers