Derry Girls immortalised in paint for giant city centre mural

A huge mural of the cast of hit show Derry Girls is being painted in the city centre.

The artwork is being installed as a tribute to the “incredible” backing the show has received locally, Channel 4 said.

The main characters in the hit comedy – Erin, Orla, Clare, Michelle and James – are being immortalised in paint on the gable end of the Badgers Bar building in Derry city.

Badgers manager John Cooley said: “Channel 4 contacted us and said they had three gable walls in the running and were trying to choose, and in the end picked us.

“It suited better, the location is right in the city centre and the size was perfect. We have five characters, they needed the space and ours was big enough.

“They started this week and already the amount of people stopping and taking photographs is unreal.

“I think because the show was such a success and the support they had from Derry, made it all the better.

“It’s on Netflix now and we have people coming from all over the world to look at it already.

“We weren’t sure people would understand it, the Troubles and then the accent, but everyone seems to love it.

“They’re hoping to finish this weekend and they’ve hired local people to paint it, so that makes it all the better.

“I think Channel 4 are hoping the girls are going to come and unveil it, so we have that to look forward to.”

Nicola Coughlan who plays Clare in the series described news of the mural as “surreal”.

The mural is being developed by Channel 4’s in-house creative agency 4Creative, which is working with Derry not-for-profit social enterprise group UV Arts, which uses street art as a tool for social change.

The Channel 4 show follows the lives of schoolgirls in 1990s Derry, and it has recently been streamed on Netflix globally to critical acclaim.