Search icon

Movies & TV

04th Apr 2019

Derry Girls star says MPs should be shown episodes in Westminster to educate them about peace

Paul Moore

Sister Michael

Sister Michael defending the Good Friday Agreement. Brilliantly said.

Derry Girls may be a show that’s set during The Troubles but it has never been exclusively about them.

It’s testament to Lisa McGee’s wonderful comedy that over the course of two seasons, the laughs have never stopped but they’ve frequently been supported by moments of real pathos and importance.

While moments like the debate about the differences between Catholics and Protestants, Michelle setting fire to a room via flaming shots of sambuca, and Uncle Colm, well, being Uncle Colm have all made us laugh, it’s the more dramatic moments that have really moved fans of the show.

The show is undoubtedly one of the finest comedies in years but the dramatic elements have been so deftly woven into the fabric of the show that it’s very hard to spot them.

As Erin said in the very first scene, “I come from a place called Derry, or Londonderry, depending on your persuasion – a troubled little corner in the north-west of Ireland” but McGee’s talent is making the massive issue of The Troubles seem very intimate and personal.

For example, a bomb scare that closed the Foyle bridge meant that Aunt Sarah was raging about missing her nail appointment. Elsewhere, the severity of British troops inspecting a school bus is instantly negated by Michelle saying “Do you think if I told him I’d an incendiary device down my knickers, he’d have a look?”.

Like so many people in Ireland, humour in Derry Girls is used as way to ‘just get by’ and deal with the serious issues but as we’ve frequently seen, Lisa McGee is skilled at balancing the funny moments with those that are far more serious.

The stunning finale to Season 1 was one of the TV moments of 2018 and the most recent episode brilliantly reinforced the need to protect the Good Friday Agreement in this uncertain environment of Brexit.

As we saw in the episode, the announcement of the IRA ceasefire in ’94 and the prospect of peace in Northern Ireland was greeted with joy on the streets.

After the episode aired, McGee dedicated the episode to John Hume and his tireless work for peace, something that Siobhan McSweeney (Sister Michael) reinforced during a recent appearance on The Six O’Clock Show.

For many people, Derry Girls is a history lesson that some MPs that are ignorant of The Troubles and Anglo-Irish relations desperately need.

“It should totally been shown in Westminster,” said McSweeney.

“For some people I think to remind them and for the majority of people, unfortunately, to actually show them for the first time because I think their knowledge of what happened in the north during the 90s and what happened before that is woefully inadequate,” she added.

In many ways, Derry Girls is incredibly topical and that’s something that the world’s most beloved nun agrees with.

“It’s quite extraordinary how it sort of had this perfect timing. It’s a lovely reminder of that time, what was at risk, and how hard peace was fought for. As usual, in the Irish way, if we’re going to deal with serious subjects, do it through laughter, smiles and a big heart”.

Plenty of people agree.

LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Conor Sketches | Tiger Woods loves Ger Loughnane and cosplaying as Charles LeClerc