*Niamh Walsh as Jenny, Dervla Kirwan as Val, Seána Kerslake as Grace, and Gemma Leah Devereux as Anna.

A noir thriller set in Lahinch is to hit screens across the country next week.

Smother will begin airing on RTÉ ONE in the coveted 9:30pm Sunday slot from March 7th. Written by Cork’s Kate O’Riordan who helped to pen Mr Selfridge, the thriller stars Dervla Kirwan and Seána Kerslake.

Kirwan plays family matriarch Val Ahern, a devoted mother who is determined to protect her family and particularly her three daughters Jenny, Anna, and Grace, at any cost. Jenny is a heavily pregnant single doctor, unsure of the choices she has made, played by Niamh Walsh (Good Omens, Jamestown).

Grace, played by Kerslake (Can’t Cope, Won’t Cope, The Hole in the Ground), is an angry but fragile young woman struggling with mental health issues. Anna is a devoted stepmother to two teenage boys, whose birth mother has recently reappeared on the scene, played by Gemma-Leah Devereux (Judy, The Tudors).

When Val Ahern’s husband Denis, played by Stuart Graham (The Cure, Hunger), is found dead at a foot of a cliff close to their home the morning after a family party, Val begins to interrogate the events that unfolded the night before.

Val explores Denis’s relationships with his children, stepchildren, and his siblings in order to find out who might have been responsible for his brutal, shocking death. The deeper Val delves into her family’s secrets, the more she realises how her late husband’s controlling, manipulative behaviour had a deep effect on each member of the family.

The cast also includes Thomas Levin (Borgen), Hilary Rose (The Young Offenders) and Justine Mitchell (Cheat).

Related News

abbey street 25-03-25
Council Budget proposes 8% hike in commercial rates
paul murphy simon harris joe cooney 21-11-25 2
Harris insists he's fit for Finance portfolio & praises 'the real Talk to Joe' in Clare
shannon airport 1
Parents of Shannon Airport pro-Palestianian activists provide independent sureties to secure release on bail
mill rd proposal 1
Proposal for one-way system on Mill Rd scrapped & Gort Rd roundabout alterations removed from Ennis transport plan
Latest News
2_The Shannon Airport Group_Sod Turned_Blocks Y_Z
Sod turned on €14m investment in Shannon Free Zone
Screenshot 2025-11-13 135011
60 seconds with Frank Holly
cillian mcgroary v an gaeltacht 1
Corofin left with 'too much to do' following first half
beano rouine ennistymon huddle 1
'This one was for Éanna' - Ennistymon manager Beano Rouine dedicates U21 success to late nephew
scariff ogonnelloe v feakle killanena u21 23-11-25 1
Scariff/Ogonnelloe win U21B championship after defeating Feakle/Killanena in final for second year running
Premium
Scariff/Ogonnelloe win U21B championship after defeating Feakle/Killanena in final for second year running
Proposal for one-way system on Mill Rd scrapped & Gort Rd roundabout alterations removed from Ennis transport plan
Spike in motorway crashes in Clare prompts TII review
Army personnel drew their weapons during Shannon Airport incursion
LNDR can unblock UL and bring South Clare SDZ plans for University Town back to life

Subscribe for just €3 per month

If you’re here, you care about County Clare. So do we. Did you rely on us for Covid-19 updates, follow our election coverage, or visit The Clare Echo every week for breaking news and sport? The Clare Echo invests in local journalism and we want to safeguard its future in our county. By becoming a subscriber you are supporting what we do, will receive access to all our premium articles and a better experience, while helping us improve our offering to you. Subscribe to clareecho.ie and get the first six months for just €3 a month (less than 75c per week), and thereafter €8 per month. Cancel anytime, limited time offer. T&Cs Apply. www.clareecho.ie.