Film, TV, games - you don’t need to go far to find entertainment with an Irish flavor nothing more so than the smash-hit series from BBC and Hulu, Normal People,
Over the years there have been a lot of great things that have come from Ireland, including everything from Guinness to Riverdance. There are also many Irish film and TV stars too such as Saoirse Ronan, Cillian Murphy, Brendan Gleeson, and Liam Neeson.
In recent years Ireland has served as inspiration for everything from movies to games. So whether you want to watch titles like Bad Day For The Cut or The Young Offenders on Netflix, or play jackpot slot games at Slot Boss like Irish Riches or Wish Upon A Leprechaun, you don’t need to go far to find entertainment with an Irish flavor.
This year, one of the most popular Irish drama television series has been Normal People. The story is an adaptation of Sally Rooney's popular book of the same name, about two characters whose lives intertwine together. It’s been one of the hottest and most talked-about shows over the past few months, and people just can’t stop talking about it.
Whether you have just binge-watched all twelve episodes on BBC iPlayer, or you are a big fan of the novel, here are just a few interesting things that you might not know about this Irish TV show.
It’s not Paul Mescal’s first leading role
Yes, Normal People might be Paul Mescal’s first leading role for a television series, but he has also had big parts previously in the theatre too. While he is relatively new to TV screens, Paul started his acting career in the theatre, starring in many productions since 2013. He’s starred in Miss Saigon, The Red Shoes, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and more. In 2017, Paul starred as Jay Gatsby in a production of The Great Gatsby at the Gate Theatre in Dublin.
Sally Rooney also studied at Trinity College
In the TV show, both Connell and Marianne attend Trinity College to study. Marianne chooses to study History & Politics, whereas Connell decides to study English. Many students from the college also featured in scenes while the crew filmed at the university.
Sally Rooney, who is the author of Normal People, also attended the college when she was younger and also studied English. Just like her two main characters, Sally was also elected as a scholar of Trinity College.
The hometown of Marianne & Connell is fictional
True to its background, the TV show is set in locations such as County Sligo and Dublin. However, the hometown, Carricklea, of the two main characters is fictional. Instead, locations such as Tubbercurry, Enniskerry, and Clonsilla, were used for filming.
Some of the beach scenes where the two characters visit were filmed at Streedagh Point that’s along Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way. If you're thinking about visiting Ireland soon, or perhaps you want to visit these locations yourself, here are some useful things to know before going to Ireland.
Connell Waldron's chain has its own Instagram account
After the TV show aired earlier this year on the BBC, many people became obsessed with the story and about the two characters. Both Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones have experienced great praise for their roles.
A third, and completely unexpected, star of the film that fans couldn’t stop talking about was Connell’s neckchain that the character wears in the show. Many fans have been talking about the chain and it’s gained that much popularity that it now has its own Instagram account! @connellschain currently has over 187k followers and people can’t get enough of it.
Paul and Connell are not very different
It is not always easy to pull a character if it is far from what you are in real life. This was not the case with Paul, who plays Connell. He is not very different from his character, considering that he also played Gaelic football during his school days before going to Trinity College.
Paul was a member of the Maynooth club and was also an under-21 Gaelic footballer for Kildare. Unlike Connell, Paul didn’t study English at Trinity in real life but he did attend the college to study acting at The Lir Academy.
