Crime drama set in Ireland's "rugged west coast" with a "former New York detective" is coming to ITV

ITV has acquired the upcoming drama The Galway Bay Murders from Irish broadcaster RTÉ for airing and streaming in the UK.

The six part series features two actors that fans of '90s Star Trek will remember: Kate Mulgrew of Voyager fame, and Colm Meaney, who starred in The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine.

Interestingly, the show has been written by former archaeologist and museum curator Eithne Verling in her TV debut, and she actually wrote the lead for Mulgrew after they had a chance meeting in Galway and became friends.

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The synopsis reads: "The atmospheric new series transports viewers to Ireland's rugged west coast, where a shocking murder draws a former New York detective into a dangerous investigation."

The plot kicks off when Nora Savage arrives in Connemara to escape from her past and lead a quieter life.

But it's not long before a young woman's body is found in a bog, and Nora finds herself working on a murder investigation with the local Garda team.

It becomes clear that the woman has something to do with an organisation called Free Farm, where young people live and work together in a sustainable and seemingly idyllic farm conducting scientific research.

But what exactly is lurking below that perfect surface?

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ITV's head of content acquisitions Darren Nartey said: "The Galway Bay Murders is precisely the kind of bold, high-calibre drama our audiences love.

"Eithne Verling has crafted a completely magnetic crime thriller, with an outstanding cast led by Kate Mulgrew and Colm Meaney, a compelling central mystery and the stunning backdrop of Ireland's west coast.

"We're thrilled to partner with ITV Studios, Two Cities Television and RTÉ to bring this captivating new series to the ITV audience."

The Galway Bay Murders will air on ITV1 and stream on ITVX in the UK, although it doesn't have a release date yet. In Ireland, it will premiere on RTÉ One on 8 November.

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Joe Anderton is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy, having worked there since 2016. In his time, he's covered a host of live events and interviewed celebrities big and small. A big fan of TV and movies both mainstream and obscure, Joe also enjoys video games and in particular PlayStation. Joe currently does not use Twitter, but he only ever used it to tell people to watch the film Help! I'm a Fish.