Tommy Tiernan to star in Channel 4 Troubles-era sitcom Derry Girls

Currently being filmed in Belfast and other locations throughout Northern Ireland, the brand new series is written by acclaimed Northern Irish writer Lisa McGee (Indian Summers, London Irish, Being Human), who tells a story that resembles her own experiences of being from a dysfunctional family during The Troubles.

The six-part series is directed by Northern Ireland’s Michael Lennox (Boogaloo & Graham, A Patch of Fog) and has received funding from Northern Ireland Screen via Invest NI.

According to Northern Ireland Screen, the story will centre on 16-year-old Erin Quinn (Saoirse Monica Jackson), who lives with her uncompromising mother (Tara Lynne O’Neill), her long-suffering father (Tommy Tiernan) and the fearsome ‘Granda Joe’ (Ian McElhinney), a man whose love for his daughters and granddaughters is surpassed only by his contempt for his son-in-law. The story aims to show the personal relationships and family dynamics that existed during the devastation of the Troubles.

Speaking with NI Screen about the new series, writer Lisa McGee, who grew up in Derry, said: “I’m delighted to be able to tell the stories of real people living through The Troubles. And now, with the delicate political ecosystem of the country about to be tested by The Conservatives and The DUP, it seems well worth reminding ourselves how things were not so long ago, and what better way to do that than through comedy?”