‘Glorious Heresies’ set for TV series

An acclaimed Irish novel set in Cork is set for the small screen after its award- winning author signed a deal to adapt the book into a TV series.

Lisa McInerney yesterday revealed that her debut novel The Glorious Heresies — a story of five misfits whose lives intertwine in post-crash Cork — has been optioned for television by production company Fifty Fathoms.

The novel has won both the 2016 Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction and the 2016 Desmond Elliott Prize, amid critical praise.

Ms McInerney, who will adapt the novel into the show’s script, told the Irish Examiner that she “can’t wait to get cracking”.

The series is set to be directed and executively produced by Julian Farino, whose directorial credits include episodes of Entourage, Sex and the City, and the US version of The Office.

Mr Farino told trade magazine The Bookseller: “The Glorious Heresies has a terrific ensemble of original characters, all of whom have compelling journeys, making it ideal for a classy television series.

“Not only does Lisa write with edge and compassion, but her dialogue and sense of rhythm is hugely cinematic. Her material is made for the screen.”

Having read the book, Mr Farino and Fifty Fathoms approached the author about working on the adaptation, and Ms McInerney said she is looking forward to seeing the book presented through another medium.

“It’s exciting to discover what aspects of the world you’ve made interest other creative people, and you need to have different ways of approaching the telling of the story for different mediums,” she said.

“Julian has such affection for the characters and plenty of ideas that feel very right for the Heresies world and the people in it. So I’m looking forward to seeing what we all come up with together.”

While she does not know if the series will retain the book’s setting, Ms McInerney said she is hopeful the show will take place in Cork.

“In a sense, Heresies is a story that could take place anywhere, but in another sense everything about it is so steeped in Cork, in terms of the size of the city, its history, even its geography,” she said.

“And who wouldn’t froth at the mouth for a chance to write dialogue in Cork-Hiberno? I might be being a small bit biased here but it’s the liveliest of our dialects.”