Is Galway Bay Murders a true story? Plot and reviews for new RTE show

RTE’s newest crime drama series hits our screens on Sunday night and it is one of the most anticipated shows since Love/Hate or Kin captured the Irish viewers’ attentions so heavily.

The reputation of Galway Bay Murders - which was originally called ‘The Yank’ and contains a host of stars including Colm Meaney, Kate Mulgrew and John Connors - has already preceded itself with ITV buying the rights before a trailer had even dropped.

It follows a veteran New York Police Department detective Nora Savage (Mulgrew) whose west of Ireland career break is cut short when she is called on to investigate a local murder with gardai.

Any hopes of the detective escaping her traumatic American past is dashed when the body of a young woman is discovered in a bog.

While the storyline itself is not based on any specific event, it is understood that it takes information from various murder cases that have been investigated by An Garda Siochana in the last 40 years.

John Connors has a simple requirement for a job, even when his co-star is someone he considers an acting legend – it has to be fun. “Look, I’m a blackguard,” he said. “I don’t go and do this to just be serious all the time.”

Working with Kate Mulgrew on the Galway Bay Murders, he found someone who could match his humour. He admired her professionalism and work ethic, but her openness helped them settle into an unusually close working relationship.

“I think in a way we were kind of meant to be as actors working together,” he said.

Speaking at the drama’s recent advance screening at Pálás in Galway, Connors struggled to recall another experience quite like it.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever had that connection with somebody on set, that close of a connection, where we kind of knew each other straight away, and we were really comfortable with each other straight away.”

Within a week, their conversations had gone well beyond getting acquainted.

“We knew a lot about each other,” he said. “She knew a lot more about me than I knew about her.”

Mulgrew, he explained, is exceptionally inquisitive. “She’s like a journalist,” he said.

Even a leaf on the ground could set her wondering. Connors imitated the kind of question she might ask: “Oh, look at that leaf over there. When did that fall from the tree?’

“That’s why she’s such a great actor, because she has that curiosity,” he said.

The series grew from Galway writer Eithne Verling’s friendship with Mulgrew. They met at a dinner in Oughterard when the actress was visiting Galway to work on her memoir. Verling went on to develop the drama for her.

Connors was particularly impressed by the care Verling brought to the Traveller characters. Asked about her wish to include those lives without making the drama solely a Traveller story, he replied: “It’s just a human story.”

He was equally enthusiastic about seeing the work reach the screen. Acting jobs do not always turn out as hoped, he said, but this one had.

“I loved it, absolutely loved it,” he said. “Episode one is rocking.”

Galway had clearly won Connors over, too. “The city of Galway, for the craic, pound for pound, is the best city in Ireland,” he said. He described Connemara’s beauty as ‘really unrivalled’, adding: “I’d live here in a heartbeat.”

For Mulgrew, watching Verling adapt to the demands of television had been a particular source of pride.

“I was astounded by her understanding of the craft, her ability and willingness to adapt herself to the format of procedural television, which, trust me, is very, very hard to do.”

Verling had brought depth to the drama through its characters, she said: “She elevated it with the character dimensions.”

Mulgrew’s affection for the production extended to those who helped bring it to life.

“I just felt like I was surrounded by love,” she said. “The cast was terrific, the crew was exemplary.”

Asked what she wanted audiences to take from the series, her answer was personal.

“This is a story of friendship and love brought to a dramatic level,” she said. “And if I don’t do anything else in my life but this, I will have achieved a dream.”

The Galway Bay Murders begins this Sunday at 9.30pm on RTÉ1.