[8] The show is credited with progressing the careers of actors such as Simone Kirby, Garrett Lombard and Charlene McKenna,[1][3][9] the last of whom became a household name and face in Ireland following its success.
[13] The original Pure Mule featured a cast which included Tom Murphy, Garret Lombard, Luke Griffen, Gary Lydon, Eileen Walsh, Simone Kirby, Joanne Crawford, Dawn Bradfield and Charlene McKenna.
[9] Other actors who had roles in Pure Mule included Brian Doherty, Pádraic Delaney, Ian McElhinney, Anthony Brophy, and Seán McGinley.
Tom Parlon, a TD, spoke of the upset Pure Mule's themes of cocaine and other issues caused to "a lot of people" in his constituency of Laois–Offaly, saying: It does make for uncomfortable viewing especially for someone like me whose has lived all their life in rural Ireland.
I believe the programme has also performed a valuable service by highlighting in stark and uncomfortable terms the challenges facing rural Ireland today in particular increased drug use amongst our young population.
[...] Pure Mule has shown to all who watch it that young people in every corner of this country are experimenting with and using drugs on a large scale.
[25]Pure Mule was seen as a nod to Bracken and Deadwood, with The Sunday Times praising it for its "impressively lyrical yet largely authentic dialogue" but remaining sceptical of O'Brien's "lapses into ludicrously Oirish speechifying, replete with more hooting "ouls" than a forest park".
[11] Garrett Lombard used to be greeted by cheers each time he passed a building site due to his character, Scobie, being portrayed as an authentic hero by many.
[1] The original Pure Mule won five Irish Film and Television Awards (IFTAs) from seven nominations on 6 November 2005.
[33] Well-recognised chimney stacks on the banks of the River Shannon in Shannonbridge which featured in the original series were demolished in July 2009.
[35] The box set Pure Mule: The Complete Series was released on DVD by Element Pictures Distribution on 13 November 2009.