Scenes from Clonmel on a quiet afternoon in early spring.
Farmers, workmen and children on the streets of Clonmel are caught on film as they go about their business. Most are more than happy to wave to the RTÉ camera crew.
‘Ballymagash’ was born out of the earlier satirical programme ‘Hall’s Pictorial Weekly’ which featured the fictional village. The first episode of ‘Ballymagash’ was broadcast on 10 January 1983; the series was produced by John Keogh and Peter McEvoy and ran for 10 episodes. Similarly to ‘Hall’s Pictorial Weekly’, ‘Ballymagash’ opened with scenes from various villages and towns in Ireland.
Ballymagash was a fictional any town that was not too far away from many an Irish town. While presenter Frank Hall and producer John Keogh never specified the exact geographical location of Ballymagash, it was billed in the RTÉ Guide of 7 January as,
A town a few miles from almost anywhere in Ireland.
This episode of ‘Ballymagash’ was broadcast on 14 February 1983.