How to Get to Heaven from Belfast: Plot, Cast & Season 2 News

If three childhood friends driving to a mysterious wake in County Donegal sounds like the start of a dark joke, that’s because Lisa McGee (of Derry Girls fame) wrote it that way. How to Get to Heaven from Belfast lands on Netflix in 2026 as a comedy‑thriller that twists a road trip into a hunt for the truth about a death that wasn’t what it seemed.

Creator: Lisa McGee ·
Production company: Hat Trick Productions ·
Network: Netflix ·
Premiere year: 2026 ·
Genre: Comedy thriller ·
Country of origin: Ireland

Seven key details about the series, one pattern: the show blends a comedic road‑trip format with the dark institutional mystery of a cult-like community.

The implication: the show is firmly a Netflix Original with a pedigree from Hat Trick Productions, but the exact release schedule remains vague.

Will there be a season 2 of How to Get to Heaven from Belfast?

Current status of season 2

As of March 2026, Netflix has not officially announced a second season (What’s On Netflix renewal tracking). The series premiered in 2026 as an eight‑episode season, and the cliffhanger finale – in which the trio learn Greta faked her death and joined a non‑official witness‑protection program called The Evaporation Society – leaves ample room for continuation.

What the creators have said

Lisa McGee has not yet commented publicly on a potential second season. However, given that the show marks her transition from the sitcom Derry Girls to a darker thriller genre (Radio Times genre analysis), the story seems designed for a multi‑season arc.

Likelihood of renewal

Netflix typically renews its original series within 2 to 6 months of launch, provided viewership metrics are healthy (What’s On Netflix renewal pattern analysis). Early coverage from Evoke and Radio Times suggests strong cultural interest in an Irish comedy‑thriller on a global platform. The trade‑off: without official viewership numbers, renewal remains speculative.

Where does How to Get to Heaven from Belfast take place in Ireland?

Filming locations

The series is set primarily in Belfast and surrounding areas of Northern Ireland, with the trio’s journey taking them from Belfast to County Donegal (Wikipedia setting description). The road trip nature of the plot allows the production to showcase coastal landscapes, quiet towns, and urban Belfast backdrops.

Fictional setting vs real places

While the story uses fictional names for some locations (e.g., Heaven’s Veil / Caille Neamh, a cult‑like community), the geography is rooted in real landmarks. The wake takes place in a County Donegal house; the climax returns to the fictional Heaven’s Veil, which is likely a stand‑in for isolated rural communities in the Republic of Ireland (Cosmopolitan ending explainer).

Northern Ireland connection

Creator Lisa McGee, who grew up in Derry, infuses the show with Northern Irish sensibilities – dialect, social tensions, and a gallows‑humour approach to personal tragedy (BFI Southbank YouTube interview with McGee). The Belfast setting is not just a backdrop; the title itself plays on the city’s name as a dual metaphor for mortality and escape.

The pattern: the show’s Irish identity is central to its tone and narrative. Anyone expecting a generic crime story may be surprised by how much the culture of Northern Ireland drives character decisions.

What is How to Get to Heaven from Belfast about?

Premise and plot summary

Three lifelong friends – Saoirse (a TV writer), Robyn (a stressed mother of three), and Dara (a carer) – reunite after the sudden death of their estranged fourth friend, Greta (Wikipedia plot summary). Strange events at the wake and a long‑kept secret propel them into investigating what really happened. They travel across Ireland using a car that becomes a recurring visual motif (Radio Times road trip details).

Main characters and their arcs

• Saoirse (Roísín Gallagher) – the pragmatic TV writer whose scepticism clashes with the mystery.
• Robyn (Sinéad Keenan) – the overwhelmed mother who seeks escape through the investigation.
• Dara (Caoilfhionn Dunne) – the carer with an emotional connection to Greta’s past.
• Greta (Natasha O’Keeffe) – the deceased “friend” whose secrets don’t stay buried.
• Margo (Michelle Fairley) – a figure connected to the Heaven’s Veil community.

Wikipedia cast list lists additional cast including Bronagh Gallagher as Booker and Darragh Hand as Liam.

Tone: comedy thriller

McGee describes the show as “Derry Girls meets a thriller” – a blend of sharp dialogue and genuine suspense (Radio Times genre description). The humour doesn’t undercut the dangerous cult storyline; rather, it lets the characters’ relationship dynamics breathe.

The pattern: the show uses a road‑trip comedy structure to explore how old friendships fracture and reform under the pressure of a life‑or‑death secret.

“How to Get to Heaven from Belfast marks Lisa McGee’s move into a darker, more thriller‑oriented genre while retaining comedic elements.”

— Radio Times tone analysis

Who stars in How to Get to Heaven from Belfast?

Lead actors

• Roísín Gallagher as Saoirse
• Sinéad Keenan as Robyn
• Caoilfhionn Dunne as Dara

These three leads carry the emotional weight. Gallagher and Keenan are known for Irish film and television; Dunne’s performance has been highlighted in early reviews (Wikipedia cast page).

Supporting cast

• Bronagh Gallagher as Booker
• Darragh Hand as Liam
• Natasha O’Keeffe as Greta (appears in flashback / aftermath)
• Michelle Fairley as Margo

Fairley, known for Game of Thrones, brings gravitas to the cult storyline (Wikipedia full cast listing).

Cameos

No notable cameos have been reported in the first season, but the finale’s introduction of the Evaporation Society suggests future appearances by actors tied to the witness‑protection program.

The implication: with a strong ensemble, the show avoids relying on a single star – every character has a distinct motivation that complicates the central mystery.

How do I get to heaven from Belfast?

The literal vs. series interpretation

The title is deliberately ambiguous. It sounds like a travel question, but the show makes clear it’s not a geographical guide – it’s a metaphorical journey about confronting death, guilt, and the lengths people go to escape their past (Wikipedia title context).

Why the title is ambiguous

“Heaven” in the title refers both to the afterlife (the friends try to “get to heaven” by understanding Greta’s death) and to the fictional Heaven’s Veil cult community. The juxtaposition of heaven with Belfast – a city with real‑world sectarian history – adds a layer of dark irony typical of McGee’s writing (Radio Times thematic analysis).

Series as a metaphorical journey

The three women drive physically across Ireland, but the real journey is emotional: each must reckon with what she left behind when the group fell apart. The title asks whether redemption is possible through loyalty or only through truth.

The catch: the show invites viewers to stop treating the title as a joke and start reading it as a thesis statement about second chances and hidden pasts.

“In the finale, Saoirse, Robyn, and Dara discover that Greta faked her death and entered a non‑official witness‑protection‑style program called The Evaporation Society.”

— Cosmopolitan ending explainer

For Irish audiences and Netflix subscribers, the choice is clear: binge season 1 now, or wait for the confirmed second season that the cliffhanger demands. The pattern of Irish‑themed Netflix originals suggests strong global appeal, but without official renewal, viewers must decide whether to invest in a story that may leave them stranded at Caille Neamh.

Frequently asked questions

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