Drumaness venue for new Irish crime drama

Drumaness venue for new Irish crime drama

26 September 2018

DRUMANESS is the latest location on the Northern Ireland map for top film and television production as work on a new BBC/RTE drama began last week.

The village was swamped by a full production crew and vehicles as filming started on the hush-hush project to be broadcast next year.

Drumaness GAC’s car park was used to accommodate all of the production and catering vehicles.

When locals began to see old-style Garda cars, green post boxes and vintage Mr Whippie ice-cream vans around several homes in the Mullamore Drive and Shanvalley Way area, it was evident that this was a major period production.

The Dublin Murders will be an eight-part murder-mystery series based on two novels from Irish crime queen Tana French.

None of the cast has been officially confirmed yet but local sources have recognised Irish actor Killian Scott from his role in the Dublin drug crime drama Love/Hate from RTE One.

The series is likely to feature leading Irish actors as the writer is former EastEnders writer Sarah Phelps.

She was responsible for the successful reimagined Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, Witness for the Prosecution and Ordeal by Innocence, all for the BBC.

Set in 1950s Dublin, this series is likely to feature French’s characters from her first two books — In The Woods and The Likeness— Detectives Rob Ryan and Cassie Maddox.

In The Woods tells the story of what unfolds when the body of a 12 year-old girl is found at the same spot that Rob Ryan was found 20 years after the unexplained disappearance of two childhood friends.

The Likeness, the second in what became known as French’s Dublin Murder Squad series, tells how Detective Cassie Maddox ends up investigating the murder of a girl who is her double in appearance.

Yesterday Ms French, described as the ‘First Lady of Irish Crime’, told the Recorder: “I’m not involved with the TV production at all, so I have no idea how much it will have in common with the books, but there are a lot of great people involved. 

“I used to be an actor, and it’s a wonderful feeling to know that actors and crew are getting work because of something I set in motion.”

According to local reports, several homes have been redecorated as perfect replicas showing 1950s interiors.

Filming is due to finish soon as the production moves back to Dublin or Belfast.

It is believed locally that the crew will return to Drumaness to film again.