RTÉ, in association with the BBC, Screen Ireland and Cineflix Rights has revealed a first look photo of the cast of the eagerly anticipated comedy drama series The Walsh Sisters. Based on the novels by best-selling author Marian Keyes, the new series will air on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player this autumn. 

Part based on the blockbuster novels Rachel’s Holiday and Anybody Out There, the six-part series follows the lives of sisters Anna, Rachel, Maggie, Claire and Helen as they navigate the peaks and troughs of their late 20s and 30s. This is a sisterhood full of in-jokes, hand-me-down resentments and more than a few old wounds. However, their DNA, history and shared love of power ballads keep the Walsh sisters together in the face of heartbreak, grief, addiction and parenthood.

Headlining the cast are Louisa Harland (Derry Girls, Renegade Nell, Love/Hate) as the troubled Anna Walsh and rising talent Caroline Menton (Oddity) taking on the role of one of Marian’s most loved characters, sister Rachel. Danielle Galligan (House of Guinness, Spilt Milk, Shadow and Bone) plays eldest sister Claire and BAFTA-nominated Máiréad Tyers (Extraordinary, My Lady Jane, Belfast) plays Helen. The final Walsh sister, Maggie, is played by stage, screen and screenwriting talent Stefanie Preissner (Solpadeine is My Boyfriend, Can’t Cope, Won’t Cope, How to Adult).

Marian Keyes said: "It's impossible to overstate how thrilled I am with this production. Stefanie Preissner's scripts alchemised the vibe of my novels into a new and compelling thing. Individually and collectively the five young women playing the sisters astonished me. Their warm, bickery engagement feels just like a family. The rest of the cast is equally tremendous, and Mammy and Daddy Walsh are beautiful together. These amazing people have captured the spirit of my books, and they're transformed into something new and exciting. Visiting the set was always a thrill, the director and crew had a definite vision, and their commitment and hard work was clear. There's a lot that's very funny and warm but some of the scenes are dark and deeply moving. This probably sounds like a strange thing to say but even if I wasn't involved in this, I'd be dying to see it. I'm so grateful to all the individuals who worked so hard to make this beautiful series and I'm very excited for the world to see the finished product.” 

Aidan Quinn (This is my Father, Legends of the Fall, Song for a Raggy Boy) stars as Jack ‘Daddy’ Walsh alongside his screen wife Carrie Crowley (An Cailín Ciúin, Hope Street, Smother) as eccentric Mammy.  Jay Duffy (Wheel of Time, Northern Lights) who will play Rachel’s complicated love interest Luke Costello. Samuel Anderson (Amandaland, Landscapers) will also feature as Aidan - Anna’s love interest, and Debi Mazar (Kaos, Younger, Entourage) will play the part of Chaquie.

The Walsh Sisters is adapted from Marian Keyes’ novels by Stefanie Preissner, directed by Ian Fitzgibbon (Hullraisers, Moone Boy), the producer is Patrick O’Donoghue (The Tourist, Brooklyn, The Wonder), with Kefi Chadwick (Rivals, Death in Paradise) as additional writer. It is produced by Cuba Pictures and Metropolitan Pictures for RTÉ in association with the BBC, Screen Ireland and Cineflix Rights.

The executive producers of The Walsh Sisters are Dixie Linder and Nick Marston for Cuba Pictures, David McLoughlin for Metropolitan Pictures, David Crean and Dermot Horan for RTÉ, James Durie and Tom Misselbrook for Cineflix Rights, Stefanie Preissner, Marian Keyes, and Tony Baines. Kate McColgan is the executive producer for Screen Ireland. Cineflix Rights is the exclusive worldwide distributor.

For More Information:
Éadaoin Nic Giolla Chomhaill, RTÉ Communications Lead