*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

mary crawford 1
Inagh's Mary Crawford elected first female chair of Fianna Fáil's Clare branch
banner plaza 07-11-25 external 1
'It took a while but everything is worth waiting for' - Supermac's open Banner Plaza
20220718_Council_Lahinch_Leisure_Opening_0014-2 tony o'brien
Frustration reaches fever pitch for ex Mayor O'Brien on failure to provide safe facilities on Clare roads
Screenshot 2025-11-07 101550
Ennis Tennis & Badminton Club raises over €6,300 for Breast Cancer Ireland
Latest News
clare v kerry oscar traynor 02-11-25 eoghan thynne 1
Thynne embraces 'different dynamic' with Oscar Traynor debut
banner plaza 07-11-25 external 1
'It took a while but everything is worth waiting for' - Supermac's open Banner Plaza
20220718_Council_Lahinch_Leisure_Opening_0014-2 tony o'brien
Frustration reaches fever pitch for ex Mayor O'Brien on failure to provide safe facilities on Clare roads
Screenshot 2025-11-07 101550
Ennis Tennis & Badminton Club raises over €6,300 for Breast Cancer Ireland
MHP Sellors LLP win National Law Firm of the Year 2025 at the Irish Law Awards
‘People should shop around for the right solicitor’ - MHP Sellors boss Stephen Keogh
Premium
St Flannan's & St Joseph's Tulla prevail in second round of Harty Cup
Former newspaper editor, GAA development manager & sports officer on Clare GAA Head of Operations shortlist
Appeals lodged over plans for housing on Shannon Shamrock site in Bunratty
Fiery Fianna Fáil AGM could be on the cards as members left 'hurt' over Presidential election
Search for Considine's successor as CEO underway but no imminent appointment announcement

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.