The South Westerlies season one is an Acorn TV Original drama starring Mistresses star Orla Brady and Sleeping with the Enemy's Patrick Bergin, coming soon to Drama.
Here’s everything you need to know…
The South Westerlies season 1 release date
The South Westerlies lands on Drama on Saturday, February 10, 2024 at 8 pm and new episodes will air weekly. It is also on UKTV Play and Acorn TV.
It is also available to watch internationally on Apple TV Plus.
The South Westerlies season one premise
When single-mother Kate Ryan breezes into a small Irish coastal town with her teenage son Conor she appears to be just another holiday maker enjoying a summer break in the breathtaking West Cork setting. Yet there’s much more to her than meets the eye!
As The South Westerlies gets underway, it’s revealed that Kate (Mistresses star Orla Brady) is a plant, sent by her Norwegian employer, NorskVentus.
Kate’s mission during the six-parter is to harness her local knowledge and persuade the community to accept the corporation’s plans for a wind farm in exchange for a lucrative promotion.
But there’s a reason she hasn’t been back to fictional Carrigeen for 15 years and, as Kate gets reacquainted with the people she’s shunned, her past threatens to blow up her future!
Who’s who — cast and characters
Orla Brady — Kate Ryan
A go-getting career woman and single mum, Kate’s worked hard to keep her private life private and bring up her son, Conor, on her own.
When her employers convince her to return to Carrigeen in order to secure a promotion, she has no idea how much her life - and everyone else's - is going to change…
Orla Brady has starred in Mistresses, Eternal Law, Banished, Into the Badlands and Star Trek: Picard.
Sam Barrett — Conor Ryan
Good humoured and grounded teenager Conor is looking forward to starting university in London in the near future, so he’s more than happy to spend the Summer undercover with his Mammy - especially when he connects with surfer, Poppy.
Will his life be driven off course when he finds out who his father is?
Sam Barrett has starred in The Happy Prince, EastEnders and Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One.
Patrick Bergin — Michael Kelleher
Michael ‘Big Mike’ Kelleher is very proud of the fact he has all his own hair and the energy of a man half his age. Married to Noreen and father to Callum, when he’s not running the Haven Bar, he’s enjoying his ‘big fish/small pond’ status as a local Councillor. Something that’s made him a few enemies…
Patrick Bergin has starred in Taffin, Sleeping with the Enemy, Robin Hood, Patriot Games, Ella Enchanted, Red Rock and EastEnders.
Ger Ryan — Noreen Kelleher
Noreen gives Kate and Conor a warm welcome when they arrive at her home and business, The Haven Guest House. Married to Big Mike and mum to local radio DJ and public personality Callum (Kevin Ryan, Harry Wild), she often finds herself in the middle of the warring father and son.
Will Kate’s arrival cause chaos for the Kellehers?
Ger Ryan has starred in The Commitments, Family, Amongst Women, Queer as Folk, Intermission, The Street and Three Families.
Eileen Walsh — Breege Muller
Kate’s best friend from a former life, Breege now runs a successful local cafe with her husband Stefan (Julian M. Deuster, Masters of the Air). She’s deeply hurt when Kate returns, and quickly puts two and two together and figures out who Conor’s father is!
Kate’s worried that Breege will spill the beans, but the Carrigeen local has troubles of her own - her business may be thriving but her marriage is another matter…
Eileen Walsh has starred in The Magdalene Sisters, Pure Mule, Patrick Melrose, Catastrophe and Small Things Like These.
Steve Wall — Finbar 'Baz' Crowley
Recently returned to Carriggeen after two decades in Maui, happy go lucky surfer Baz is delighted to bump into his ex-girlfriend Kate. She is less keen to see him, for reasons which quickly become apparent to Breege. Can Kate get the job done and out of Cork before her secrets and lies come to light and blow up the lives of those she loves? Of course not, sure where’s the fun in that?
Steve Wall has starred in Silent Witness, Moone Boy, Vikings, Raised by Wolves, Rig 45, The English and Dune: Part Two.
Sorcha Cusack — Geraldine ‘Goldie’ Ryan
Kate’s mother and Conor’s grandmother Goldie rocks up to Carrigeen with a hidden agenda and chaos-causing tactics all of her own. Like mother, like daughter!
Sorcha Cusack has starred in Inspector Morse, Casualty, Snatch, Coronation Street, Pete Versus Life, River, This Way Up, A Discovery of Witches, Father Brown and Murdoch Mysteries.
The South Westerlies also stars Kyrre Haugen Sydness (Lilyhammer), Amalie Krogh (Neste sommer), Ingar Helge Gimle (Acquitted), Stephen Lord (Penny Dreadful), Lily Nichol (Lockwood & Co.) and Caoimhe O'Malley (Clean Sweep).
The South Westerlies season one — episode guide
The South Westerlies — episode 1
Little White Lie
Environmental consultant and single mother Kate Ryan is tasked by her energy company boss to return to her Summer hometown of Carrigeen in Ireland to quell opposition to their offshore wind farm plans. But not only is she there under the cover of a family holiday, with her teenage son in tow, but it soon turns out there’s a reason why she hasn’t been back for 15 years – namely surfer ex boyfriend Baz!
The South Westerlies — episode 2
No Word of a Lie
Kate continues her undercover mission, discreetly pushing NorskVentus’ 20% community dividend. A guest-slot on Callum’s radio show helps push her agenda and Kate promises to attend the Town Hall meeting to weigh-in on the pro-wind side.
However, when Breege unexpectedly arrives to the guesthouse with a bottle of wine and reveals that her marriage is in serious trouble, Kate doesn’t have the heart to leave her friend. She eventually makes it to the Town Hall for the final vote, a landslide against the wind farm. Meanwhile, a delighted Conor reveals that he’s agreed to work for Baz Crowley in his surf school in return for lessons.
