Trespasses author reveals hopes for Northern Ireland’s future as Channel 4 drama arrives on screens

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Despite the significant religious differences in Northern Ireland between Catholics and Protestants, both traditions share nearly the same prayer, called the ‘Our Father’ or the Lord’s Prayer. A key part of this prayer includes the line: “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who have sinned against us.”

I remember learning that prayer as a child, it was probably the first one I ever knew,” says Louise Kennedy, who grew up between Dublin and Kildare after being born in Holywood, County Down. She always found one word particularly strange. “’Trespasses‘… it just seemed like such an odd word to me! It’s connected to wrongdoing, of course, but it feels like something more than just a simple sin.”

Nearly fifty years after the original appeal for forgiveness, author Kennedy used it as the title of her first novel, Trespasses, published in 2022. The book was a finalist for the 2023 Women’s Prize for Fiction and is now being adapted into a four-part drama for Channel 4. The story unfolds in Northern Ireland in 1975, amidst the conflict between Catholics and Protestants, and centers on a passionate affair between Cushla, a Catholic schoolteacher, and Michael, a married Protestant lawyer.

Kennedy describes a violation of religious and moral boundaries. However, the book also explores other kinds of boundary crossing, specifically related to social class and location, as the character Cushla ventures into unfamiliar areas of Belfast.

Essentially, this story shows how falling in love with the wrong person could lead to devastating, even fatal, consequences. The author explains that, historically, relationships often resulted in violence – including public humiliation, attacks, and even murder – fueled by constant judgment and mistrust.

The book depicts shocking violence against a secondary character due to their interfaith marriage [Catholic-Protestant]. However, the film presents this violence in a stark, almost detached way, focusing on the physical details of injury – swelling, bruises, and wounds. Kennedy believes this graphic detail is crucial, recalling how, as a child, she encountered news coverage of the Shankill Butchers [a loyalist paramilitary group known for kidnapping, torturing, and murdering civilians, regardless of their religion] and the impact it had on her.

The descriptions of what happened to the victims were very disturbing, and I spent a long time reading them. I don’t think I’ll ever forget what I saw. It makes you wonder if someone should have prevented a young girl like me from seeing such things.

Kennedy admits the ever-present danger of death in her novel, Trespasses, might stem from her own experiences. She began writing fiction in her early fifties while recovering from surgery for advanced skin cancer, using it as a distraction from her mortality – aiming for 1,000 words a day. After the cancer returned in 2021 as stage 4, immunotherapy successfully treated the melanoma. As she puts it, she’s remarkably fortunate to still be alive.

As a bit of a TV fanatic, I really connected with how ‘Trespasses’ uses those old clips – things like ‘Mastermind’ and ‘The Generation Game’. It totally brought back memories of growing up in Belfast. Back then, British TV dominated everything. I mean, Dick Emery and Morecambe and Wise were huge! Every Sunday, you could watch any sport imaginable, but it was always British sports. There was never anything about Gaelic football or hurling, and honestly, I think that really alienated a lot of people in the nationalist community. It felt like we were being ignored, like our culture didn’t matter. It was like we weren’t even there in public life. But for those of us who were into Irish sports or the Irish language, it felt… kind of rebellious, you know? Like we were doing something a little bit forbidden.

I think dramas set in Northern Ireland haven’t traditionally been popular with British audiences. Kennedy agrees, saying that with constant news coverage of violence – assassinations, bombings, and hunger strikes – people understandably didn’t want to see more of that conflict in fictional shows. However, she believes enough time has passed, and there’s now an audience unfamiliar with the history who might be interested.

Trespasses is one example of a growing wave of successful Northern Irish arts and entertainment, alongside critically acclaimed works like Anna Burns’s Booker Prize-winning novel, Milkman, and popular TV series. I tested Kennedy’s knowledge with a trivia question: where is the show Mastermind filmed and produced? She didn’t know – the answer is Belfast! Game of Thrones and Line of Duty were also filmed there, highlighting the city’s increasing prominence in the entertainment industry.

She said it was a fantastic experience. The team behind ‘Trespasses’ had also created popular shows like ‘The Fall,’ ‘Blue Lights,’ and ‘Derry Girls,’ bringing a lot of expertise to the project.

Even with clear signs of the expected benefits after the end of the Cold War, Kennedy believes many promises haven’t been fulfilled. He points out significant ongoing problems, often caused by government inefficiency, meaning funds allocated from the central government haven’t been used as intended.

Public services, such as the NHS, have severely deteriorated. The Civil Rights movement began because people – especially Catholics – faced discrimination in accessing housing and education. Catholic communities have continued to struggle and haven’t been able to overcome these disadvantages. In certain areas, living conditions are now even worse than they were in the past.

Kennedy expressed hope that the peace in Northern Ireland will last. He believes a vote on whether Northern Ireland should unite with Ireland is likely to happen in the near future. This vote, as outlined in the Good Friday Agreement, would be triggered if the Secretary of State determines a majority of people in Northern Ireland favor unification.

Growing up, the area was majority Protestant – around 60 percent. Now, it’s become mostly Catholic, with Catholics making up 51 to 52 percent of the population. This shift represents a significant change, and I’m concerned it could lead to a return of violence if there were ever a vote on the border.

Kennedy’s upcoming novel, Stations, tells the story of two teenagers – one in Ireland and one in London – over two decades, from the 1980s to the year 2000. It’s scheduled for release next September, and many anticipate she will continue to delve into the intricate past of her native land.

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2025-11-04 04:20