Marian Keyes fans gather around because Ireland’s most successful author is getting a screen adaptation.
Last year, RTÉ confirmed that they are producing a new series entitled The Walsh Sisters, a new six-part drama series based on celebrated Irish author Marian Keyes’ best-selling novels about a chaotic, dysfunctional but deeply loveable family of five sisters, a devout mother and a bemused father.
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 Derry Girls star Louisa Harland 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.
Netflix star 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).
RTÉ has shared the first look at the show with a sister-tastic picture. How cute!
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.”
We can’t wait to watch!
