Barry Laverty, M.B., can barely find the village of Ballybucklebo on a map when he first sets out to seek gainful employment there, but already he knows that there is nowhere he would rather live than in the emerald hills and dales of Northern Ireland. The proud owner of a spanking-new medical degree and little else in the way of worldly possessions, Barry jumps at the chance to secure a position as an assistant in a small rural practice.At least until he meets Dr. Fingal Flahertie OReilly.The older physician, whose motto is to never let the patients get the upper hand, has his own way of doing things. At first, Barry cant decide if the pugnacious OReilly is the biggest charlatan he has ever met, or the best teacher he could ever hope for. Through OReilly Barry soon gets to know all of the villages colorful and endearing residents, includingA malingering Major and his equally hypochondriacal wifeAn unwed servant girl, who refuses to divulge the father of her upcoming babyA slightly daft old couple unable to marry for lack of a roofAnd a host of other eccentric characters who make every day an education for the inexperienced young doctor.
