{"id":614050,"date":"2026-09-04T08:38:14","date_gmt":"2026-09-04T08:38:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/614050\/"},"modified":"2026-09-04T08:38:14","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T08:38:14","slug":"mr-moonlight-rte-commissions-drama-based-on-one-of-irelands-longest-running-murder-trials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/614050\/","title":{"rendered":"Mr Moonlight: RT\u00c9 commissions drama based on one of Ireland\u2019s longest-running murder trials"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>RT\u00c9 has commissioned a new drama based on one of the most compelling and talked-about murder cases in Ireland.<\/p>\n<p>\n             The Murder of Mr Moonlight explores the  <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.irishexaminer.com\/maintopics\/mr-moonlight_topic-2880587.html\">2011 disappearance and murder of Bobby Ryan<\/a>, known locally as Mr Moonlight, and the events that would ultimately lead to one of Ireland\u2019s longest-running murder trials. The RT\u00c9 drama has also been acquired by the BBC.<\/p>\n<p class=\"contextmenu Body Body\">Brendan Coyle of  Downton Abbey fame stars as Bobby Ryan with Owen McDonnell of  Killing Eve and  Bad Sisters as Mr Ryan\u2019s killer Patrick Quirke, and Sin\u00e9ad Keenan of  Unforgotten and  Little Boy Blue as Mary Lowry.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/5217337_5_articleinline_bobby_20ryan_20dj.jpg\" alt=\"Bobby Ryan, who was murdered in 2011\" title=\"Bobby Ryan, who was murdered in 2011\" class=\"card-img\"\/>Bobby Ryan, who was murdered in 2011<\/p>\n<p class=\"contextmenu Body Body\">They are joined by Hazel Doupe of  Say Nothing and  Kathleen Is Here as Bobby\u2019s daughter, Michelle Ryan; Carolyn Bracken of  Oddity and  The Gone as Pat\u2019s wife, Imelda Quirke; and Ian Lloyd Anderson of  The Long Shadow and  Love\/Hate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"contextmenu Body Body\">Set within a close-knit rural community,  The Murder of Mr Moonlight explores the relationships, secrets, and tensions behind a case that captivated the whole country for more than a decade. Through the perspectives of those closest to the events, the series examines the impact of loss, the search for justice, and the far-reaching consequences of a tragedy that changed lives forever.<\/p>\n<p class=\"contextmenu Body Body\">The series is based on Catherine Fegan\u2019s book  The Murder of Mr Moonlight alongside extensive research and interviews.<\/p>\n<p class=\"contextmenu Body Body\">Writer Malcolm Campbell said he was drawn to the story because of the people caught up in it, the human factor, the cost of it all.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/5217340_5_articleinline_Moonlight_202_1_.jpg\" alt=\"Forthcoming RT\u00c9 drama, The Murder Of Mr Moonlight. \" title=\"Forthcoming RT\u00c9 drama, The Murder Of Mr Moonlight. \" class=\"card-img\"\/>Forthcoming RT\u00c9 drama, The Murder Of Mr Moonlight. <\/p>\n<p class=\"contextmenu Body Body\">\u201cAt its heart are real people whose lives were profoundly affected by these events.<\/p>\n<p class=\"contextmenu Body Body\">\u201cOur responsibility has been to approach the process with care, sensitivity and rigorous research, while exploring the relationships and circumstances that made this case so compelling,\u201d Campbell said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"contextmenu Body Body\">Head of drama at RT\u00c9, David Crean, commended Campbell\u2019s ability to write a compelling story about the tragedy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"contextmenu Body Body\">\u201cThis moving human story is brought to life with the help of an amazing cast, and directed with real sensitivity by Daitha\u00ed Keane and Rachel Carey,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"contextmenu Body Body\">\n             The Murder of Mr Moonlight will air next year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"RT\u00c9 has commissioned a new drama based on one of the most compelling and talked-about murder cases in&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":614051,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[61,60,6405,43],"class_list":["post-614050","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ireland","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-music-movies-reviews-munster","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/614050","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=614050"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/614050\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/614051"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=614050"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=614050"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=614050"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}