Barrytown is an Irishcomedy-dramamedia franchise centred on the Rabbittes, aworking-classfamily from the fictional suburb of Barrytown, inDublin. It began in 1988 whenBeacon Pictures and20th Century Fox bought the rights to the 1987 novelThe Commitments byRoddy Doyle shortly after it was published. The book was successful, as wasAlan Parker's1991 film adaptation, which achievedcult status^[1] and is regarded as one of the best Irish films ever made.^[2][3] In 1999, theBritish Film Institute ranked the film at number 38 on its list of the "100 best British films of the century", based on votes from 1,000 leading figures of thefilm industry.^[2]

A sequel novel,The Snapper, was published in 1990, followed bya film adaptation in 1993. A third novel,The Van, was published and shortlisted for the 1991Booker Prize,^[4] followed bya film adaptation in 1996.Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha, aspin-off published in 1993 bySecker and Warburg, won theBooker Prize for that year, with anepilogue novel,The Guts, published in 2013. Amusical andstage play based on the first two installments of the series have also been produced, ongoing from 2013 and 2018.

Following the 1988 publication ofRoddy Doyle's novelThe Commitments (1987) in theUnited Kingdom,^[5] producersLynda Myles and Roger Randall-Cutler acquired thefilm rights, and asked Doyle to write anadaptation.^[6][7][8] Doyle, an inexperienced screenwriter, spent one year drafting the script,^[6] accompanied by Myles and Randall-Cutler.^[9] Although a script was completed, Myles felt it needed improvement, and passed the book on toDick Clement andIan La Frenais,^[9] hoping that they would suggest a more experienced writer.^[6] Upon reading the novel, Clement and La Frenais agreed to help write the script themselves.^[9]

The Snapper revolves around unmarried twenty-year-old Sharon Rabbitte's pregnancy, and the unexpected effects this has on her conservative, working classDublin family.^[10]

The Van focuses on the elder Jimmy Rabbitte and his efforts at going into business with his best friend Bimbo, after both lose their jobs. It was shortlisted for theBooker Prize (1991).^[11]

Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha is a novel written by Roddy Doyle.^[12] It is a spin-off following one year in the life of a Dublin ten-year-old, Patrick "Paddy" Clarke, as he explores Barrytown through his parents' divorce, encountering various characters from theBarrytown series of novels.^[13]

Set thirty years later,The Guts follows the younger Jimmy Rabbitte as he is suffering frombowel cancer. The novel was named Novel of the Year at the 2013Irish Book Awards.^[14][15]

Throughout the early 2010s, Doyle frequently posted short comic dialogues on hisFacebook page between two older men in a Barrytown pub, often relating to current events in Ireland (such as the2015 marriage referendum^[16]) and further afield. These developed into the novella short story collectionTwo Pints in 2012 andTwo More Pints in 2014.^[17]

• James "Jimmy" Rabbitte, Sr. – the patriarch andprotagonist of the third Barrytown novel,The Van, in which he and a friend, Brendan "Bimbo" Reeves, buy achippervan as a business opportunity during the1990 World Cup.
• Veronica Rabbitte – the matriarch of the family who tries to keep the peace and is often known to have a laugh at her family's antics.
• Sharon Rabbitte – the eldest daughter and the protagonist of the second novel,The Snapper, in which she comes to terms with her pregnancy and later gives birth to a daughter, Georgina (whom the family call "Gina" for short).
• Georgina "Gina" Rabbitte – Sharon's daughter, born inThe Snapper and featured as a toddler inThe Van, often repeating in baby talk the profanity used by family members.
• James "Jimmy" Rabbitte, Jr. – the eldest son and protagonist of the first novel,The Commitments, in which he and several friends form an Irish soul band. InThe Snapper, Jimmy frequently practices being a DJ, much to the predictable annoyance of his father. In the third novel, he has moved out of home and is living with his girlfriend, Aoife but still makes frequent visits home. InThe Guts, Jimmy has since married Aoife and they have four children, and he is suffering frombowel cancer.
• Leslie Rabbitte – the second-born son of Jimmy Sr. and Veronica. The least prominent of the children, he is almost never at home in the trilogy. Leslie is frequently in trouble and clashes with his father. InThe Guts, He reconnects with Jimmy Jr. throughSocial Media and attends a festival with him.
• Darren Rabbitte – the youngest son, still at school. He decides to become a vegetarian inThe Van yet helps Jimmy Sr. with his business.
• Tracy and Linda Rabbitte – the two youngest children, twin girls, who frequently behave mischievously, provoking the ire of the parents.
• Larrygogan – a dog who becomes the family's pet inThe Snapper.

Jimmy Rabbitte (Robert Arkins), a self-proclaimed promoter, decides to organise an R&B group to fill the musical void in his hometown of Dublin, Ireland. The band comes together but ends up consisting entirely of white musicians who have little experience with the genre. Even though their raw talent and lofty aspirations gain the group notoriety, the pitfalls of fame began to tear at their newfound friendships as they prepare for their big show. The film also starsAngeline Ball,Maria Doyle,Bronagh Gallagher,Glen Hansard,Andrew Strong,Colm Meaney, andAndrea Corr.

