Derry Girls writer Lisa McGee at Season 3 premiere: ‘It has been amazing’

Writer Lisa McGee was joined at the ‘buzzing’ event in Derry Omniplex by stars Saoirse Monica Jackson, who plays Erin in the show, Jamie-Lee O’Donnell (Michelle), Ian McElhinney (Granda Joe), Art Campion (Father Peter) and director, Michael Lennox.

While it was a night of celebration and excitement, it was also poignant in that the series - which Lisa has called her love letter to her home town - is to be the last.

Speaking on the red carpet, she told the Journal how it will be ‘hard to say goodbye.’ However, she is also delighted that she has finished the show the way she wanted.

“Not many people get to finish a show the way they want it to end and we’re so proud. It has been a lot of hard work. I’ll miss them. I’ll miss writing for them - I feel like they’re real and I’ve been talking to them in my head for six years now, so it will be hard to say goodbye to that. It has been amazing.”

Lisa is grateful that the people of Derry loved the series from the start and quipped: ‘Thank God, because I could never have come back!”

“I knew having the support from here was crucial, as you can’t write a show about somewhere and have the people here not like it. So, how they got behind it, I’ll never forget that and I always want to write stuff about here now.”

While Lisa had an ‘arc’ for the series itself, she told how she also incorporated the actors’ strengths into their characters.

“I had an arc for the series in that I knew where I wanted to take it. We always say the city is the other Derry girl - the other character - and we knew where we wanted to take the city. We changed our minds about different things happening and also the actors are brilliant at doing different sorts of things. Saoirse is very physical and Nicola does panicking really, really well! So, it’s sort of incorporating that.”

Director Michael Lennox described filming Derry Girls as ‘brilliant craic.’

“It’s just one, big, extended, mad family every day and you’ve brilliant scripts and we laugh a lot. So, it’s just insane energy and it’s great to be part of it.”

Lisa and Michael also paid tribute to the cast for the continued success of the show.

“You don’t get an ensemble like that very often,” said Lisa.

“It’s a once in a lifetime thing. It will never happen to me again, I don’t think. They’re amazing.”