People in the UK have only just discovered one of Ireland’s best ever shows
A gangland crime drama which has been labelled by one of its stars as the ‘greatest ever Irish television show’ is now available to watch in the UK.
Originally airing on RTÉ from 2010 to 2014, Brits can now watch all five seasons of Love/Hate on ITVX.
The gangster series is set in drug-fuelled criminal underworld of Dublin and follows Darren Treacy, who is returning to the capital after hiding in Spain to escape police.
When he returns to Ireland though, he finds out that his ex-girlfriend Rosie has moved on and his brother Robbie has been the victim of a drive-by shooting by a rival gang.
This sparks a gang war as Darren and his friends seek revenge for the shooting.
Watching the series almost a decade on from when it finished, many of its cast of gone on to become household name.
The cast of Love/Hate of includes Misfits star Robert Sheehan as Darren, Avengers actor Tom Vaughan Lawlor stars as Nidge, Happy Valley star Charlie Murphy as Siobhán Delaney. and Oscar nominee Ruth Negga.
Other famous faces in the show are Happy Valley actor Charlie Murphy, Peaky Blinders and Game of Thrones actor Aidan Gillen and a fresh-faced Barry Keoghan before his days of Saltburn fame.
Another the series’ stars is Kieran O’Reilly, who has previously described Love/Hate as the “greatest ever Irish television show.”
Some have only just been discovering the series, and were quick to sing its praises.
One person wrote on X: “What a fantastic series! Only just discovered it – absolutely brilliant all ways round! Best thing I’ve watched in recent times since Peaky Blinders and Top Boy!”
Another fan shared: “If you’ve never seen the Irish drama series Love/Hate then watch it – absolutely brilliant! Like Peaky B meets Top Boy meets The Wire meets Breaking Bad and then some… on ITVX and BritBox – a proper binge watch!”
And a third said: “Make sure you check out Love/Hate if you haven’t already. Aiden Gillen again is superb in this as well as Robert Sheehan and a young Barry Keoghan.”
One scene in particular has people riled up
Although viewers are loving getting their teeth into the show, there is one scene in particular that has made quite the impression…
The show opens with Saltburn star Barry Keoghan shooting an innocent cat dead, and then going on to laugh about it.
While any feline fans will obviously find this a hard watch, it’s fair to say the scene has also haunted Keoghan himself.
“I’ll never get away from that cat,” the actor previously said.
“I was in the MetLife stadium in New Jersey about two years ago. I think there was about 90,000 people there and someone pulled me and said, ‘You’re the guy that shot the cat’.
“I just thought, ‘Ah here, I’m halfway across the world and someone said it’.”
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