ITV Buys Irish Thriller The Galway Bay Murders Starring Kate Mulgrew
ITV has bought The Galway Bay Murders, a six-part Irish thriller starring Kate Mulgrew and Colm Meaney.
The deal was revealed at MIPCOM Cannes, the annual market in France where broadcasters buy and sell programmes, according to Deadline. It gives ITV the UK rights to the upcoming series. Irish broadcaster RTÉ is also attached.
Mulgrew plays Nora Savage, an NYPD detective who travels to the west of Ireland hoping to leave a traumatic past behind her. Her plan breaks down when the body of a young woman is found in a bog. Savage is pulled into the murder inquiry alongside the local Garda team, the name for Ireland's police.
The story starts with a career break. An earlier production outline described Savage as a seasoned New York detective who steps away from the job after a traumatic event and moves back to her family home.
Meaney leads the supporting ensemble. The cast also includes John Connors, India Mullen, Cillian O'Sullivan and Jack Rowan.
The series was written by Eithne Verling, credited as a first-time writer on the project. It began with a chance meeting in Galway between Verling and Mulgrew, which turned into a conversation about making a show together.
The Galway Bay Murders was previously called The Yank. Filming took place in Connemara under that title, with Mulgrew already confirmed as Savage. It is directed by Joe Lawlor and Christine Molloy.
Behind the camera, the producers are Two Cities Television, Keeper Pictures and AS I AM Productions. Two Cities Television is the company behind the development. ITV Studios is handling international distribution, meaning it sells the series to broadcasters outside the UK and Ireland.
The acquisition sits with Darren Nartey, ITV's Head of Content Acquisitions.
For viewers, this means one clear path to screen. Audiences in Ireland will get the series through RTÉ, while ITV will carry it in the UK after it completes production.
