A New Period Drama Starring Jamie Dornan Starts On RTE Tonight, Just So You Know

Did YOU know that a new period drama starring Jamie Dornan is starting on RTE tonight? Well now you do.

Death And Nightingales is a three-part series from RTE and the BBC, and if the Dornan casting didn’t already draw you in, here’s the full lowdown.

What’s it about?

Death and Nightingales is based on the 1992 novel of the same name by Irish author Eugene McCabe, and set in the countryside of Co Fermanagh in 1883. The story follows Beth Winters, the stepdaughter of the local Protestant landowner, after she decides to run away with her Catholic lover, Liam Ward. The description alone is ticking all our boxes, TBH.

The series was developed by Allan Cubitt, who previously created The Fall – he describes it as both a “revenge tragedy” and a love story that occurs “across a religious and class divide”. The tale plays out against the backdrop of the Fenian dynamite campaign, orchestrated by Irish Republicans against the British Empire between 1881 and 1885.

Who’s in it?

Jamie, of course, and lovers of Dornan facial hair will be delighted to see he has a fine beard. Red Rock actress Ann Skelly plays Beth, and Matthew Rhys, who you might recognise from The Americans, is her domineering stepfather.

When’s it on?

The first episode airs tonight on RTE One at 9.35pm, with the BBC following on Wednesday. We’ve already made a date with the couch for the next three Monday nights.

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