Acorn TV Picks Up Gaelic Series 'Crá,' Retitled 'Boglands'

Despite technically referring to two completely different languages, the word "Gaelic" is one that's fraught with emotional baggage, as the last century saw the Irish version become the language of rebellion, of terrorists, as the Irish Republican Army tried to bomb their way to freedom in the most recent major bout of "The Troubles." This is an unfortunate situation because, in light of the Welsh language revival, Irish residents, especially those from Northern Ireland, would like to see their native tongue make a comeback as part of the new nationalist identity.

While Irish Gaelic was featured prominently in the movie Kneecap, about a trio of Irish rappers who use their native tongue as part of their art, projects featuring the Gaelic language, especially the Irish variation, have been few and far between. That's why it was a big deal for the BBC to pick up The Island/An t-Eilean, the first primary big-budget dual-language Gaelic-and-English production in history.

However, until marketing can take it seriously, we'll be stuck watching it as an "Irish language series with subtitles," as even using the language's actual name can be a contentious decision. It should be noted that the BBC is airing the series in both languages; however, here it will only be available in Gaelic with subtitles.

Here's the synopsis:

In an isolated village in the north west of Ireland, a murder investigation begins when Garda Barry Roche finds a body buried in the bog. In the most personal of cases, Garda Conall Ó Súilleabháin discovers it is his mother, Sabine, who has been missing for 15 years. Conall is forbidden from working the case but that’s not going to stop him.

Meanwhile, a young journalist named Ciara-Kate decides to produce a podcast about the case. Conall soon realises that Ciara-Kate can get access to people who refuse to speak to the official investigation. If Conall wants justice for his mother, he has no choice but to join forces with this citizen journalist. Their investigation leads them on a dark path and begs the question: Can justice really be blind?

Dónall Ó Héalai (Catch 22) stars as Garda Conall Ó Súilleabháin with Alex Murphy (Conversations with Friends) as Garda Barry Roche and Hannah Brady (Harry Wild) as Ciara-Kate. The supporting cast includes Barry McGovern (Obituary), Róisín Murphy (Vikings), Tara Breathnach (Dune), Caoimhe Farren (The Woman in the Wall), and Alan Mahon (The Diplomat).

Series creators Doireann Ní Chorragáin and Richie Conroy penned all six episodes, with Philip Doherty helming all installments. Fíbín Media and Zoogon produce the series for BBC Gaeilge and TG4 with support from Northern Ireland Screen’s Irish Language Broadcast Fund (ILBF), Screen Ireland, Coimisiún na Meán, Gréasán na Meán Skillnet, and distributors About Premium Content (APC).

Boglands/Cra will debut on Acorn TV on Monday, May 26, 2025, with two episodes, followed by one episode a week.