Like father like son, wha'?
The South Westerlies — episode 3
Surf's Up
Kate pursues the town’s chief wind-farm objector and gallery-owner Teddy Lawson. She’s not convinced that his objections the they will spoil the beauty of the natural vistas are the full story...
Elsewhere, Breege has discovered that husband Stefan has cancelled a scheduled meeting with their social worker, but holds in her annoyance and reassures him that they’ll make great foster-parents.
Meanwhile, there's more drama for Kate! The unwelcome arrival of NorskVentus boss Sigrid Andersen takes a backseat when she arrives at the beach and sees Baz trying to resuscitate an unconscious Conor. Sobbing, she implores Baz to save him because "he’s your son!"
The South Westerlies — episode 4
Out in the Open
Kate’s mother Goldie arrives to Carrigeen and pushes her reluctant daughter to come clean about Baz being Conor’s biological father. Kate’s also under pressure from Baz as he threatens to tell Conor if she doesn’t step-up.
With all this going on, it's only natural that Kate drops the ball on her wind-farm mission, so she's grateful when Callum informs her about an anonymous email he received concerning an oil pipeline earmarked to come ashore at Carrigeen.
If the battleground shifts to Oil Vs Wind, the town will definitely move behind the wind farm, which is good news for Kate's bosses. But the double-agent's good mood is short-lived when her procrastination over telling Conor the truth comes to an unfortunate resolution as Conor makes his own discovery that Baz is his father.
The South Westerlies — episode 5
Home Truths
Teddy’s suspicions grow over Kate’s true purpose in Carrigeen. Meanwhile, Callum delivers an on-air newsflash about the oil pipeline planned for Carrigeen — he has it on good authority that Teddy Lawson is behind it. Unfortunately for Callum, his fact- checking was thin to say the least and Teddy threatens a hefty defamation suit. And people think small towns are are quiet places!
Elsewhere, Kate desperately tries to re-build her relationship with an unforgiving Conor, while Baz advises that she 'give him space'. The town’s end-of-summer BBQ culminates a series of shock revelations as a drunken Callum denounces his father as the real oil baron behind the pipeline, followed by Noreen publicly accusing Kate of working for NorskVentus.
The South Westerlies — episode 6
Windswept
In the season one finale Baz escorts Kate back to his chalet where his comforting embrace turns into something more!
Elsewhere, Breege is told that she and her husband Stefan have made it onto the fostering panel. With mixed emotions she puts pressure on Stefan to agree to keep up appearances, believing it’s the least he can do for her...
Meanwhile, Conor makes a big decision that leaves Kate reeling — the teenager has decided to stay in Carrigeen with Baz. This lights a fire under Kate, who seeks out Sigrid and threatens to blow the whistle on NorskVentus’ fake pipeline deal with Big Mike. Sigrid counters that Kate will never work in the industry again unless she stays and sees the wind farm through to completion...
The South Westerlies - exclusive interview with Orla Brady
When The South Westerlies debuted on Acorn TV in 2020, we caught up with talented actor Orla Brady for an exclusive interview to learn more about her starring role as a mum keeping secrets and filming this homegrown drama in Ireland…
What’s your take on Kate’s undercover predicament?
“Writer Catherine Maher wanted to tell a story about a woman in middle-age who is forced by circumstance to go back to a set of people and situations - and one central situation in particular - that she has avoided! In the beginning Kate characterises what she’s doing in Carrigeen as a white lie. The trouble is, once you tell a lie how do you undo it?”
How does Kate’s reappearance impact her former friend Breege Mullen, played by Catastrophe star Eileen Walsh?
“This is the central relationship of The South Westerlies and one of the reasons I wanted to do it. As you move through different ages and life circumstances together, those non-romantic relationships are family. I don't think I could live my life and be happy if I didn’t have close women friends. Something has happened and things have gone wrong but they still clearly have a bond and a connection.”
Breege works out pretty quickly that Kate’s ex-boyfriend, carefree surfer Baz Crowley is Conor’s father. Is he in for a shock?
“This information and situation is a very unusual piece of life news for Baz to have to cope with, as Conor is just becoming a young man himself!”
What other colourful characters should we look out for?
“Ger Ryan as Noreen Kelleher, the owner of The Haven Guest House [where Kate and Conor stay], takes Kate under her wing. Ger’s paired beautifully with Patrick Bergin, who plays her husband, Big Mike. On screen they create a lovely marriage where Noreen forgives him a lot!
“In real life Patrick is the opposite to his Sleeping With the Enemy character [he portrayed an infamously controlling husband in the 1991 thriller with Julia Roberts]. He’s like a big hilarious teddy bear on set, singing and bringing in cakes! There are also hilarious flirty scenes with him and Sorcha Cusack, who stars as Kate’s mother, Goldie.”
The setting is beautiful, where was it filmed?
“Much to the chagrin of Cork people it was filmed in Wicklow! We have lovely drone sequences where you see the true Cork coastline, however the bulk of our scenes were done in Wicklow town. They were very nice to us - it’s a bustling place but they stopped traffic when we were filming and no one ever got cross!”
What do you think makes this series special?
“When I was offered it I thought it was unusual as I usually get offered heavier fare. But I wanted to do it because it’s lighter and breezier. It’s pertinent and topical, because this pretty village is a microcosm of a place of unspoilt beauty that relies on tourism, but with a responsibility to future generations. It’s a burning question! Then, on the more personal front, there isn’t a person alive that doesn’t have regrets in some part of their life and I found that story of someone going back and possibly making things right intriguing… It’s a story of redemption.”
Is there a trailer for The South Westerlies season 1?
There is! It sets the scene, introduces the characters and contains a nice wee nod to Liam Neeson's Taken
