Red Rock (TV series)

Gardaí

Civilians

The Kielys and the Hennessys

Darren Kiely is found badly beaten on Red Rock Pier; he later dies from his injuries. This brings absent mother Bridget Kiely back into the lives of her children Katie and Keith, and husband Vincent. Michael Hennessy is the lead suspect for the assault; this re-ignites a feud between the Kielys and the Hennessys. To make the situation more complicated Michael's brother David is in a relationship with Katie, something he keeps secret from his solicitor sister Claire and overbearing mother Patricia.

Soon after Bridget comes home, she discovers a box of cash hidden in Darren's room. She keeps quiet about the cash and spends most of it. It's soon revealed that this cash was blackmail money Darren was receiving from David to keep his relationship with Katie secret. Darren was demanding more and more money, causing an angry confrontation between Darren and the Hennessy brothers which resulted in his death. A bitter and angry Michael revealed this to Katie who quickly ended the relationship and reported David's involvement with Darren's death to the gardaí. David is eventually cleared of all charges due to lack of evidence; he was just about to move on with his life when Katie tells him that she is pregnant and he's the father. They plan to travel to England for an abortion, funded and encouraged by Patricia but Vincent and Bridget think she should keep the baby. As series one ends we see Katie trying to decide whether she should get on the plane or not.

Sharon Cleere and Brian McGonigle

Garda Sharon Cleere is new to Red Rock garda station. Not long into investigating what happened the night Darren Kiely died she is scanning CCTV footage for the suspect when she sees Sergeant Brian McGonigle in a car kissing a teenage girl in a school uniform. Shocked and disgusted, she takes a copy of the footage and shows it to her partner, Garda Paudge Brennan. Paudge advises her to forget about it and leave it alone. Sharon decides to show the footage to Brian, telling him that an anonymous woman dropped it in. Brian explains that it was just a misunderstanding, thanks Sharon and keeps the footage.

Sharon discovers that the girl is 15 (underage), her name is Rachel, she is friends with Brian's daughter Mel and her father, Liam, who owns the Neptune Café, is a friend of Brian. When Sharon sees Brian with Rachel again she confronts him, Brian gets physically threatening and tells her to back off. Sharon then approaches Rachel and appeals for her to tell somebody about Brian. Rachel denies everything and tells Brian about Sharon. Brian arranges to have Sharon beaten badly while on a call to a break-in at a warehouse, while making it look like he saved her.

Sharon comes back to work despite Brian's efforts. He encourages her to apply for a transfer and when she refuses he begins to bully her at every opportunity while making her look incompetent at her work. This all gets to be too much for Sharon, who lashes out and attacks Brian. When questioned by Superintendent James McKay Sharon breaks down and tells him everything. That's when McKay reveals that Brian has already spoken to him, telling him that Sharon has been harassing him ever since she came on to him and he turned her down and that she'll accuse him of having an affair with an underage girl. Brian's lies cast doubt on everything Sharon says and she becomes an outcast in the station.

Despite the lack of evidence Rachel's father Liam and her sister Niamh are made aware of Sharon's accusations and Rachel is questioned; she denies everything but Liam believes she is lying. As the pressure to tell the truth builds up Rachel becomes distraught and runs away.

For several days nobody knows where Rachel is until she makes contact with Brian, who finds her hiding out in a caravan park. She wants to run away with him but instead Brian ends his relationship with Rachel and tells her to go back home. She agrees and Brian leaves.

The next day Rachel still hasn't returned, she becomes suicidal and starts taking sleeping pills mixed with vodka. Doped and nearly dead she calls Brian, who panics and asks for the afternoon off. Sharon and Paudge get wind of this and suspect he knows where Rachel is and decide to follow him. Sharon turns on the GPS on Paudge's phone and glues it to Brian's car. Brian gets to the caravan park where he finds Rachel unconscious; he decides to call for an ambulance but then changes his mind. Sharon and Paudge have tracked Brian to the caravan park and go searching the caravans. As Brian tries to sneak off Sharon catches him and eventually cuffs and arrests him. She finds Rachel and calls an ambulance. McKay and several other Red Rock gardaí arrive on the scene shocked to discover the truth about Brian.

Rachel survives her suicide attempt but is still denying she was in a relationship with Brian. As she is being questioned Brian arrives at the station; he pleads his case to McKay who eventually punches him and sends him to the cells. After talking to Sharon about how Brian was about to let her die, Rachel is convinced to tell the truth about her sexual relationship with Brian.

Paudge Brennan's money troubles

As well as being a garda, Paudge Brennan is a "property tycoon". He owns several houses in Red Rock and is constantly chasing tenants for rent, going so far as selling debt to nefarious loan sharks.

