Well done to Fox for putting this show on but shame on them for cancelling it after one season.
It was the season of 1998-99 that the Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nóg delighted and probably confused a generation of American kids.
Essentially, the show gave Gaelic folklore the Power Rangers treatment. As with every filmic treatment of important Irish matters, there are some blatant historical inaccuracies.
King Conchubar of Ulster is bequeathed the kingdom of Kells while Queen Maeve of Connacht is pinpointed as the ruler of Temra.
The quartet upon whom Conchubar relies to thwart the mendacious aggressor Queen Maeve are Rohan, the leading man, his mate Angus, a vaguely buffoonish former thief with a heart of gold and a penchant for prat-falls, a foreign prince, the rather exotic looking Ivar, and King Conchubar's daughter Deirdre, who, needless to say, is physically attractive and captures the attention of the leading man.
When battle commenced, they needed to get out of their civilian gear pronto. This they achieved to pointing their weapons at the sky muttering some bullshit incantation. Thereafter, they were granted control of the 'classical elements', fire (Rohan), air (Deirdre), water (Iver) and earth (Angus) and they were suited up in attire in supposed accordance with these elements.
For a few episodes, they were accompanied by a fifth knight (he's the Players Championship of knights). This knight was given the name Garrett, in what was patently an homage to Garret Fitzgerald (the second 't' isn't fooling anyone). He belted out the words 'forest before me' so as to bring about his costume change when it was time for battle.
The cast is shot through with actors who most will remember better from other shows. Charlotte Bradley (incidentally, mother to Ruth Bradley, Darren's sister in Love/Hate) features as the adversary Queen Meave and has appeared in countless Irish productions notably The Van and Veronica Guerin, and briefly, Father Ted (she was the female part of the foul-mouthed couple incensed that Ted had grabbed their picnic spot).
Fargo Boyle (known in his non-professional capacity as Peader Lamb) shows us as King Fin Vara, the monarch of nearby Tir Na Nóg. Kelly Campbell, who played Michael's wife in Bachelor's Walk, not to mention the dentist's wife in Love/Hate, features as a minuscule fairy (of course) who flits about the place, naively making mistakes and putting her foot in it.
At the end of season one, the final season as indicated above, we did get some closure. This being a kids show it was of the non-depressing, but rather annoying, happy ever after variety.
Maeve, whose dogged quest to conquer Tir Na Nóg was utterly unrelenting for 50 episodes, is banished the Mystic Knights led by Rohan.
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