The Harbourview Hotel, Carnlough celebrates close link with new Netflix series written by Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee ‘How to Get to Heaven from Belfast’
A Co Antrim hotelier is among those eagerly anticipating the release of the new comedy-thriller series from Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee.
‘How to Get to Heaven from Belfast’ will premiere globally on Netflix on Thursday, February 12, generating particular interest for staff at The Harbourview Hotel in Carnlough (formerly The Londonderry Arms) which was used during filming.
The coastal hotel’s co-owner Adrian McLaughlin said that plans were already in place to make the most of the association with the much-anticipated new eight-episode series.
He explained that filming took place for a month in July 2024 just the consortium headed by himself, master Irish whiskey distiller Darryl McNally and entrepreneur Carl Harrison took over the historic property describing it as Ireland’s first whiskey hotel.
"They used the reception desk, The Coach House restaurant, bedrooms, the whole facade at the front was changed and painted into like an old Donegal pub from the 1930s-40s. They repainted inside, put new curtains up, the whole thing … the attention to detail was phenomenal to see,” Adrian said.
"It will be good to see it on screen”.
A section of the outside of the historic hotel also turned a few heads as it was transformed into the ‘Knockdara Hotel’ as part of filming for the series.
Viewers with a keen eye should be able to recognise quite a some familiar spots both inside and outside the premises.
"Some features will be obvious and others won’t be as we have refurbished since, but the hotel is the hotel and people will recognise it,” said Adrian.
Patrons of The Harbourview Hotel will be able to join in the celebrations to mark its unique connections to the new series.
"We are doing a couple of things. They named the hotel the Knockdara Hotel so we will have a little Knockdara menu and a couple of Knockdara cocktails,” said Adrian.
"We will do a room rate where you can request to stay in a room that was featured in the show. We will do a few things to celebrate it and yes, of course, could this be as iconic as Derry Girls? Who knows!”
‘How to Get to Heaven from Belfast’ – which brings acclaimed director Michael Lennox from Newtownabbey and writer and ctreator Lisa McGee together again – sees three childhood friends who reunite over news of a fourth friend’s death.
Clever, chaotic TV writer Saoirse (Roísín Gallagher), glamorous, stressed-out mother of three Robyn (Sinéad Keenan) and dependable, inhibited carer Dara (Caoilfhionn Dunne) have been a tight-knit group since school.
Now in their late 30s, but still as close as ever, these three friends are about to embark on the most thrilling adventure of their lives.
When an email arrives, telling them about the death of the estranged fourth member of their childhood gang, a series of eerie events at her wake set them on a dark, dangerous and hilarious odyssey through Ireland and beyond as each tries to piece together the truth of the past.
The series also stars Tom Basden, Art Campion, Michelle Fairley, Josh Finan, Bronagh Gallagher, Ardal O'Hanlon, Natasha O'Keeffe and Emmett J. Scanlan.
It is described as “a show about friendship, memory and what happens when life doesn’t turn out quite like you’d expected.”