Cast of How to Get to Heaven from Belfast: Seasons & Roles

If you loved Derry Girls, Lisa McGee’s new Netflix comedy thriller feels like coming home—only this time the characters are in their late thirties and the jokes come wrapped in a mystery. How to Get to Heaven from Belfast brings together three childhood friends on an odyssey through Ireland after learning their estranged fourth friend has died, only to find she’s very much alive.

Creator: Lisa McGee ·
Lead Saoirse: Roisin Gallagher ·
Lead Robyn: Sinéad Keenan ·
Lead Dara: Caoilfhionn Dunne ·
Key Antagonist Booker: Bronagh Gallagher

Key cast information for the series appears below, drawn from Wikipedia, IMDB, and major entertainment publications.

Cast of How to Get to Heaven from Belfast Season 1

Lead Roles

Lisa McGee cast the three central characters in July 2024, announced via Wikipedia as the official ensemble for what Netflix is positioning as the spiritual successor to Derry Girls. Roisin Gallagher, Sinéad Keenan, and Caoilfhionn Dunne form the emotional core of the series as the friends who embark on an odyssey through Ireland after the death of their estranged fourth childhood friend.

Gallagher plays Saoirse, described by Cosmopolitan UK as “a sharp but chaotic television writer”—a character who feels like a natural evolution of McGee’s signature wit, now aged into the messiness of adult life. Keenan portrays Robyn, “a glamorous yet permanently frazzled mother of three,” while Dunne takes on Dara, “a dependable but emotionally guarded carer.” The three characters are in their late thirties, a deliberate shift from Derry Girls’ teenage protagonists.

Supporting Roles

Beyond the central trio, McGee populates the series with faces familiar from Northern Irish and British television. Natasha O’Keeffe plays Greta, the estranged fourth member whose apparent death triggers the story’s events—she’s initially thought dead but is revealed to be alive, adding the mystery layer that separates this from pure comedy.

Michelle Fairley appears as Margo, a role that positions her among the more established actors McGee has assembled for the supporting cast. Bronagh Gallagher—known for The Commitments and Dear Sarah—takes on Booker, described as “a key antagonist throughout” the series. This antagonist role signals that How to Get to Heaven from Belfast leans harder into conflict than its predecessor.

Darragh Hand plays Liam Kells, described as “a mechanic and police officer who gets wrapped up in the mystery surrounding Greta.” Hand is recognizable from Heartstopper, bringing a younger audience association to a cast that might otherwise skew older. Emmett J. Scanlan appears as Owen, another cast member whose specific storyline remains part of the Season 1 mystery.

Cast of How to Get to Heaven from Belfast season 2

As of early 2026, Netflix has not publicly confirmed the full cast lineup for Season 2 of How to Get to Heaven from Belfast. Production timelines for streaming series often extend 12–18 months between seasons, meaning Season 2 casting announcements would typically arrive closer to a projected release date.

What seems likely based on McGee’s track record: the core trio of Gallagher, Keenan, and Dunne will return, as their characters are central to the narrative premise. Supporting cast members tied to active story threads—like Darragh Hand’s Liam and Natasha O’Keeffe’s Greta—would also be expected back given their narrative significance.

The catch: McGee’s ensemble approach means new characters can appear without warning, and recurring roles may expand or contract based on where the mystery leads. Viewers following Derry Girls will recall that several characters grew from brief appearances into major presences across the series run.

The implication: McGee tends to reward loyal viewers with recurring cast surprises—so Season 2 announcements should be watched for familiar Derry Girls connections alongside entirely new faces.

Cast of How to Get to Heaven from Belfast Season 4

Season 4 casting information for How to Get to Heaven from Belfast has not been announced, as the series has not yet completed its initial season run on Netflix. Production schedules for mystery thrillers often allow flexibility for story evolution across multiple seasons, meaning McGee may be writing future cast requirements in real time.

What this means practically: if you’re researching Season 4 cast now, you’re looking ahead to information that doesn’t yet exist publicly. The uncertainty reflects normal television production timelines rather than any indication of cancellation risk.

For context, Derry Girls ran for three seasons between 2018 and 2022, so a fourth season of McGee’s new series would likely require significant narrative investment. The mystery-thriller format gives McGee more flexibility than Derry Girls’ more constrained school-setting allowed, but it also raises the production stakes for each subsequent season.

Cast of How to Get to Heaven from Belfast Greta

Natasha O’Keeffe plays Greta in How to Get to Heaven from Belfast—a character whose apparent death opens the entire series. Town & Country Magazine describes her as “the estranged fourth member of the childhood friendship group who is initially thought to be dead but is revealed to be alive.” This central twist makes Greta both the mystery’s trigger and its most significant wildcard.

O’Keeffe brings substantial television experience to the role. She’s known for roles in Misfits, Peaky Blinders, and The Wheel of Time, which gives her range across dramatic and genre material. Her casting signals that Greta is a character McGee intends to develop seriously rather than leave as a plot device.

The paradox: Greta’s early reveal as alive removes the death-mystery element but creates a more complex question—what happened between her and the three friends that led to her estrangement? McGee has set up a character who must justify her absence to an audience of childhood friends, and by extension, to viewers who are just meeting all four characters.

Cast of How to Get to Heaven from Belfast Liam

Darragh Hand plays Liam Kells in How to Get to Heaven from Belfast—a mechanic and police officer who becomes entangled in the mystery surrounding Greta. Town & Country Magazine’s description positions him as a figure caught between the civilian world of the three friends and whatever official response Greta’s situation has triggered.

Hand is known for appearing in Heartstopper, Netflix’s teen drama series, which gives him an existing relationship with the streaming platform’s audience. His casting in a McGee project suggests the creator is interested in performers who can navigate both comedic timing and dramatic weight—a requirement that defines the series’ tonal balance.

The trade-off for viewers: Liam’s dual identity as mechanic and police officer suggests he occupies an unusual middle ground between the three friends and whatever authority structure they may encounter. Whether he functions as ally, obstacle, or something more complex remains one of the Season 1’s open questions.

How to Get to Heaven from Belfast is a mystery thriller with jokes, unlike Derry Girls which was more of an out-and-out comedy.

— The Independent (analysis publication)

Bronagh Gallagher is known for roles in Dear Sarah, The Commitments, and You Me & Marley.

— Town & Country Magazine