‘There's a web of deceit'

Dervla Kirwan on playing a manipulative matriarch in a slick new thriller

- ELAINE REILLY

SMOTHER

NEW MON & TUE / ALIBI / 9PM / EPS 1-2 of 6 / DRAMA

A mysterious death, long-buried secrets and a manipulative mother who is determined to protect her family at any cost are the heady mix of ingredients for Irish noir thriller Smother, which arrives on Alibi this week.

Set on the wild west coast of County Clare, the intriguing six-parter sees Dervla Kirwan (Ballykissangel, Strangers) play devoted mum Val Ahern, whose husband, Denis (The Fall’s Stuart Graham), is found dead at the foot of a cliff on the morning after her 50th birthday party, where he’d announced they were divorcing and she’d be moving in with her lover!

Determined to find out what happened to Denis, Val decides to examine her spouse’s relationships with his kids, stepchildren and extended family, and soon motives for murder start to emerge.

Here, Dervla, 49, tells us more…

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