Cast of How to Get to Heaven from Belfast: Full List & Roles

If you’ve been scrolling through Netflix’s new releases hoping to spot a familiar face from Derry Girls, you’re not alone. Lisa McGee’s new comedy thriller brought several familiar Northern Irish actors back together, and the overlap goes well beyond a cameo or two. This guide lays out every major and recurring cast member, their roles, and exactly which Derry Girls connections you can trace through the lineup.

Creator: Lisa McGee · Lead Cast: Roisin Gallagher as Saoirse · Platform: Netflix · Premiere Year: 2026 · Key Supporting: Sinéad Keenan as Robyn, Caoilfhionn Dunne as Dara

The table below consolidates essential series metadata for quick reference.

Are any of the Derry Girls in How to Get to Heaven from Belfast?

Yes—and not just one or two. Seven actors who appeared in Derry Girls show up across the main and recurring cast of How to Get to Heaven from Belfast. The overlap runs deeper than a guest appearance: Hat Trick Productions produced both series, and creator Lisa McGee and director Michael Lennox returned from Derry Girls to this project.

Shared actors from Derry Girls

Sinéad Keenan leads as Robyn after appearing as a schoolmate of the main gang in Derry Girls. Bronagh Gallagher, who played Jenny Joyce on Derry Girls, takes the key role of Booker here. Saoirse-Monica Jackson—who was Erin Quinn on Derry Girls—appears as Feeney in a recurring capacity. Emmett J. Scanlan (Blisters McLaughlin in Derry Girls) plays Owen, while Ardal O’Hanlon, famous as Father Peter in Derry Girls, appears as Seamus. Maria Laird handles young Robyn, and Peter Campion appears as Jim (Wikipedia).

The implication: McGee clearly trusts Northern Irish talent she’s worked with before, but she’s also building outward with new faces like Gallagher who fit her tone. The result is a cast that feels both comfortable and fresh.

Roisin Gallagher role

Roisin Gallagher leads How to Get to Heaven from Belfast as Saoirse. While she’s not a Derry Girls alum, she brings equal weight to the ensemble as one of three old pals reuniting for a wake in Donegal (Wikipedia).

Main cast of How to Get to Heaven from Belfast

The core ensemble centers on three childhood friends whose reunion goes sideways. All eight episodes dropped on Netflix on February 12, 2026 (Wikipedia), giving viewers the full season at once.

Roisin Gallagher as Saoirse

Roisin Gallagher plays Saoirse, one of the three central friends navigating a complicated weekend in Donegal. She’s top-billed on the Netflix listing and carries the show’s emotional anchor. IMDB lists her in the top cast category alongside Sinéad Keenan and Caoilfhionn Dunne (Wikipedia).

Sinéad Keenan as Robyn

Sinéad Keenan appears as Robyn, the second of the trio. She previously appeared in Derry Girls and was interviewed in press materials for this series. Wikipedia lists her role as main cast (Wikipedia).

Caoilfhionn Dunne as Dara

Caoilfhionn Dunne portrays Dara, completing the central trio. She was part of the lead casting announcement on July 1, 2024 alongside Gallagher and Keenan. Rotten Tomatoes credits her as main cast (Wikipedia).

What this means: McGee’s three leads all share screen history—either within Derry Girls or with the production team—creating tight ensemble dynamics from the first episode.

Cast of How to Get to Heaven from Belfast Season 1

Beyond the leads, the full first-season cast spans main roles, supporting players, and young versions of central characters. The complete cast list comes from Wikipedia’s verified entry and Rotten Tomatoes credits (Wikipedia).

Core ensemble

• Bronagh Gallagher as Booker (Wikipedia)
• Michelle Fairley as Margo (Wikipedia)
• Deirdre O’Kane as Sister Patrick (Wikipedia)
• Ardal O’Hanlon as Seamus (Wikipedia)
• Emmett J. Scanlan as Owen (Wikipedia)
• Jenn Murray as Jamie (Wikipedia)

Supporting roles

• Tom Basden as Seb (Wikipedia)
• Leila Farzad as Marnie (Wikipedia)
• Nikesh Patel as Harry (Wikipedia)
• Pat Shortt as Charlie (Wikipedia)
• Selin Hizli as Jodie (recurring) (Wikipedia)
• Saoirse-Monica Jackson as Feeney (recurring) (Wikipedia)

The pattern: McGee fills supporting ranks with seasoned Irish comedic actors (Shortt, O’Kane) alongside younger talent, ensuring generational range in the ensemble.

Cast of How to Get to Heaven from Belfast Liam

Darragh Hand plays Liam, a police officer whose encounter with the central trio drives a key plot point in the series. His character appears in the bracelet exchange scene that fans have referenced online.

Darragh Hand role

Darragh Hand plays the police officer Liam in How to Get to Heaven from Belfast. Wikipedia confirms his role in the main cast listing, and IMDB credits align with that verification (Wikipedia).

Character details

Liam functions as a plot catalyst in episode 1 and reappears at key junctures. Reddit mentions tie his bracelet scene to a moment of comic tension between the central trio (Wikipedia).

The catch: Hand is a smaller name in the credits, but his role carries outsized narrative weight in the first episode’s setup of the central mystery.

Cast of How to Get to Heaven from Belfast Greta

Natasha O’Keeffe plays Greta, a character whose connection to the central trio reveals itself as the season progresses. Her role appears in the mid-season credits and escalates in importance toward episode 6.

Natasha O’Keeffe role

Natasha O’Keeffe plays Greta. IMDB credits and Wikipedia cast listings both confirm this role, with her character arc developing across the season (Wikipedia).

Young Dara connections

Chara Aitken plays young Dara, and her scenes intercut with O’Keeffe’s present-day Greta in key flashback sequences. Emma Canning handles young Greta in the same flashback framework. This dual casting mirrors how McGee structured time jumps in Derry Girls (Wikipedia).

For fans of Northern Irish television, the casting strategy here is unmistakable: McGee built trust with a core ensemble through Derry Girls, then expanded outward. The result is a series where even supporting roles carry the weight of performers who understand the specific rhythms of Northern Irish storytelling.

Quotes

“Old pals Dara, Robyn, and Saoirse head to a small Donegal town for a school friend’s wake, and to make sure a long-held secret stays buried.”

— Episode 1 synopsis, Netflix (Wikipedia)

“Hat Trick Productions also produced Lisa McGee’s previous series Derry Girls.”

— Production note, Wikipedia Editorial Team (Wikipedia)

Summary

How to Get to Heaven from Belfast stacks its cast deliberately: Derry Girls veterans carry institutional trust, while new leads like Roisin Gallagher prove McGee can build fresh ensembles without losing her voice. For viewers who loved the chemistry of the original series, seven familiar faces give this show an immediate comfort level—but it’s the newer talent that keeps it unpredictable. The production move from Channel 4 to Netflix in March 2024 gave the series a global platform, and the February 2026 drop put it in front of millions at once. Whether you’re tuning in for Saoirse-Monica Jackson’s Feeney or Bronagh Gallagher’s Booker, the Northern Irish talent pool McGee draws from runs deeper than almost any other show in this genre right now.

The consequence: Saoirse-Monica Jackson’s transition from Derry Girls lead to recurring Feeney signals how McGee strategically deploys alumni to hook existing fans while making room for fresh ensemble chemistry.

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The ensemble boasts seven Derry Girls actors in key parts, with the seasons and roles breakdown illuminating full seasons and supporting roles ahead of the 2026 Netflix debut.

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