#depending on your persuasion • derry girls

[tex-treasure-chamber]

[milfsarahmccool]

tbh i’m not wild fussed about whether or not jerin becomes canon since the core of Derry Girls is the power of platonic/familial love (which is refreshing as fuck) but from a storytelling perspective this relationship makes sense as the end point for the show.

Let me explain why.

Within the conventions of Irish Literature there is a tradition known as the National Tale which sees a novel or play conclude with the happy marriage between an Irish woman and an English man, which acts a symbolic representation of the ideal relationship between Ireland and England. This tradition has its roots in colonialism. We can trace land politics alongside gender politics - ‘feminine’ Ireland is subservient to ‘masculine’ England just as a wife was expected to be subservient to her husband.

The tradition of the Anglo-Irish romance can found throughout the Irish literary canon, from Maria Edgeworth to Dion Bouccicault to Sean O’Casey to Brian Friel, Irish writers have utilised this trope to varying degrees according to their political motivations. Some, like O’Casey and Friel invert this trope, demonstrating how unrealistic this relationship is and many wonderful literary critics have written on how reductive this trope is by pointing out how it denies female characters personal agency in favour of reducing female bodies to political playthings. But that’s a discussion for another day.

That brings us to Lisa McGee and Derry Girls in particular. This ‘text’ is innovative in that it interrogates The Troubles through the lens of teenage girls. Instead of a gritty drama-documentary about paramilitaries or hunger strikers this is a family comedy in the vein of Bouccicault with touching emotional moments reminiscent of Friel. (And it’s no surprise - these are playwrights Lisa McGee would have studied during her time at Queen’s University Belfast.) 

Alongside the ‘National Tale’ there is a concept known as the Aisling Tradition. ‘Aisling’ means ‘dream’ in Irish and this literary device sees female characters in plays become the personified version of Ireland - again, depending on your political persuasion this could be used to demonstrate Ireland’s subservience to England however others such as W.B. Yeats used it as a rallying cry to ignite Nationalist passions and encourage young men to take up arms in defence of ‘Mother Ireland’.

If we follow tradition, Erin as the main character becomes representative of Ireland or at the very least the North (’Erin’ literally means Ireland after all). Erin is young, idealistic, and completely helpless in the face of the chaos that surrounds her. Northern Ireland itself is a young state, and after its formation in 1921 there was the hope that civil conflict would end at last. As we know, this was not the case. By the 1990s Northern Ireland had the status of an unwilling child of divorce between the Irish Republic and Britain. But Erin, unlike many of her literary ancestors, is not without agency or without depth. She is perfectly imperfect (like all the characters in Derry Girls) she is human. Here is where Lisa McGee diverts from the trope and re-shakes the ‘Aisling’ model for a modern audience. 

As for James, he is the perfect modern translation of a ‘Stage Englishman’ - a standard comic character in theatre which pokes fun at English soldiers who would come to Ireland and become enamoured with the ‘oddities’ of the culture and beauty of the landscape, completely ignorant to the fact that by virtue of their presence they represent the colonial oppression of the land they so admire. While James is not in Derry by choice he serves the function of ‘Stage Englishman’ in that his confusion about cultural norms (eg. wakes) not only provides comedy for an Irish audience but articulates the thoughts of an English viewership who are similarly at a loss. 

So why do I think these two will get together?

Well their romance would solidify this iteration of a National Tale narrative in a modern way - if Lisa McGee ends the series (as I assume she will) to coincide with the signing the Good Friday Agreement then the start of a relationship between Erin and James dovetails the hope and beauty of young love conquering all with a climatic historical moment heralding a new era of peace and hope in Northern Ireland.

Many have pointed out that trying to build in a romantic relationship would upset the friendship dynamic of the group as a whole and while I don’t necessarily agree or disagree with that line of thinking, it’s my personal prediction that any confirmation of a romance between Erin and James would occur in the final minutes of the last episode - so we’ll never get to see if it ruins the dynamic of the friend group. 

