A CREEPY new drama airs this weekend on RTE with large swathes of Donegal’s sweeping landscape used to chilling effect.
Filmmakers turned to Inishowen for shoot supernatural TV show The Unreal, following in the footsteps of Hollywood moguls who filmed a blockbuster Star Wars movie in 2015.
Locations for The Unreal included Malin Head, Five Finger Strand, Culdaff, Bunagee Pier and Lisnagra Woods.
Donegal actor Frankie McCafferty, who has starred in Blue Lights and In the Name of the Father, plays local poet Dáithí O’Faoláin in the drama.
Members of the Inishowen Traditional Music Orchestra, the Moville Mummers, and the Carndonagh Community School Drama Group also all appear in the series.
Creepy new drama The Unreal airs this weekend on RTE with large swathes of Donegal’s sweeping landscape used to chilling effect.
A spokesperson for RTE said: “The Unreal is a creepy, family-friendly folk horror, and is one to watch this mid-term.
“Frankie McCafferty has been an actor in film, theatre, TV and radio for more than
30 years.
“He trained at the Conservatoire National Superieur d’Art Dramatique in Paris.
“He has had an extensive stage career in Ireland and internationally.
“Many film and TV roles include Philomena, Vikings, Ballykissangel, Derry Girls and Blue Lights.”
Donegal actor Frankie McCafferty, who has starred in Blue Lights and In the Name of the Father, plays local poet Dáithí O’Faoláin in drama The Unreal.
She added: “Local musicians and students are seen in the series filmed across the Inishowen peninsula.
“Its wild landscapes take centre stage this Halloween as award-winning children’s drama The Unreal returns to RTÉ One and RTÉ Player for a third series.
“The new adventure is steeped in Irish mythology, mystery and folk horror.
“Inishowen has been transformed into Inishscéal, a remote island that seems frozen in another time.
“Filming took place across the peninsula in July and August, at locations including Malin Head, Five Finger Strand, Culdaff, Bunagee Pier and Lisnagra Woods.”
Locations filmed in The Unreal include Malin Head, Five Finger Strand, Culdaff, Bunagee Pier and Lisnagra Woods.
At the heart of The Unreal lies one strange secret: the Kelly family aren’t supposed to be real. They’re characters who escaped from a long-forgotten 1980s TV sitcom into the real world, and they’ve been trying to blend in ever since.
The hunt for answers leads the family to Inishscéal, where they come face to face with strange islanders.
Series writer Rodney Lee, said: “It’s gratifying that kids in Ireland now get to see themselves and their culture reflected on-screen.
“In Series 3, we tap into the rich vein of Irish mythology, with standing stones, and a possible witch in the woods.”
Series three of The Unreal premieres on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player from 6pm on Sunday, October 25.