An Island Parish

The first in a new series following a year in the life of the most southerly islands of the Outer Hebrides, off the north-west coast of Scotland. A nervous young Roman Catholic priest, Father John Paul Mackinnon, arrives on the tiny island of Barra to take up his new post as parish priest, but how will he cope with life in one of Britain's remotest communities? And will he ever be able to live up to the expectations of his two fellow experienced priests, Father Calum and Father Roddy?

Series following a year in the life of the most southerly islands of the Outer Hebrides, off the north-west coast of Scotland. It's Father John Paul's first big test as he settles into life on Barra. His boss Bishop Joe arrives from the mainland to assess the new priest's progress. Meanwhile, the newcomer gets an extraordinary gift from one of his more eccentric parishioners, and Father Roddy's housekeeper Sandy begins a project which she hopes will help families from all over the world trace their Scottish ancestry.

As the shortest day of the year approaches in his remote island parish, the new priest Father John Paul launches a bold plan to bring light into the heart of his community through the long hours of darkness. Meanwhile, it is the season for parishioners to clear their consciences and make confession; and Father Roddy's American housekeeper Sandy decides she wants to change nationality and become Scottish.

New priest Father John Paul is thrown into the spotlight as Christmas comes to his island parish on the southern tip of the Outer Hebrides, off the north-west coast of Scotland. Meanwhile, as Wallace the fisherman struggles to improve his catches of prawn, he has doubts about his future in the industry; and the whiskey flows as Father Roddy entertains a group of friends from the other side of Europe.

As the holiday season gets underway and the sun shines down on the southerly islands of the Outer Hebrides, new priest Father John Paul faces an uphill battle to keep his congregation coming to church. Meanwhile Donnie the dustman faces a typically 'island' dilemma, and Father Roddy - a crofter as well as a parish priest - gets an important lesson in lambing.

With the arrival of Easter, it's the busiest week of the year for the Roman Catholic priests of Barra and South Uist, on the southerly tip of the Outer Hebrides - but Father Roddy and Father John Paul still find time for their long-awaited and bitterly contested golf challenge. Meanwhile, local businesses struggle in the early weeks of the holiday season, and a pregnant young nurse from the island's hospital is flown off to the mainland in a medical emergency.

It's the season for marriage on the Outer Hebrides. Father Roddy conducts one of the biggest weddings of the year on South Uist, while over on the neighbouring island of Barra Father John Paul is introduced to a ritual that dates back more than a thousand years. Meanwhile, problems with the ferries from the mainland threaten the start of the islands' crucial holiday season. After weeks of waiting, Clare is overjoyed to hear some good news at last.

On the remote island of Barra in the Outer Hebrides, the new parish priest Father John Paul struggles to overcome his nerves at the biggest event in the annual calendar. It's the blessing of the boats at the Fishermen's Mass, which involves nearly every islander. Meanwhile, Father Roddy tries prayer to help overcome the problems of a leaking church; and his American housekeeper Sandy gets news which will change her life for ever.

On the island of South Uist, after months of secret planning, Father Roddy at last goes head to head with his parishioner Flora Campbell in the battle for top honours at the local agricultural show. Meanwhile on Barra, Father John Paul, still without a housekeeper, undergoes a crash course to improve his skills in the kitchen; and the success of the bi-annual Clan Macneil gathering at Kisimul Castle comes under threat.

On the island of South Uist, Father Roddy and Father John Paul go to extraordinary lengths to give their friend and fellow priest Father Calum a birthday surprise he'll never forget. Meanwhile, across on Barra, the islanders are preparing for the imminent gathering of the Clan Macneil; and over in the heart of the USA, an 82-year-old clan member has to make the difficult decision about whether to make the four thousand mile journey to join them at their ancestral home.

On the remote island of Barra, Mac and Linda arrive from Missouri for the gathering of the Clan Macneil - but Mac's reaction to his ancestral home is not what he expected. Fr John Paul investigates the truth behind the famous Ealing comedy Whisky Galore! and Fr Roddy struggles to maintain the honour of the Catholic church in a half-marathon race.

It is the end of Father John Paul's first year as the new Catholic priest on Barra, one of the remotest islands in the Outer Hebrides, but celebrations are in danger of being overshadowed by worries over the whole future of island life. Fishermen say their livelihood is under threat from an unexpected source, and there are new fears over how the remoter communities will survive. Meanwhile, Father Roddy's working hard to perfect his skills as a conjuror; and Scraggie Aggie unexpectedly becomes the life and soul of the party.