North Sea Connection thriller hooks a fishing family in Galway

There’s always been a rich vein of culture running through Ireland.

It’s the country that brought us literary greats such as Oscar Wilde, James Joyce and Seamus Heaney; music is also important, from traditional performers to exponents of more modern sounds, including U2 and Snow Patrol.

On stage and screen, the likes of Gabriel Byrne, Pierce Brosnan, Saoirse Ronan and the Gleeson family have excelled, while directors including Neil Jordan and Martin McDonagh have created unforgettable cinematic moments.

The latter has been in the news lately, following the announcement of the Oscar nominations. McDonagh’s latest critically acclaimed work, The Banshees of Inisherin, has received nine nods, including Best Picture.

These nominations were just some of those handed out to Irish productions in what has turned out to be a record haul.

Radio host Joe Duffy, who works for national broadcaster RTE, claimed March’s ceremony should be moved from Hollywood to Dublin, while the nation’s news-gatherers also got in on the act. The news site Extra.ie even had the headline “Not Normal, People,” a play on the title of Normal People, the BBC show that made Best Actor nominee (for Aftersun) Paul Mescal a star.

But it’s not just movies where Irish screen talent lies. Its TV output is impressive too. Last November, a delegation from Screen Ireland showcased three promising new drama series at the TV festival Content London – Irish/Belgian co-production Northern Lights, dark crime comedy Obituary and historical show The Liberties.

Such programmes are the result of Screen Ireland introducing development funding for TV drama in 2015.

“Ireland is truly a global player in terms of international TV drama,” says Andrew Byrne, head of television at Screen Ireland. “We look forward to continuing to support a diversity of Irish creative talent.”

Before those shows head our way, there’s an opportunity to see another drama, this time a six-parter which has already gone down a storm on RTE One.

Sue Deeks, head of BBC Programme Acquisition, says of it: “Set amongst the stunning scenery of West Coast Ireland, North Sea Connection is a dark and brooding thriller which will keep viewers totally absorbed until the very end.”

Lydia McGuinness heads the cast as Ciara Kenny, a member of a family who have proudly fished the waters off Roskillane for generations. She’s now the skipper of the clan’s boat, but her ambitious brother Aidan (Strike star Kerr Logan) is about to make a terrible mistake – he agrees to transport drugs for a Nordic cartel.

What Aidan thinks will be a simple, money-spinning arrangement turns out to be anything but. Predictably, the plan goes horribly wrong – but what isn’t so predictable is how the events play out as the authorities begin an investigation that could spell disaster for all concerned.

Two episodes are will be broadcast each Saturday night for the next three weeks. Perhaps, by then, one of the trio of projects mentioned above will be ready to take its place. But whatever happens, Irish cultural eyes are certainly smiling at the moment – and long may that continue.