The Last Furlong

infobox television
show_name = The Last Furlong


caption =
format = Comedy-drama
runtime = 75 minutes per episode
creator = Simon Delaney
writer = Simon Delaney & Kieran Carney
producer = Niamh Fagan
director = Kieran Carney
Tom Hall
starring = (listed in closing credits)
Simon Delaney
Orla Fitzgerald
Domhnall Gleeson
Christianne Oliveira
country = flagicon|Ireland Ireland
network = RTE
first_aired = 14 November 2005
last_aired = 19 December 2005
num_episodes = 6
list_episodes = |

The Last Furlong was a short-lived Irish comedy-drama television series which was aired on RTE from November 14 to December 19, 2005. Originally created by Simon Delaney and co-written with director Kieran Carney, the series dealt with Diogo Bernardo Furlong (Simon Delaney), a Portuguese cabaret singer and songwriter, who travels to Ireland to scatter his mother's ashes over the grave of his Irish father.

Plot

After the death of his mother, Diogo Bernardo Furlong visits Ireland to scatter his mother's ashes on the grave of his father. His father had died some years before in a boating accident on Lough Allen, and he was raised by his mother in Alentejo, Portugal. His only clue to his father's grave is a postcard that his mother gave to him with a picture of a church.

Leaving behind his fiancée Claudia, he arrives in Dublin and is met by an acquaintance and music promoter David Daly (Garrett Keogh). He persuades Diogo to take a musical tour Ireland and, promising to help Diogo find his father's grave, he also persuades Diogo to take a musical tour Ireland with he and his daughter Margaret (Orla Fitzgerald), an aspiring filmmaker, who reluctantly agrees to manage Diogo. A backup band is hired and, joined by Margaret’s boyfriend John Ford (Simon Keogh) and his friend Sean Flanagan (Domhnall Gleeson), Diogo and The Fandango’s begin a tour of Ireland’s graveyards and other lesser-known legendary venues including Ballymore Eustace, Roscommon, Strokestown, Ballaghderreen, Ballagh and Westport.

Reception

Although coming off of a successful run on the sitcom "Bachelors Walk", the series received poor reviews from critics. Delaney's general acting and musical performance were particularly criticized. His portrayal of Diogo, a character he used to perform as during takes between Bachelors Walk "just to keep the crew amused" [cite web |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4161/is_20051113/ai_n15840884 |title=TV Must see: I seeng for you |accessdate= |accessmonthday= |accessdaymonth= |accessyear= |author= |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date=2005-11-05 |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=Sunday Mirror |pages= |language= |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ] , was seen by critics as an all to similar version of his character on Bachelors Walk as in other film and television appearances. [cite web |url=http://tviscrying.com/2005/11/15/the-last-furlong-rte2-monday/ |title=Reviews: The Last Furlong (RTE2, Monday) |accessdate= |accessmonthday= |accessdaymonth= |accessyear= |author= |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date=2005-11-05 |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=TViscrying.com |pages= |language= |doi= |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20060223184327/http://tviscrying.com/2005/11/15/the-last-furlong-rte2-monday/ |archivedate=2006-02-23 |quote= ]

References

External links

*imdb title|id=0490539|title=The Last Furlong
* [http://archives.tcm.ie/westernpeople/2005/11/30/story28162.asp Western People - Westport: The Last Furlong]
* [http://www.iftn.ie/?act1=record&aid=73&rid=1507&sr=1&only=1&hl=furlong&tpl=archnews New Comedy 'The Last Furlong' Begins Production]
* [http://archives.tcm.ie/roscommonherald/2005/09/21/story2105.asp County to feature in production of comedy series The Last Furlong]
* [http://www.keithmartin.utvinternet.com/film6.htm More Film Making for Mayo says Martin]