Blackshore is a new drama beginning this Sunday on RTÉ One. John Byrne went on a set visit to get the lowdown on the show from its lead actor, Lisa Dwan.
I can think of worse places to spend a day than the Lakeside Hotel in Killaloe.
The hotel - which also encompasses a leisure centre - sits on the banks of the River Shannon with great views of Ballina in Tipperary and Killaloe in Clare. The picturesque setting is pretty much the essence of tranquillity.
This is the perfect place to set Blackshore, a new drama from the people behind Smothered, about a missing person, with an investigating detective bruised by a traumatic past, in a pretty town with dark secrets.
The hotel acts as a bit of a base for the crew and cast as well as part of the Blackshore scenery and backdrop. It's fun differentiating between genuine hotel signs and ones for the show.
It’s also fun meeting members of the cast. Top billing, naturally, goes to Lisa Dwan, as she plays Blackshore’s central character, Detective Inspector Fia Lucey.
More from her in a mo. First, a bit of Blackshore background.
This six-parter follows Lucey, a laser-focused, ambitious detective who is haunted by her tragic personal history. Twenty years earlier, in her native Blackwater, her entire family was wiped out in a murder-suicide at the hands of her father.
It was a tragedy that led Fia to escape from her home town on the very day she completed school. She couldn’t get away quickly enough and relocated to Dublin, with her past firmly filed away.
But after a series of "undue force" allegations, Fia is removed from her position in the Irish capital and dispatched to a rural destination that’s uncomfortably close to the place she thought she'd left behind.
While there, she is charged with investigating a missing person case: a woman named Roisin from Blackwater has disappeared in mysterious circumstances.
The case brings a reluctant Fia face to face with her traumatic past and back into the fold of a community that is still processing the unwelcome attention that her family’s case brought to the town - and it’s a town that remains immersed in its secrets and lies.
No longer a backwater, Blackwater is now prosperous, thanks to the success of the local whiskey distillery that has gained international brand recognition and renown.
As such, many of the invested partners in the town are not keen on Fia’s determination to uncover the ugly truth under Blackwater’s veneer.
But Fia is on a mission to prove herself to the town. And maybe to her own self as well.
As the investigation ramps up, Fia finds that she's up against some of the most prominent and powerful personalities in Blackwater. She faces challenges on many fronts.
And while she struggles to maintain professional objectivity, she comes to discover that the case may lead her back to her most personal and intimate family history.
Lisa Dwan on her Blackshore experience
"I was asked to audition and put myself on tape. I did it very quickly. The minute I read the script, I turned to my partner and said, 'This is one of the best scripts I’ve ever read.’ Unbelievable. And he had a quick glance at it and said, ‘This is you!’
"Then I had another interview with [Blackshore director] Daithí [Keane] and the producers on Zoom, and that was it.
"I’ve played leads before, but the nature of the way this has been written means I’m in nearly every scene. That’s interesting, to be shooting six episodes all at once and be in nearly every scene. There’s not much downtime. Of an evening there’s a lot of lines to learn.
"Fia's most like the type of theatre roles that I've chased. She’s so multi-faceted. She’s so surprising. She’s so strong and enigmatic and interesting, clever and vulnerable.
"It’s also my first big TV role. I’ve done theatre, but it's also a TV role as a first-time mum. And that’s a juggle as well.
"And it's also exciting to think that roles like this are out there and being created and nourished by RTÉ and the BBC, being sought and developed. They’re interesting times.
"It really is nice to be back and filming in Ireland. It's amazing, actually. The whole project. I just thank my lucky stars for the role. And I really love the crew and all the cast.
Who's who in Blackshore
DI FIA LUCEY (Lisa Dwan)
DI Fia Lucey is the central character and the beating heart of Blackshore.
As a police detective she is driven, ruthless, laser-focused; but she is also haunted by her past and the death of her family in a tragic murder-suicide.
Suffering from survivor's guilt, she is divorced from the love of her life because of an inability to commit.
Her return to Blackwater forces her to confront the secrets of her home town and to face her own traumatic past.
DI CIAN FURLONG (Rory Keenan)
Cian Furlong is Fia Lucey’s detective partner in Blackwater.
Cian’s apparent easy-going lack of drive in his career is initially challenging for Fia but she comes to understand that still waters run deep - and Cian is struggling with his hidden troubles.
A crumbling marriage and a compromised past mean that Cian has his own mask to wear.
But as trust grows between the two partners, he begins to step up as both a Guard and a person.
BILL McGUIRE (Stanley Townsend)
Bill is a rich, successful and powerful businessman in the town.
When Blackwater was on its knees 20 years ago, he revived it with a major international investment into his whiskey distillery.
He’s not happy about the fact that Fia’s presence and the investigation into Roisin’s disappearance are bringing bad press to the town - as far as he’s concerned, it's bad for business and for the town in general.
DONAL RILEY (Andrew Bennett)
Donal is a retired police officer and is married to Fia’s aunt. He was best friends with Fia’s father, and he and his wife Sandra raised Fia after her family’s tragedy.
Not only this, but Donal served as Fia’s mentor in the early years of her detective career and he remains her go-to person when she needs advice.
NIAMH FURLONG (Amy De Bhrún)
Niamh is married to DI Cian Furlong.
She is also Bill McGuire’s right-hand woman and is driven and ambitious in her career, unlike her Garda husband who she is struggling to relate to anymore.
With her marriage under pressure and her career compromised by Cian’s involvement in the Roisin Hurley case, Niamh must decide which is more important to her: her marriage or career.
DONNA WALSH (Jade Jordan)
Donna is the receptionist at the hotel that Roisin owned before her disappearance.
A single mother from a criminal family, she has a natural distrust of the police.
Her father Larry and brothers are all criminals involved in drugs.
Throughout the investigation, Fia and Donna get to know each other and form a relationship that blows hot and cold due to Fia’s inability to love and commit.
CHARLIE REID (Aidan McArdle)
Charlie is a successful chef and owner of a prestigious restaurant in Blackwater.
He was good friends with Roisin and remains pals with Billy McGuire.
Charlie is the person who initially raises the alarm when Roisin goes missing - but as Fia digs further into the case, she comes to realise that his concern may have a more self-interested motive.
Blackshore, 9.35pm, Sunday, RTÉ One and RTÉ Player
