HOW TO GET TO HEAVEN FROM BELFAST preview
When Lisa McGee set out to write her new Netflix series HOW TO GET TO HEAVEN FROM BELFAST, she knew she was returning to familiar territory—not geographically, though Belfast certainly looms large, but thematically. The award-winning creator of DERRY GIRLS has always had a gift for excavating humor from the darkest soil, and her latest offering follows three friends reuniting for their childhood companion’s funeral, only to stumble into a mystery that spirals far beyond what any of them expected. It’s an unlikely premise for comedy, perhaps, but McGee has built her reputation on exactly this kind of tonal tightrope walk.
DERRY GIRLS found its comedic pulse against the backdrop of the Troubles in 1990s Northern Ireland, mining absurdist gold from the cultural fault lines that divided communities—who can forget the revelation that Protestants keep their toasters in cupboards, or that Catholics harbor an inexplicable devotion to statues? That show’s success lay in its ability to locate the ridiculous within the real, and HOW TO GET TO HEAVEN FROM BELFAST shares that same DNA. But where DERRY GIRLS was coming-of-age chaos, this new venture leans into something slightly more unsettling. The three friends arrive for their companion’s wake—a traditional Irish gathering where the deceased is brought home and mourners convene to talk, drink, and celebrate a life before burial or cremation—only to discover that nothing about their friend’s death is quite as straightforward as it seemed. What begins as grief soon curdles into suspicion, and before long they’re careening through an eerie adventure that takes them across Ireland and beyond.
McGee describes the show as essentially a murder mystery, though she’s quick to add the qualifier “but funny, hopefully.” It’s that hope, that refusal to let darkness have the final word, that defines her work. Starring Sinéad Keenan as Robyn, Caoilfhionn Dunne as Dara, and Róisín Gallagher as Saoirse, the series centers three women at a particular inflection point in their lives—the kind of stage where careers plateau or surge, where aging parents require care, where motherhood and ambition collide in ways no one quite prepared you for. McGee knows this terrain intimately, having drawn on her own friendships and experiences when crafting the show. She wanted to give these women one last adventure, a chance to shake off the weight of responsibility and rediscover something they’d lost along the way.
Central to everything is Belfast itself, and the dark Northern Irish sense of humor that McGee wields like a scalpel. Some of the themes are darker than what viewers might expect from the woman who gave us uniformed Catholic schoolgirls navigating bomb scares and boy bands, and the genre shift is deliberate. There’s mystery here, genuine suspense, but it’s all filtered through a lens that refuses to take itself too seriously. McGee has always understood that laughter and grief aren’t opposites but neighbors, and in HOW TO GET TO HEAVEN FROM BELFAST, they share a wall so thin you can hear one through the other. It’s a show about death, yes, but also about friendship, about the versions of ourselves we leave behind, and about what happens when the past reaches out and demands we pay attention. And if that sounds heavy, well, McGee has never been afraid of weight—she just knows how to make you laugh while you’re carrying it.
The awards season darling you`ve been hearing about is finally streaming.
Chloé Zhao`s HAMNET—the haunting exploration of grief, love, and the creation of Shakespeare`s HAMLET—brings together Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley in performances that have kept both firmly in the Oscar conversation.
If you missed it theatrically, now`s your chance to see what the buzz is about before Oscar night. This is the kind of film that reminds you why cinema matters.
More HAMNET at irishfilmtv.com.
Taylor Swift just dropped the OPALITE music video and it`s giving major Irish vibes ☘️✨
The nearly 6-minute visual sees Domhnall Gleeson starring as Taylor`s love interest, playing two lonely souls who find each other. But here`s where it gets even better: eagle-eyed Swifties spotted cameos from Cillian Murphy and Graham Norton, making this a full-on Irish affair.
Want the full breakdown of this transatlantic collaboration? Head to our blog for all the details on how this stunning video came together. Link in bio! 🔗
The creator of DERRY GIRLS just dropped a murder mystery set at an Irish wake, and honestly? It`s the genre mashup we didn`t know we needed 🕵️♀️
Lisa McGee is back with HOW TO GET TO HEAVEN FROM BELFAST on Netflix, and if you loved how she found humor in the Troubles (Protestants! Toasters! Cupboards!), you`re going to eat this up.
Three friends reunite for their childhood bestie`s funeral, only to realize her death isn`t what it seems. Cue an eerie adventure across Ireland that`s equal parts creepy and hilarious.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
British Vogue just put Jessie Buckley on their February cover and it`s not just a magazine shoot—it`s a coronation.
Shot by Jack Davison on the windswept Norfolk coast near her home, these images are pure cinema. Sky, sea, and a woman at the exact moment her entire life is about to change.
She`s the frontrunner for Best Actress. HAMNET is destroying audiences. She`s a new mother standing at the edge of the kind of fame that alters everything.
And Vogue captured it all—the grit, the greatness, the quiet mastery that got her here.
More Jessie at irishfilmtv.com.
Caitriona Balfe has just landed her next major role in THE HOUSEKEEPER.
Set in a grand historic manor against Cornwall`s dramatic landscape, Balfe plays Danni, a housekeeper who falls into a forbidden affair with none other than writer Daphne du Maurier (played by Mackenzi Laird).
While we`re counting down to OUTLANDER`s final season premiere on Mar 6th, Balfe is already proving she`s so much more than Claire Fraser. 🔥
More Caitriona at irishfilmtv.com.
After over 20 years of mesmerizing us on screen, Saoirse Ronan is ready to call the shots—literally.
The four-time Oscar nominee is making her directorial debut with PAPER PLANE, an Irish short film she`s also writing, and honestly, this feels like the natural next chapter for someone who`s been acting since she was nine years old.
Details about PAPER PLANE are still under wraps, but with Ronan`s track record, expectations are sky-high. What are you most excited to see from her behind the camera? 🎬
More Saoirse at irishfilmtv.com.
Louis Paxton`s Sundance 2026 debut THE INCOMER stars Domhnall Gleeson, Gayle Rankin, and Grant O`Rourke in a trio that`s equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking.
Think fish-out-of-water meets generational grief, wrapped in the warmth of fireside hot chocolate. Sometimes the scariest thing isn`t a legendary Fin Man—it`s letting go of the past.
Have you ever held onto something because changing felt like betrayal?
More Domhnall at irishfilmtv.com.
🎸 THE BEATLES ARE COMING BACK TO CINEMAS.
Four films. Four perspectives. One legendary band.
Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney. Harris Dickinson as John Lennon. Joseph Quinn as George Harrison. Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr.
The first look just dropped via postcards hidden around Liverpool`s performing arts campus and honestly?
The hype is REAL. 🔥
Sam Mendes is directing all four films, each told from a different Beatle`s POV, and they`re ALL releasing on the same day—April 7, 2028.
Which Beatle`s story are you most excited to see? 👇
Irish talent is absolutely dominating the 2026 BAFTA nominations! 🇮🇪✨
Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal both scored major noms for HAMNET, with Buckley up for Leading Actress as Agnes and Mescal recognized for Supporting Actor as William Shakespeare. The film has basically swept the nominations, breaking records left and right.
But that`s just the beginning. Andrew Scott landed on the longlist for BLUE MOON, Robbie Ryan got recognized for his stunning cinematography on BUGONIA, and even Cillian Murphy appears as a producer on the STEVE longlist.
From performers to cinematographers to production companies like Element Pictures and Wild Atlantic Pictures, Irish voices are everywhere in this year`s race.
The ceremony hits London on February 22nd. The world is watching Irish cinema right now, and what a moment to witness. 🎬🔥
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