Many of the actors involved inThe Commitments went on to pursue various acting and musical careers.^[18] Robert Arkins signed a record deal withMCA Records in 1993,^[19] although he did not finish recording the consequent album.^[20] He has produced work for a number of commercial clients, television projects, and composed music for two short films.^[18] Andrew Strong went on to produce several albums, which he described as having elements of R&B and rock. He has performed alongsideThe Rolling Stones,Elton John andRay Charles, and formed his own band, The Bone Yard Boys, in 2003.^[21] In 1993, two of the film's cast members, Kenneth McCluskey and Dick Massey, formed their owntribute act band,The Stars from the Commitments. The 9-piece band has since played more than 1,000 shows worldwide, and has played withB.B. King,James Brown andWilson Pickett.^[18][22]

The Commitments underperformed at the North American box office, grossing $14.9 million during its theatrical run. Reviewers praised the music, performances and humour, while criticism was occasionally aimed at the pacing and Parker's direction. The film resulted in two soundtrack albums released byMCA Records; the first reached #8 on theBillboard 200album chart and achievedtriple-platinum status, while the second album achieved gold sales status. At the1992 British Academy Film Awards, the film won four of sixBAFTA Awards forBest Film,Best Direction,Best Adapted Screenplay andBest Editing. It also received anAcademy Award nomination forBest Film Editing.

Doyle was given creative freedom by theBBC over the adaptation ofThe Snapper, for which he wrote the screenplay.^[23] Lynda Myles returned to produce the film and hiredStephen Frears as its director.^[24]Colm Meaney also returned. The adaptation was originally planned as a television film, as an episode of theBritish televisionanthology drama seriesScreen Two, before Frears suggested that it be transferred to film.^[25] Doyle disagreed with the change, saying that he never liked to be made for the big screen, which he thought was grainy.^[24]The Snapper (1993) premiered at the1993 Cannes Film Festival, where it received astanding ovation.^[24] It was a critical success, receiving largely positive reviews.^[26]

The sequel again features the Rabbitte family, but due to rights problems, the family surname in The Snapper was changed from 'Rabbitte' to 'Curley'. The film centres on Sharon Curley, the eldest daughter of the family, and her experience of unplanned teen pregnancy. The film also starsBrendan Gleeson,Pat Laffan, Ronan Wilmot, andStanley Townsend.

For the film adaptation ofThe Van, Doyle and Myles formed their own production company, Deadly Films, and the author was given creative control over the selection of its cast and director.^[27] Frears returned as director, and Meaney was cast in the lead role. AlthoughThe Van (1996) premiered at the1996 Cannes Film Festival to some favorable reviews, critical reaction was negative upon release; reviewers criticised the film for its thin material and lack of strong characterisation.^[28]

The film deals with themes of unemployment and self-worth, as Brendan "Bimbo" Reeves (Donal O'Kelly) and Larry (Colm Meaney) cope with losing their jobs and embark on a partnership to sell fried food from the eponymous van. The film also starsGer Ryan,Rúaidhrí Conroy,Brendan O'Carroll,Stuart Dunne,Marie Mullen, andJon Kenny.

In January 2000,Harvey Weinstein acquired the film rights toThe Commitments forMiramax^[29] and commissioned playwrightWarren Leight to write a direct sequel to the film, withCathy Konrad attached as a producer. The premise involved several members of The Commitments pairing with new band members before going on tour in the United States.^[30] The project subsequently entereddevelopment hell.^[31]

List indicators

• A dark gray cell indicates the character was not featured in the film.
• A^P indicates an appearance through a photographic still.
• An^L indicates an appearance through the use of an actor or actress's facial likeness.
• A^V indicates a performance through voice-over work.
• A^C indicates acameo appearance.

The surname of the Rabbitte family was changed to the maiden name of Curley for the film adaptations ofThe Snapper andThe Van, as20th Century Fox owns the rights to the Rabbitte name fromThe Commitments, who were not involved in the adaptations of subsequent works in the trilogy.

An image of four of the actors of the original film, in character, wasfeatured on an Irish postage stamp as part of theIreland 1996: Irish Cinema Centenary series issued byAn Post; the image includes lead singer Deco Cuffe (Andrew Strong), along with the three "Commitmentettes" – Imelda Quirke (Angeline Ball), Natalie Murphy (Maria Doyle Kennedy) and Bernie McGloughlin (Bronagh Gallagher).^[39]

Doyle's novelThe Commitments andits 1991 film adaptation inspired a 2013musical stage production, directed by British theatre directorJamie Lloyd.^[40][41] Following the film's success, Doyle had previously turned down offers to adapt his novel into a stage production.^[42][43]The Commitments began previews on 21 September 2013 in London'sWest End at thePalace Theatre, before its official opening night on 8 October.^[44] The show had more than 1,000 performances before officially closing in London on 1 November 2015. The United Kingdom and Ireland tour commenced in 2017.^[45]

In 2018, the Gate Theatre commissioned Doyle to write a stage adaptation ofThe Snapper.^[46] The show was directed by Róisín McBrinn and was revived in 2019.^[47]

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