How to Get to Heaven from Belfast Review

Penned by Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee, How to Get to Heaven from Belfast delivers a hilarious Irish murder mystery.

Saoirse (Roisin Gallagher), Robyn (Sinéad Keenan), and Dara (Caoilfhionn Dunne) are three different women with their own separate lives, and yet they are still very close from their school years. After hearing that one of their former classmates and once close friends, Greta (Natasha O’Keeffe), has passed away, they reunite to travel to a small town in Donegal where they will attend her wake. But the circumstances of Greta’s death are suspicious, and the trio grows more and more sceptical, to the point where they start investigating this case themselves. 

The characters are at the heart of How to Get to Heaven from Belfast, and they are incredibly interesting to watch. Not only are they individually fascinating, but they work very well as a trio. Showrunner Lisa McGee succeeds in delivering all the necessary background information seamlessly and in conflict, but also in revealing some fundamental truths about the characters through their interactions. It is through the conversations between the three friends, or four during the flashbacks, that we find out more about their personalities, dreams, and flaws. All of this is not just excellent storytelling, but it also makes the characters and the relationships amongst them feel very real. 

Naturally, this is helped by the excellent acting from all the main actors in How to Get to Heaven from Belfast. Roisin Gallagher, Sinéad Keenan, and Caoilfhionn Dunne have such a natural chemistry with each other that the audience immediately believes they have been friends for years. But it is not just about the comedic timing or the delivery of the humour; all three actors also have emotional and heavier moments, proving that they can excel at both and, perhaps more impressively, that they can mix the two within the same beat effortlessly.

Saoirse-Monica Jackson also stands out for the very same reasons. Despite her relatively brief appearance, her performance remains one of the most memorable and iconic of the show. With a character that could have easily felt like a caricature or too exaggerated, Jackson is able to deliver an heartbreakingly funny, real, and heartfelt portrayal. 

As fans of Derry Girls might be expecting, How to Get to Heaven from Belfast is hilarious, to the point where at times I found myself pausing the series because I was laughing too hard. With its uniquely Irish humour, the show manages to make the audience laugh during emotional moments, murder investigations, and tragic circumstances while also taking its subject matter seriously. It is a tricky balance, but one that Lisa McGee does incredibly well. 

Very clever use of both the weather and geographical locations in Ireland as an integral part of the plot and part of what keeps it going in the first place. Other than being incredibly funny and very witty, How to Get to Heaven from Belfast is generally very cleverly written with its use of flashbacks, multiple overlapping storylines, and various references to the cultural and political climate in Ireland both today and at the time of the flashbacks. The mystery is equally well written, with every episode revealing new information about the characters and their backgrounds, often through flashbacks.  

While introducing a lot of plotlines, characters, and themes, How to Get to Heaven from Belfast manages to wrap things up very well in its second half. However, I do wish certain details of the plot had been explained in more detail, rather than letting the audience piece elements together themselves. As the show introduces more narratives and players as it goes on, I had also hoped it could have focused on them a little bit more. By the end of it, it still feels like there is still some significantly untapped potential in the world the audience is introduced to. 

Overall, How to Get to Heaven from Belfast will easily become one of the best shows of the year. Hilarious and intriguing at the same time, it is a binge-worthy and incredibly well-made show that audiences will not be able to get enough of. 

. is now available to watch on digital and on demand. stream globally on Netflix
. will be released in US theatres on and in UK & Irish cinemas on