TV Review: The Great House Revival might be the key to happiness
Hugh Wallace at Parson's House for The Great House Revival
I’m a fool for big old houses and Hugh Wallace, national treasures all. So I was fairly sure I’d like (RTE One, Sunday 9:30 and RTE Player.)
Things got even better when the couple who bought the 200-year-old Parson’s House in north Cork hit our screens in episode one.
Instead of urban poshos with designer glasses and notions about cos-playing as big house Protestants, we got Mary-Claire and Sully. True to his name, Sully didn’t have designer glasses or big house notions.
Himself and his partner are a local couple who liked the look of the house and bought it without an engineer vouching for the structure. Telly architect Hugh didn’t like the sound of this and told them it was a big brave move, as he leant on the period mantelpiece. Luckily it didn’t collapse and they were able to move on.
It helped that Sully was a carpenter. But they still looked surprised when Hugh told them that they would need a plan and stick within their budget of 130 grand. This marked them out as ‘Dreamers’, which makes for great renovation drama.
Some family members arrive and start pelting at stuff with sledgehammers. There doesn’t seem to be a plan, but there are three fewer steps on the stairs, collapsing under the foot traffic. It doesn’t look good.
But Sully and Mary-Claire are ice-cool. If they had a motto it would be 'sure, it will be grand'.
She is delighted when the window guy tells her that the windows are bad but he’s seen worse. We should all be more like Sully and Mary-Claire.
Hugh still has his standards. (And the chunky designer glasses, but they work on Hugh in a way they don’t work on any other creatives because I reckon he’s on on the joke.) He brings Sully and Mary-Claire to look at a refurbished 1930s house in Meath, for design inspiration. They don’t like it, you can tell. Cork people don’t like Meath.
They’re refreshingly short on sentiment. Sully doesn’t trust the gorgeous period staircase so down it comes.
There aren’t any contrived fights between Hugh and the couple. Mainly because they don’t really listen to anything Hugh says to them. (He’s practically gas-lighted when he suggests lowering the height of the TV, but they lower it nine inches in the end because they’re nice.)
The end result is stunning - I’d say Sully won’t be stuck for work in North Cork in the next 20 years. But the joy here was the process, the way they got stuck into the job in front of them without over-thinking any decisions. I think it might be the key to happiness. Give it a watch.
