The day after the bonfire, Niamh spends the day with Dillon discussing their future. She has decided to tell Ambrose that their marriage is over. But Ambrose has gone missing. A French man, D'Argan, challenges Quigley to a balloon race re-creating an event that took place 200 years ago between their ancestors. Meanwhile, the search party has tragic news for Niamh.

It's the day of Ambrose's funeral, Aiden reads out a police statement from the couple Ambrose saved before falling to his death declaring his heroic act. Relations between Dillon and Niamh are strained and she asks him to stay away for a while as she needs time on her own. Elsewhere, Danny and Eamon are planning their organic pig farm and Orla moves into Murty Quinn's rundown old cottage.

Sand and mud create earthy problems around the village.

The news breaks that Niamh is selling Fitzgerald's and moving to Dublin. Quigley is to mastermind the sale. There are two prospective buyers, the retired Malachy Mullan and Oonagh Dooley. Meanwhile, Aiden - never at his best with such temporal matters - has the rather unspiritual job of preparing for the diocesan auditor.

It is Kieran's birthday Ambrose's mother, has come to stay and nothing Niamh does seems to meet her standards. To make matters worse, Kieran wants a puppy, and the only person who has puppies for sale is Dillon. Elsewhere, Orla has been trying to build business for Conor by getting his fishing trips into a local guidebook. Believing Mick Doyle to be the editor, she invites him onto Conor's boat.

Ex-prisoner Paul Dooley arrives in Ireland to discover he and his family are moving to Ballykissangel, home of his old enemy, Brian Quigley. Niamh is set to move to Dublin as the shadow of Ambrose still lingers. Elsewhere, Orla is finishing her cottage renovation and fending off Conor's advances. Oblivious, Conor prepares a surprise romantic dinner and is thwarted by Orla's planned dinner party.

Brendan and Brother Dominic are up for the post of headmaster of Ballykissangel National School. At Fitzgerald's, Dooley, keen as ever to make a penny rents the upstairs room to a visiting school governor and needs it painted fast, while barmaid Orla finds herself in the middle of a dispute. Elsewhere, Danny's pig, Una, plays Cupid.

Uncle Minto is back, making cheap, illegal liquor. Dillon stands in for Siobhan to help judge the Best Pet Competition and upsets the local snob. While Conor's boat is being fixed, he asks Orla if he can stay in the cottage. She agrees, reluctantly and things become more awkward. Meanwhile in Dublin, Niamh begs Siobhan not to tell Dillon how desperately unhappy she is.

Paul prepares for his punishment and discovers he is to dedicate 50 hours redecorating the school gym. On seeing the amount of work to be done, Dooley recruits the equally guilty Liam, Donal, Minto and Danny. Chaos ensues, until Dermot suggests turning the decorating into a mural project involving the whole school. Quigley stuns Dillon by giving him Niamh's address and telephone number in Dublin.

Liam and Donal are busy stealing sand off the beach to fill Quigley's golf bunkers, when they find a large crate of expensive Beluga caviar floating in the sea. Kieran is beginning to show the first signs of strain since Ambrose's death. Niamh decides she must leave Ballykissangel. Devastated, Dillon tries unsuccessfully to dissuade her. Orla and Conor go racing quad bikes on their first date.

The lure of a goldmine leads Quigley into a race against time. He isn't the only one who believes they've struck gold, when a little help from Orla goes a long way with Conor.

It's the eve of Niamh and Dillon's wedding. Liam and Donal have a stall selling alcohol and Uncle Minto's mysterious potion is having a strange effect on the men. The next day, Father Aidan joins Frankie on a special request to help the Toomeys but gets into a car crash. Aidan begins to fret that he might not make it back in time to marry Niamh and Dillon.