The series was made and set during the Celtic Tiger economic period in Ireland and this features mainly through Tony Doyle’s character, Brian Quigley.

The show is also set amid the backdrop of the Catholic Church scandal and explores controversial themes of the time such as divorce (which had only been legalised a year before the series began), and pre-marital sex.

Significant changes in the cast occurred at the end of series 3 following the departure of central characters Peter Clifford and Assumpta Fitzgerald.

The village's name in Irish is shown as "Baile Coisc Aingeal", which means "The town of the fallen angel", on the sign outside the post office.

[39] In 1997, both Father Clifford[40] and Assumpta Fitzgerald made guest appearances in a Comic Relief edition of The Vicar of Dibley[38] entitled "Ballykissdibley", where the lead characters from both shows participated.