Crá

Having seen just about every Nordic, Welsh, Scottish noir type murder mystery series out there, I was really excited to see this Irish offering.

I had a hard time at first trying to place the series politically- was it taking place in Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland? I needed to look it up on google maps - if it takes place in Donegal, then it's the Republic but right next to Northern Ireland.

Basic requirements of the genre are met - scenery was suitably bleak, people insular and non communicative, lazy provincial police work, speaking in native language.

I watched it all in one sitting but the acting of the old man playing the father, the 3 police officers (from the town, not the hamlet) and that Janine butcher lookalike who played the reporter was so bad I thought I'd have to switch it off.

The main actor was very good and his expressive glare spoke volumes about his current state of mind.

Cra aka Boglands was one of the shows that I wanted to watch for a while, and finally I was able to see it. I must say that it was fascinating to watch a TV show in the Gaelic language, and I enjoyed it. At the same time, it was great to see the Irish landscape and the beauty of the shores. Although the show starts well with the discovery of a woman's body who was missing for about 15 years, the show gets quite boring after the 4th episode. I wish there were no plot holes and that the acting were a bit better. I did not like the acting of Dónall Ó Héalai, and I must say that his performance was really poor. I give 6 out of 10 for this series.

I want to give it a higher rating, because I liked that it's in Irish and in Donegal. It had an interesting setting, and I really would like to see more of this (I'm from Scotland). I thought the main male actor was quite good, so was his other half in it. The character of the journalist/podcaster was just really bad, quite cringe worthy and not well written. Nothing against the actress, she worked with what she had.

Some of the acting wasn't that great, but I think the writing is what let it down the most. I really wanted to give it a higher rating, but it's just not that well written. Lots of things don't make much sense, the dialogue between the characters is a bit bland, there's too many cringe worthy moments that feel out of place with the nonsense plotline of the true crime podcaster getting away with/doing stuff that just wouldn't happen. It could honestly be a lot better.

I see the potential in it though, and I hope this starts more series funded that are in Irish with this kind of theme. I think they just need some extra help with the writing. So I'm giving it a 7, cause I still enjoyed it when I shut my brain off for a bit, and it is quite unique.

I would still recommend people watch this series, just shut your brain off a bit if some things seem a bit far fetched and you'll probably enjoy it. If we support it, hopefully more stuff like this will come out in the future!

Crá (Torment) is an intriguing gripping atmospheric crime drama.

Set in the dramatic rugged wild Atlantic comes a story of murder, deceit and redemption helmed by talented bunch of writers and an equally talented cast and crew.

Where this show triumphs over other standard fodder is the world building aided by the fantastic music and cinematography.

Trying to keep this spoiler free. The story moves at a steady and assured pace giving the required nuggets of information so that we the audience and the main characters are discovering the story together.

I'd highly recommend this show and it's available worldwide on TG4 website.

A very well written and acted murder mystery set in the stunning landscapes of north-west Eire. Dialogue is in Irish Gaelic with subtitles, which gives it a certain authenticity and makes it seem even more physically remote. I tried out the first episode, and quickly got hooked and two days later had finished the series. It's a really good choice for a binge watch. The similarities to Shetland are fairly obvious - both are set in remote communities where everyone has a past and that past is known to everyone else, but beneath the surface there are secrets too, waiting to be revealed. This series avoided the obvious and kept me guessing until the final scenes. Congratulations to the BBC for being brave enough to screen this. Thoroughly recommended.