The Irish R.M.

1983
3.8
21 reviews
Eligible
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Season 1 episodes (18)

1 Great Uncle McCarthy
1/6/83
Season-only
With few professional prospects, Major Sinclair Yeates leaves his home and fiancée in England and accepts a position as resident magistrate in Ireland. Upon arriving, he discovers that not only is the house he rents not as grand as it was advertised, it might also be haunted.
2 Trinket's Colt
1/13/83
Season-only
Flurry’s imposing grandmother turns up at court and invites the Major to a dinner party. The Major wants to give Philippa a horse as a wedding gift, and Flurry devises a plan to get one of his grandmother’s colts.
3 A Misdeal
1/20/83
Season-only
Sally’s naïve new neighbor, Mr. Shoot, seeks help buying a horse. When the Knoxes and Yeateses take him to the market, they are surprised to learn how clueless he really is. Flurry becomes jealous of Mr. Shoot’s attention to Sally.
4 The Boat's Share
1/27/83
Season-only
A visit from the Major’s officious cousin Basil coincides with an unusually complicated case. A dispute between two fishing families living on a remote island involves an alleged assault, a marriage proposal, and a “boat’s share.”
5 Occasional Licences
2/3/83
Season-only
A local publican smoothly sidesteps the Major’s objections to beer sales at the annual St. Peter and St. Paul’s Day Games, which are being held on Shreelane land. Philippa offers to organize tea for the event and unknowingly becomes part of Flurry’s scheme.
6 O Love! O Fire!
2/10/83
Season-only
Flurry and Sally’s blossoming relationship is hindered by Sally’s mother. Old Mrs. Knox is giving a tenants ball, to which all the servants are invited. Recruited to help out, the Major and Philippa have an exciting evening dousing fires and promoting romance.
7 A Horse! A Horse!
7/12/84
Season-only
Mrs. Cadogan leaves for a funeral, and a job cook is hired to replace her. After Flurry and Sally return from their honeymoon in Paris, and Flurry gets up to his old tricks again. He convinces Major Yeates to go on a hunting trip that turns out badly for the Major.
8 The Dispensary Doctor
7/19/84
Season-only
The Major’s household adjusts to living with a noisy new family member. Skebawn is in need of a replacement doctor, and Flurry has someone in mind for the job. On the eve of the annual local regatta, the rivalry between the Callaghans and the Foleys heats up, and they wind up in court over salmon poaching.
9 Holy Island
7/26/84
Season-only
During a heavy storm, a ship with a full cargo of rum runs aground near Skebawn, and the locals engage in drunken revelry as the barrels wash ashore. Later, the Major and Philippa plan a picnic on a mysterious island rumored to be home to “the Little People.”
10 Oweneen the Sprat
8/2/84
Season-only
Christmas Eve ends with an unfortunate carriage accident involving Major Yeates and Philippa. Among the injured is Oweneen the Sprat, one of the villainous “mountainy” men who live in the hills. In retaliation, a threatening note and Oweneen’s “calling card” arrive to terrify the Major’s household.
11 A Royal Command
8/9/84
Season-only
Lady Knox arranges a polo match at Shreelane to welcome a visiting maharajah. Unsurprisingly, the Indian players prove far superior to Skebawn’s ramshackle team, but the game is overshadowed by the antics of a filly that Flurry sold to John Cullinane.
12 The Aussolas Martin Cat
8/16/84
Season-only
Flurry and Sally discover that Mrs. Knox wants to rent out Aussolas Castle, where they now live. To their dismay, they receive a letter announcing the arrival of a potential tenant from England. Meanwhile, an auction outing for Anthony’s birthday goes awry.
13 The Muse in Skebawn
6/2/85
Season-only
With Philippa in England tending to her ailing mother, Major Yeates’s problems multiply. A shifty entrepreneur brings moving pictures into Skebawn, creating havoc that the Major must subdue while also fending off the unwanted advances of Miss Bobbie Bennett.
14 Major Apollo Riggs
6/9/85
Season-only
The Major’s sister, Barbara, looks after him in Philippa’s absence. Cousin Andrew also arrives to help and begins to fix everything in sight, including a crumbling chimney and a mysterious well. Cold water and strange spirits are unleashed as Andrew’s enthusiasm goes a bit too far.
15 Friend of Her Youth
6/16/85
Season-only
Babs fondly reminisces about her old friend Julian Chichester, who is coming to stay at Shreelane. But no sooner does Chichester arrive than he begins to scorn the Major’s household, including a beloved canine. Flurry decides to teach Chichester a lesson, resulting in a disastrous sailing trip.
16 In the Curranhilty Country
6/23/85
Season-only
It’s time for the hunt as the Major drives to meet with the Curranhilty Harriers in a noisy new motor car, suffering the disdain of the locals. The excursion doesn’t quite go as planned, as the Major continuously finds himself in an awkward position with Miss Bennett.
17 Lisheen Races
6/30/85
Season-only
As the Lisheen Races take hold of Skebawn, Sally strikes a deal to enter the competition, while Mrs. Cadogan discourages Peter from betting on the horses. The Major is surprised to learn that his job performance has been called into question by a visiting Dublin official.
18 The Devil You Know
7/7/85
Season-only
The Major receives an offer to become R.M. in a community closer to Dublin. Upon hearing of the offer, Mrs. Cadogan and the rest of the household think it’s a joke. But unexpected frustrations cause the Major to resign.

About this show

Peter Bowles (Rumpole of the Bailey, To the Manor Born) stars in this lighthearted drama series as Major Sinclair Yeates, a retired English army officer who becomes a resident magistrate in turn-of-the-20th-century West Ireland. Living in a ramshackle country house surrounded by the community’s eccentric inhabitants, Major Yeates struggles to apply judicial logic in a land where “the inevitable never happens, but the improbable frequently does. Based on the works of Somerville and Ross, these “winning adaptations” (The Boston Globe) were shot entirely on location in County Kildare and capture the beauty of the lush Irish countryside. This complete series also stars Beryl Reid (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy), Bryan Murray (Perfect Scoundrels), Niall Toibin (Ballykissangel), and Sarah Badel (Mrs. Dalloway).

Ratings and reviews

3.8
21 reviews
Daniel Murray
January 8, 2020
I can't watch this 😭, it's called the IRISH r.m. and it's not available to be watched in IRELAND even though it's based about IRELAND/ PLZ Fix