Filming has begun for a new RTÉ-helmed drama called Smother, which stars Dervla Kirwan (The Stranger). 

Written by Kate O'Riordan (Mr. Selfridge), Smother is a family drama about deeply buried secrets and their unintended consequences.

The drama, which also stars Niamh Walsh, Seána Kerslake, and rising star Gemma-leah Devereaux, will shoot across various locations, including Lahinch, Liscannor, Spanish Point, Fanore, Ennistymon, and Lisdoonvarna.

Kirwan plays Val, the matriarch who is determined to protect her three daughters (played by Walsh, Kerslake and Devereaux) at all costs.

When her husband is found dead, Val begins to explore the events which led to his death, and discovers that his controlling and manipulative behaviour has had a profound effect on each of his family members.

Of the drama, Kirwan says: "It's been a long time since anything this well written about an Irish family has come my way. In Smother Kate O’Riordan has created a riveting thriller that will wake the world up to contemporary Ireland and rewrite an outdated narrative that has been peddled about the Irish for years. Val is such a complex, layered character and a ferociously protective mother and I’m really excited to be playing her in such a powerful Irish drama. Smother has so much to say about modern families, and it says it in a compelling and gripping way."