The Boys from County Clare

The year is 1926. In County Clare, Western Ireland Mr. MacMahon is teaching his three boys to play traditional Irish music on the violin. Forty years on Jimmy MacMahon lives in Liverpool where he performs at local night clubs with his band. One of the young musician in the group is the likeable Teddy, a demon on the flute. Jimmy’s older brother, John Joe MacMahon stayed home in Ireland and now looks after a small family farm, but he too has a band. The lovely and talented Anne plays violin for John Joe and her no less attractive mother, Maisie, plays piano. Everyone would like to win the upcoming yearly County Clare music competition, even Jimmy who is on his way back home. The brothers haven’t seen each other for years and between them a palpable tension, even animosity, reigns. During the competition old wounds reopen, and Anne, who is experiencing true love for the first time, finds out who her real father is. She reproaches her mother for concealing the truth for so many years, and she and Teddy decide to take off for Liverpool. This year’s winners are not local Irish musicians but an unknown group from South Africa. The leader, Padjo, is the middle MacMahon brother, a onetime missionary who has now returned home. The fraternal trio finally sit down at one table again together and take up the violin – just as they used to do so long ago.