• About
  • Editorial Board
    • Staff Writers
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
The Wellesley News -
  • News and Features
    • The Wellesley (COVID) 100
      The Wellesley (COVID) 100
    • In memory of Professor Rebecca Summerhays
      In memory of Professor Rebecca Summerhays
    • Trans flag controversy: College power washes staircase after trans flag is painted over Harry Potter spray paint
      Trans flag controversy: College power washes staircase after trans flag is painted over Harry Potter spray paint
    • News
      • News in Brief
      • Nation & World
      • President’s Corner
      • Senate Report
    • Features
      • Alumnae Spotlight
      • Eye on Science
      • Faculty Focus
      • LGBTQIA+ Column
  • Opinions
    • The News in Conversation: Wellesley Against Mass Incarceration
      The News in Conversation: Wellesley Against Mass Incarceration
    • Editorial Board calls for keeping up trans flag murals
      Editorial Board calls for keeping up trans flag murals
    • No, Elon Musk’s Twitter will not restore free speech
      No, Elon Musk’s Twitter will not restore free speech
    • Staff Editorial
    • Letters to the Editor
    • The Elephant in the Room
  • Arts
    • Be/longing Centers Connection and Care
      Be/longing Centers Connection and Care
    • No image
      Birds Falling Upwards: Wellesley College Theater’s The Moors is a Must-See
    • No image
      Sometimes you just need to read a YA “Groundhog Day” to feel something
    • Arts In The News
    • Reviews
    • Music Peek
    • Books Before Boys
  • Health and Wellness
    • February Student Athlete of the Month
      February Student Athlete of the Month
    • Athletics Update
      Athletics Update
    • Victoria Garrick Speaks on Mental Health
      Victoria Garrick Speaks on Mental Health
    • Athlete of the Week
    • Boston Sports Update
    • The Vegan Digest
    • The SHE Corner
  • The Wellesley Snooze
    • Wellesley News Leadership Changes Completely Peacefully Without Any Suspicious Disappearances At All
      Wellesley News Leadership Changes Completely Peacefully Without Any Suspicious Disappearances At All
    • Solve Your Connection Problems With Wellesley Insecure
      Solve Your Connection Problems With Wellesley Insecure
    • Mayhem strikes Wellesley as paper towels removed from campus
      Mayhem strikes Wellesley as paper towels removed from campus
  • Miscellanea
    • President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
      President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
    • Administrators shocked to learn that students dislike being left in dark
      Administrators shocked to learn that students dislike being left in dark
    • 50 Lies You Tell Yourself in Order to Survive Until Graduation
      50 Lies You Tell Yourself in Order to Survive Until Graduation
    • The Dose
    • The Olive Branch
    • Multimedia
      • Galleries
      • Infographics
      • Videos
By Ria Goveas Arts, ReviewsNovember 17, 2021

Everyone Should Watch “Derry Girls”: Here’s Why

Four bolshy schoolgirls and one confused boy: Clare, Michelle, James, Orla and Erin in Derry Girls. Photo courtesy of Adam Lawrence/Channel 4.

“Derry Girls” is a sitcom set in Northern Ireland that portrays typical teenage life amidst the Troubles, an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland from the late 1960s to 1998. It follows the adventures of Erin (Saoirse-Monica Jackson), her cousin Orla (Louisa Harland), their friends Clare (Nicola Coughlan) and Michelle (Jamie-Lee O’Donnell) and Michelle’s English cousin James (Dylan Llewellyn). 

James is an interesting character — as the only boy in an all-girls school and the only non-adult male in the show, one would think he’d stand out. In the beginning, he did. He was placed in Our Lady Immaculate, a Catholic girls’ secondary school in Derry that the other main characters also attend, rather than the boys’ school, because school officials were worried that he would be bullied there due to him being English. Unable to use the girl’s restroom and not allowed in the men’s faculty one, he suffers through the first day of classes, but ultimately finds his place.

Although the creators initially used James for comedic value, by the beginning of the second season, “Derry Girls” begins to use James more to stand up against toxic masculinity. When Miss De Brún begins working at the school and everyone copies her winged eyeliner, James is no exception. He is neither from Derry nor a girl, but he ends up fully embracing being the fifth Derry Girl. He realizes by the end that he wants to remain in Derry instead of going back to England with his mother, and runs back to the rest of the girls shouting, “I am a Derry girl!” — a complete transformation from the beginning of the show where all he wanted was to be perceived as a man. 

Another interesting aspect of this show is its allusion to real-life events. Bill Clinton’s visit to Derry, the IRA Ceasefire of 1994 and peacebuilding student programs all really took place in Ireland and were beautifully captured in “Derry Girls.” Lisa McGee, the creator of the show, draws from what she remembers during those times to make it relatable and funny. 

She told The New York Times that she wrote to President Clinton’s daughter to invite her to catch a movie at the Strand — just like how the Derry Girls in the show invite Chelsea Clinton to their local pool to check out the wave machine. The Peacebuilding Program was also a real thing McGee experienced, and she told Channel 4 that it was all about fancying the boys and not about peace. 

The third and final season is yet to be released, but Nicola Coughlan, who plays Clare Devlin, has dropped a teaser about the ending already: “It’s really magical. I cried and cried and cried when I finished reading the scripts. Because, you know, it’s our last one. It’s bittersweet, but I think we’re sending it off in style,” she said in an interview with Radiotimes.com. 

Inserting elements of teenage comedy, “Derry Girls” shows us real life in Northern Ireland without downplaying the conflict at the time. McGee has lived these experiences, and that comes out authentically through the show for everyone to see, making it both an educational and entertaining watch.

Share on

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Google +
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Previous articleDia de Los Muertos: We Bring the Dead Back to Life
Next articleBooks Before Boys: Everyone shut up and read this wonderful amazing spectacular queer book

You may also like

Be/longing Centers Connection and Care

Birds Falling Upwards: Wellesley College Theater’s The Moors is a Must-See

Sometimes you just need to read a YA “Groundhog Day” to feel something

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

Top Articles

Sorry. No data so far.

Recent Tweets

Tweets by @Wellesley_News

The independent student newspaper of Wellesley College since 1901.

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

  • About
  • Editorial Board
    • Staff Writers
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
COPYRIGHT © 2022 THE WELLESLEY NEWS
Back to top