When he's not chasing people who owe him money he himself is being pursued for money he owes to contractors who have worked on his house. One such contractor, unhappy with the payment Paudge settles on, tears the wiring he did out of the walls. Paudge is frustrated and broke, if he doesn't start making money soon he'll lose his mother's house.

Sharon arranges a friend to repair the damage at a cut rate and Paudge is placated. Unfortunately over the past few weeks he has made an enemy of local petty criminal Ollie Coyne. Ollie breaks into the house and proceeds to vandalise it. Paudge gets the call from the alarm company and heads to the house. He arrives just as Ollie has finished destroying the place, and as he enters Ollie hides. Paudge breaks down when he sees the extensive damage done to his property. He then notices a still-lit cigarette butt belonging to Ollie. He fans the cigarette butt, purposely setting fire to the house. What Paudge doesn't know is that Ollie is secretly recording him on his phone.

Sean Holden and Adrijan Kosos

Garda Sean Holden and Garda Adrijan Kosos are partners and best friends. In the past few months their friendship has gone through a lot - namely a love triangle with Detective Nikki Grogan. Both Sean and Adrijan showed an interest in Nikki and Nikki and Sean began a secret relationship. Adrijan continued his flirtation with Nikki and her rejection was only worsened by discovering her and Sean together as well as Sean's mockery of the situation. The tension between the two grew until Sean pulled a car over for a petty reason. While asking for the driver's licence and registration Adrijan was suddenly run down by a mystery car. At the end of the first series his fate is unknown.

Angela Tyrell's family troubles

Sergeant Angela is a mother to Red Rock station as well as at home. However it's her family life that's proving harder to maintain. Her husband Tommy is seeing another woman as he feels it's a loveless marriage that they are just maintaining for the sake of their sons, Conor (a struggling university student) and Stephen, a footballing prodigy. Angela is struggling to keep it together but that's tough with such a demanding job. It's no surprise that she doesn't notice Conor's growing heroin addiction.

Drunken and high on heroin, Conor falls and breaks his leg, seeking pain relief only helps him fall further into addiction. He becomes so strapped for cash he stages a break in so his dealer can sell off the family's valuables.

When Conor's name is mentioned as a student known to be involved with drugs during an investigation at his university, everything falls into place - Angela and Tommy rush home to find Conor strung out with track marks on his arm.

James McKay and Paudge

The footage of Paudge committing arson finds its way into the hands of crime boss Beady Burke. Beady uses it to blackmail Paudge into leaking him confidential garda information and do his bidding.

One of the jobs Beady gives Paudge is to inform McKay of the drug dealing operation of his competition, Laser Byrne. When Laser's operation is shut down he blames a young man who works for him, Davey Webb. Davey is stabbed on the Ridge Estate and saved by McKay, McKay decides Davey is the key to bringing down Laser for good and takes him on as an unofficial informant.

Beady's demands of Paudge become riskier and riskier: McKay becomes convinced that there's a rat and eventually starts to suspect Paudge. The bureau is brought in to investigate, and Paudge is given the all clear, but McKay isn't convinced.

Meanwhile Webb is having a tough time being McKay's informant: Laser knows what he's up to and has his house petrol bombed - Davey's younger sister Chloe is scarred for life. Davey's furious at McKay for what he's been dragged into. McKay sends him away for his own safety but Davey disappears.

McKay eventually goes to confront Paudge. Paudge admits to McKay that he's the one leaking information, and McKay brings him down to the station to make a statement. As he exits the car McKay is stabbed by a masked attacker, Davey Webb. Paudge tries to fight him but is stabbed in the process. James McKay dies in the car park of Red Rock garda station.

Broadcast format

Red Rock is part of the main prime time schedule for TV3. The first episode was broadcast on 7 January 2015 at 8.30pm. In January 2015, TV3 have revealed that new episodes will air for 40 weeks a year on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8.30pm. From September 2016, Red Rock aired in a 1 hour slot on TV3 at 9.30pm on Mondays with just one episode per week. TV3 changed the timeslot again from the 9 January 2017. The programme airs for 1 hour at 9pm on Mondays. The episode on 9 January 2017 was a one off two hour special. A run of 160 episodes has initially been commissioned by TV3 and 60 are already scripted, according to creator and show runner Peter McKenna.

Popularity and viewership

The first episode pulled in an average viewership of 323,000. Despite a brief slump in ratings it has grown to be TV3's most popular show, calling for a repeat of series one during its summer hiatus.

It debuted in the UK on BBC on 11 July 2016 to an audience of 1.1 million viewers and received positive reviews.

Shooting locations

Most of Red Rock is shot in the old John Player Factory in Dublin, this includes an all inclusive garda station set, the Neptune Café and several home sets in the main warehouse. As Red Rock is set in a seaside town, Howth and Dún Laoghaire are often used for on-location shooting.