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Pure Mule

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Pure Mule

Pure Mule was an Irish six-part drama mini-series aimed at a young audience and broadcast on RTÉ Two as part of RTÉ's autumn schedule in 2005, shot and screened in 2004–2005 in County Offaly.

Towns featured in the series include Banagher, Birr and Tullamore, all in County Offaly. It intended to offer an "insight into modern day rural Ireland". The original series was rebroadcast on RTÉ beginning 26 July 2009 at 22:50. The show was expected to return to RTÉ Two for two special episodes after three years in the wilderness as part of the autumn 2009 television season, however RTÉ ran the two part special on RTÉ One. The second edition is called Pure Mule: The Last Weekend. "Pure Mule" is a phrase in the Offaly dialect which may mean "really good" or "lousy", depending on the intonation.

Pure Mule won five Irish Film and Television Awards (IFTAs) and was nominated for seven in total. It is still referenced in the Irish media years after its original broadcast. The show is credited with progressing the careers of actors such as Simone Kirby, Garrett Lombard and Charlene McKenna, the last of whom became a household name and face in Ireland following its success. McKenna said the show was "very dark [...] but it has a fun side too". Lombard attributed its success to its realism and bravery, its wide range of characters from all backgrounds and its use of relevant themes.

Pure Mule was written as a six-part series aimed at a young audience by the playwright Eugene O'Brien and produced by Accomplice Television, the television arm of Element Films. It was promoted as being part of the new "edgier" and "riskier" RTÉ Two schedule, which also featured a gay-themed night following its relaunch from Network 2 in 2004. The original Pure Mule featured a cast which included Tom Murphy, Garret Lombard, Luke Griffen, Gary Lydon, Eileen Walsh, Simone Kirby, Joanne Crawford, Dawn Bradfield and Charlene McKenna. It was shot on high-definition camera. The setting is a nameless market town in county Offaly in the Irish midlands. The drama was part of a boost in spending of 25% on independent Irish television productions in 2004.

Each episode follows the journey of one character over a weekend from Friday until Monday. Themes covered included binge drunkenness and casual sexual intercourse. The first episode featured Shamie (played by Tom Murphy), and follows his birthday boozing and his struggle to win the affections of a Dublin girl against his younger brother, Scobie (played by Garrett Lombard). Frustrated and embarrassed by his loss, he instead engages in an attempt to win another girl instead.

Another episode featured a famous threesome involving Geraldine (played by Simone Kirby).

Other actors who had roles in Pure Mule included Brian Doherty, Pádraic Delaney, Ian McElhinney, Anthony Brophy, and Seán McGinley.

"It is really weird being recognised in the street. I thought that maybe at home in Monaghan people would recognise me but it’s the same down here in Galway or Dublin or wherever, really weird".

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