Derry Girls is a sitcom about teenagers, and it treats the Troubles of Northern Ireland as a backdrop, not the main act. That decision is the show’s great strength and its occasional weakness. Created by Lisa McGee, who drew on her own Derry upbringing in the 1990s, the series follows five friends — Erin, Orla, Clare, Michelle and Michelle’s cousin James — through the final years of the conflict. It is a comedy about friendship, family and the particular terrors of adolescence, set against a war zone.
Trailer, via Channel 4 Entertainment.
Erin, Orla, Clare, Michelle and James
The core group is a mix of cousins and schoolmates, and each brings a distinct personality to the ensemble:
- Erin, played by Saoirse-Monica Jackson, leads the group.
- Orla, played by Louisa Harland, is one of the quieter members of the group.
- Clare, played by Nicola Coughlan, is sharp-tongued and cynical.
- Michelle, played by Jamie-Lee O’Donnell, is loyal and somewhat dim-witted.
- James, played by Dylan Llewellyn, is the English cousin who lands in Derry and learns to speak its slang.
Their dynamic holds the show together. The writers know exactly when to let a joke land and when to pull back, and the chemistry between the actors is genuine enough to carry the weaker moments.
The School and the City
The show is set in Derry, Northern Ireland, in the mid-1990s. The girls attend Our Lady Immaculate College, a fictional Catholic secondary school based on the real Thornhill College, where McGee studied. The production design captures the faded grandeur of working-class housing estates, with peeling paint, worn carpets and the constant presence of family members who refuse to leave the house.
The city’s political turmoil is a persistent element. The IRA ceasefire of 1994, the Clinton visit of 1995, and the Good Friday referendum of 1998 all appear as plot points. These events are not treated as drama; they are simply the air the characters breathe. That approach allows the show to focus on the personal without losing sight of the larger context.
The Adults Around Them
The adults in Derry Girls are almost as memorable as the teenagers. Tommy Tiernan plays Da Gerry Quinn, Erin’s father, who is a loud, proud man with a quick temper. Tara Lynne O’Neill plays Ma Mary Quinn, Erin’s mother, who is softer and more practical. Kathy Kiera Clarke plays Aunt Sarah, who is sharp and often cruel. Ian McElhinney plays Granda Joe, Michelle’s grandfather, who is wise and loving. Siobhán McSweeney plays Sister Michael, the school principal, who is terrifying and hilarious in equal measure.
These characters are not caricatures. They are fully realized people with their own desires and flaws, and their interactions with the teenagers drive much of the show’s best humor.
The Dark Comedy
The humor in Derry Girls is sharp and often very dark. The show is not afraid to make jokes about violence, death and the absurdity of sectarianism. But the show also knows when to soften, and it finds warmth in the small moments of family life. A scene where the family sits around the kitchen table arguing over a minor point can be as funny as any running gag involving a bomb threat.
The show’s ability to balance its darker material with genuine tenderness is what separates it from other comedies about difficult subjects. It is never mocking its characters; it is always laughing with them.
The Political Footage
The show’s treatment of the Troubles is selective. It mentions key events but rarely delves deeply into them. This is a deliberate choice, and it works for the show’s purpose, which is to tell a story about young people growing up in a specific time and place. But it means the show is less interested in history than in memory.
The archival footage of political figures like Ian Paisley, Gerry Adams, Martin McGuinness, John Hume and Mo Mowlam, shown via TV and radio broadcasts in family homes, grounds the show in its era without overwhelming it. It is a smart way to situate the story without interrupting the flow of the narrative.
The Music of the Era
The soundtrack features popular music of the era, by acts including The Undertones, Boyzone and Oasis. The music is used well, often underscoring a moment of teenage drama with a song that captures the mood of the decade.
The Verdict
Derry Girls is a consistently entertaining show that occasionally strains under the weight of its own ambition. Its strengths — the writing, the casting, the performances — are substantial, and its weaknesses — the thin plotting in some episodes, the tendency to rely on repetition — are easy to forgive. It is a show about teenagers that understands teenagers, and that is a rare thing.
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