*cue Dreams by The Cranberries playing in the background*

[amoriistic]

get to know me meme: tv shows [1/10] - derry girls

my name is erin quinn. i'm sixteen years old and i come from a place called derry, or londonderry, depending on your persuasion, a troubled little corner in the northwest of ireland.

[queenofthornss]

Derry Girls: Series 1, Episode 1

[tex-treasure-chamber]

Auntie Bridie's shrewd eyes darted to Jim. "Séamus." She greeted coolly. "Didn't know you were in town. Just come in from Dublin, have you?"

"Aye," Jim lied.

Auntie Bridie turned her piercing stare to Tex, taking in the sight of her hand in Jim's. "And who are you?"

Tex cleared their throat. They offered their hand with a shy smile on her face. "Howdy! I'm Tex Sonata; I've been living with Mr. and Mrs. Quinn, living with them while I attend the local university." she drawled, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ma'am."

Auntie Bridie's sour expression melted and much to everyone's surprise, she smiled as she took Tex's hand. "Just call me Auntie Bridie," she replied warmly, happy to speak to anyone that wasn't Joe's girls, "how's Derry been treating you?"

Tex's shy smile morphed into something sweet as they thoughtlessly squeezed Jim's hand. "It's been mighty nice, Auntie Bridie. I'm really happy to be here."

Auntie Bridie spared Jim a knowing smirk. "Aye, I'm glad to hear that."

"So, Eamonn, any craic with you?" Aunt Mary asked, taking pity on Jim. "You seeing anyone? Should I maybe buy myself a new hat?"

"Aye sure Mary, that thing does nothing for you." Aunt Sarah muttered.

"Eamonn isn't seeing anyone." Auntie Bridie answered before Eamonn could.

"Is that a feeling, Bridie? Or an instruction?" Uncle Jerry quipped.

Tex cleared their throat loudly in the tense silence that followed and, ready to split before he made things worse by laughing, Jim tugged them along toward the drinks table to let the adults bicker like wains and as soon as they each had a glass of champagne, they set off to find the actual wains whispering amongst each other.

"What're we whispering about?" Jim asked, grinning ear to ear.

Orla brightened. "Dru-"

"Just talking about goss from school," Michelle interrupted, shooting Orla a glare.

Tex laughed softly. "Go on then," they drawled, giving Jim's hand a soft squeeze, "give us the 411."

[tex-treasure-chamber]

"What's all that racket?" Tex drawled tiredly as she walked into the living room, head pounding to the rhythm of the Orange march outside.

"For the love of God, Texie, don't come in into the kitchen!" Aunt Mary cried, eyes downcast to clean up the broken fragments of ceramic from Orla's mug.

"It's a parade!" Orla explained cheerfully.

Erin scoffed as she chewed on her toast before swallowing. "It's technically a parade but it's more of a politically fueled demonstration against us Catholics."

Tex scowled. "I see." She spared the others a glance, "Where's Jim?"

Orla and Erin swapped sly looks as Aunt Sarah piped up, knowing full well Tex's inquiry about cousin Jim's whereabouts wasn't all innocent- the two of them had volunteered to stay behind to look after the house while the rest of the family went to Portnoo to avoid the Orange March rush.

"Oh him?" Aunt Sarah asked with a curl of a smile, "He's with James and Michelle to retrieve Jim across the road's tent."

Tex nodded and slowly tiptoed over to the kitchen as Aunt Mary finished sweeping the remains of the mug to go about making two cups of tea, smiling softly to herself as she thought about the cozy, intimate weekend ahead.

Sure enough, Jim showed up with James and Michelle and the tent. He grinned as he spotted Tex, eyes lighting up with mischievous glee that had Michelle smirking and James clearing his throat softly as he brushed by.

As Jim approached, Tex handed him the mug she had made and like magic, his expression softened. He accepted it with a soft thank you before leaning his hip against the kitchen table as the two watched everyone else scramble to pack the family cars and once everyone was gone, Jim turned to Tex with a grin.

"Fancy a game of chess?" He asked.

Tex grinned too. Yes, it was going to be a lovely weekend.

[tex-treasure-chamber]