'The South Westerlies': Meet Orla Brady, Steve Wall and rest of the cast of Irish drama coming to Acorn TV
A new Irish comedy-drama series is headed to Acorn TV shortly. 'The South Westerlies' is perhaps a very timely drama as it follows the stories of a small coastal town in the south-west of Ireland that is earmarked for a Norwegian-owned wind farm, threatening not just the spectacular scenery but the families there as well.
Leading the story is Orla Brady's ('Mistresses') Kate Ryan, a single working mother and environmental consultant in Dublin who is tasked to go undercover to get the project done. However, her own personal history with the town, specifically a crinkly-eyed surfer with whom her teenage son bears a resemblance, complicates her mission.
Kate is on the verge of a lucrative promotion at Noreg Oil and a move to their HQ in Oslo until her employer adds a last-minute caveat — a final assignment in Ireland for their company's new wind-power subsidiary, NorskVentus. Despite getting planning permission for their wind farm offshore from the West Cork town of Carrigeen, ongoing local protests are creating a PR nightmare.
She must go undercover to Carrigeen and pretend to be a vacationer to quash objections before an appeals deadline and smooth the path for imminent turbine installation. When Kate arrives along with her teenage son Conor, she faces an eco-battle as she quickly discovers that the anti-wind farm lobby is much stronger than NorskVentus led her to believe, led by "Big Mike" Kelleher, the town's local councilor, who's firmly on the fence about the wind farm.
It's not just the spectacular scenery that's under pressure -- Kate's eco-battle is compounded by the return of an old boyfriend, a crinkly-eyed surfer, Baz Crowley, who bears a striking resemblance to Conor. Her old friend Breege, who runs the local café, is unhappy with Kate's reappearance after 15 years of silence and is not so quick to forgive her comrade's neglect.
The pressures mount for Kate as tensions rise from local protestors, Breege is on to Kate on why she has stayed away from Carrigeen all this time and a surfing accident puts things in perspective. Read on to find out who stars in 'The South Westerlies' and where you may have seen them before.
Orla Brady
Orla Brady is an Irish actress known for her work in 'Into the Badlands', 'Fringe', 'Mistresses' and 'American Horror Story'. Brady portrayed Dr Hopple in 'American Horror Story: 1984', Lydia in 'Into the Badlands', and has a recurring role as Laris, in the sci-fi series, 'Star Trek: Picard'. She plays the role of Kate Ryan.
Steve Wall
Steve Wall is an Irish actor, singer and songwriter, best known for his work in 'Vikings', 'The Witcher', 'Warrior' and 'Dominion Creek'. Wall was also part of the Irish rock band, The Walls, which he founded with his brother, Joe Hall. Their hits included 'Bone Deep', 'Something's Wrong' and 'Some Kind of a Girl'. He plays the role of Baz, the crinkly-eyed surfer who looks similar to Kate's son.
Eileen Walsh
Eileen Walsh is an Irish actress known for her work in 'Patrick Melrose', 'The Magdalene Sisters', 'Women on the Verge' and 'Pure Mule'. In 2008, Walsh won an award for Best Actress at the Tribeca Film Festival for her portrayal of Breda, a lonely housewife whose willpower is put to the test in the film 'Eden'. She plays the role of Kate's old friend, Breege.
Sam Barrett
Sam Barrett is an actor known for his work in 'The Happy Prince'. He plays the role of Kate's son, Conor. This is Barrett's first major television role.
The show also stars Patrick Bergin as Big Mike, Lily Nichol as Poppy, Ger Ryan as Noreen, Kevin Ryan as Callum, Stephen Lord as Teddy, and Julian Michael Deuster as Stefan.
'The South Westerlies' will premiere on Acorn TV on Monday, November 9, with all six episodes.
