Forget painting the town green, chugging a Guinness, or rocking a shamrock, there is in fact no better way to have celebrated St. Patrick’s Day than with a first look at the latest series of everybody’s favourite Norn Iron-set teen sitcom Derry Girls. And so, dutifully obliging, yesterday saw the good folks at Channel 4 do exactly that - check out the first trailer for series three here.
The last time we saw Erin (Saoirse-Monica Jackson), Orla (Louisa Harland), Clare (Nicola Coughlan), Michelle (Jamie-Lee O'Donnell), and James (Dylan Llewellyn), Bill Clinton was giving his 1995 Guildhall address as James decided not to head home to England after his mother’s surprise return. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when James proudly shouted, “I AM A DERRY GIRL!” as Clinton gave a rousing speech about peace, ending the series on a note of hope that reminded fans how deftly writer Lisa McGee has threaded the needle between telling a hilarious coming-of-age tale and one that wrestles with its very real and serious backdrop of the Troubles.
But now the girls (and boy) are back in town, with Sister Michael (Siobhán McSweeney), the Quinns, and the McCools in tow for a third and final outing. Dealing with the gang’s GCSE year, the realities of school coming to an end, and the possibility hinted at in Series 2’s finale of romance blossoming between James and Erin, the final series looks set to be every bit as eventful as the previous two. And before everything comes to an end, we can reliably expect more of Clare’s hysterics, Sister Michael’s grave sardonicism, James being mercilessly mocked for his Englishness, and abundant shouts of “Gerry!” - with oodles of cringe to go round, naturally. We are all Derry Girls!