Endearing Derry Girls

Background – The 1990s was a tumultuous time in Northern Ireland. The Troubles have been going on for nearly 40 years and it just became a part of daily life. Riots, bombings, and car fires were seen on the daily news. You knew to stay in your neighborhood where it was safe. Despite all of this, teens are the same all around the world. So long as you have your clique, you can get through anything.  

First day of school – your new uniform is freshly laundered, copy books are in your new backpack and you have a fresh set of pens and pencils. What could go wrong? Oh! The bridge to school is closed because of a bomb scare; typical morning for Erin Quinn.

The hilarity only ensues when she is joined by her school mates Orla (her cousin, too!), Clare, Michelle and the newest member James (Michelle’s English cousin) as they walk to the school bus. Individuality is out the door when it comes to parochial school and school bus dramatics with the back of the bus are the same no matter where you are from.

Sister Michael is the headmistress at the all-girls school Our Lady Immaculate College. She and her zingers are sure to make you laugh. It makes you think about your time at Catholic school growing up and your experiences with the nuns! With her dry sense of humor and the girl’s antics, the punishments are sure to sound familiar!

Writer Lisa McGee has made an international sensation out of Derry Girls. Even if you do not know the background of Derry, Northern Ireland, or even if you never attended parochial school, you are sure to be able to bond with Erin and her gang of misfits.

This semi-autobiographical is a love story about McGee’s hometown of Derry. With all of the negativity surrounding Northern Ireland during the 20th Century, it’s nice to see that Derry Girls is the silver lining the people have been looking for. It’s based about a group of teenagers – not the Troubles. The troubles in it are relationships between friends, boy/girl troubles, and the antics you get into when young.

From crying to statues, young priests, family dynamic and boys, you are sure to get a laugh out of this show. Just keep in mind that there is some slang you may not be familiar with and that they speak rather quickly so closed captioning may help! All in all, it’s good craic that’ll help you reminisce about your time in high school with your best friends!

Also, keep in mind that Parish Giving is all about Catholic schools! Many of us attended Catholic school and now our children are as well. That’s why we have Tuition Simplified! To find out more give us a call or email us today!

Due to some foul language it may not be appropriate for those under the age of 15! You can watch Season 1 (and Season 2) on Netflix today!