Kate Mulgrew and Colm Meaney to star in new six-part crime thriller The Yank set on the west coast of Ireland.
Filming of the RTÉ drama has already begun in Conamara, Galway.
Kate Mulgrew (Star Trek: Voyager, Orange is the New Black) takes on the leading role of Lieutenant Nora Savage in the series.
Starring alongside Mulgrew are Colm Meaney (Gangs of London, Star Trek: The Next Generation), John Connors (The Gentlemen, Irish Blood), India Mullen (Normal People, Under Salt Marsh), Cillian O’Sullivan (Daredevil: Born Again, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds), and Jack Rowan (A Town Called Malice, Wreck).
The Yank is writer Eithne Verling’s first television drama script and was created specifically for Mulgrew after the pair had a chance meeting in Galway while the actor was on holiday.
The series is set in the west coast of Ireland and sees seasoned NYPD detective Nora Savage take a career break from the NYPD following a traumatic event and moving to her family home. Expecting a change of pace, Nora is unexpectedly pulled into a murder investigation involving a female climate activist. As she goes head-to-head with a ruthless environmental magnate, putting those closest to her at risk, she is forced to confront her personal demons head on. As the investigation builds to a tense and savage climax, it pushes Nora and the squad into a thrilling hunt for the killer.
Kate Mulgrew. (Courtesy of RTÉ)
Writer Eithne Verling said: “Writing, for me, is the easiest way I can think of to manage the parade of thoughts that pass through my head. The Yank deals with some of the bigger thoughts, which I have set in a story about a woman’s attempt to find meaning in the world following a deep personal trauma. I wrote The Yank for Kate, who I met a number of years ago. Our meeting felt like it had been pre-ordained, a friendship both instant and familiar.”
Kate Mulgrew said: “The Yank was borne out of my love for Ireland, and the luck and perspicacity I have enjoyed when it came to knowing who will matter to me both emotionally and creatively. That person is Eithne Verling, and the character we contrived is Nora Savage – a woman very like myself, had I been slashed with grief, blessed with raw courage and born a natural hunter of that which destroys. The Yank is the intriguing and unexpected story of a woman who has nothing to lose, and her obsessive attraction to what lies beneath.”
The world of Conamara is the backdrop for The Yank with its solitude, stillness, scale and beauty a central character. The Irish language, heritage monuments, the coast and culture are part of that and add texture and depth to this story. With themes of power play, control, fanaticism and deception, the drama also explores Traveller culture, a story that was important for Verling to highlight as part of her work with Galway City Museum for the past 12 years.
The series is directed by Joe Lawler and Christine Molloy (Baltimore, Kin), with James Mather (These Sacred Vows, Kin) as the Director of Photography.
Colm Meaney. (Courtesy of RTÉ)
The Yank is a co-production between Two Cities Television, Keeper Pictures, and AS I AM Productions, commissioned by RTÉ Head of Drama, David Crean. Executive producers for RTÉ are David Crean and Dermot Horan (Director of Acquisitions and Co-productions). Executive Producer for Screen Ireland is Kate McColgan.
The Yank is produced for RTÉ in association with Fís Eireann/Screen Ireland, Coimisiún na Meán, uFund, and ITV Studios, who are the global distributor for the series outside of the Republic of Ireland.
David Crean, RTÉ Head of Drama said: “We are so excited to be in production with The Yank and to add another new title to what has been RTÉ's biggest year for original Irish drama, with over 142 hours of high quality, homegrown storytelling delivered last year, with more to come in '26.
"Congratulations to Eithne Verling for creating and writing a brilliant set of scripts, and to the team at Two Cities and Keeper for putting a fantastic cast and crew together. Good to welcome back directors Joe Lawler and Christine Molloy after their amazing job on KIN. This is the very best of Irish talent and it’s great to showcase it to audiences in Ireland and internationally who love Irish drama.”
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