The Galway Bay Murders Filming Locations
RTÉ's new crime drama with Kate Mulgrew was shot in Connemara and Galway city. Here is the one location a Hot Press reporter saw in use, and what is still unconfirmed.
The Galway Bay Murders was filmed in County Galway, in Connemara and Galway city, in spring 2026. One location is confirmed by a Hot Press reporter who visited the set: Ross Castle, where some of the final scenes were shot. Beyond that, the makers have talked about a Connemara bog and little else, and no street or village has been officially named.
The six-part crime drama stars Kate Mulgrew as NYPD detective Lieutenant Nora Savage, with John Connors and Colm Meaney. It began on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player on Sunday, November 8, 2026, at 9:30 p.m. ITV has bought it for ITV1 and ITVX, and TV Guide notes that no UK start date has been announced.
The Galway Bay Murders filming locations at a glance
- Connemara, County Galway: confirmed by RTÉ and the producers.
- Ross Castle: confirmed by a Hot Press set visit.
- A Connemara bog: a scene was filmed in one, according to the Connacht Tribune. The bog has not been named.
- Galway city: named in the casting call for extras. No streets or buildings have been confirmed.
- Oughterard: part of the show’s origin story, not a confirmed location.
Connemara
RTÉ describes the series as filmed in Conamara, the Irish spelling the broadcaster uses, and set on the west coast. Trade paper Televisual reported on April 15, 2026, that filming had begun in the Connemara region, back when the show was still called The Yank.
The setting is personal. Writer Eithne Verling told RTÉ that an early version of the story was set in America and that she rewrote it during Covid for the place where she lives. RTÉ describes her as raised in An Cheathrú Rua, the Connemara village also known as Carraroe, and the Connacht Tribune adds that she now lives in Spiddal.
The plot starts with a body found on a Connemara bog, and a bog was a real location too. The Tribune’s profile opens with Verling watching a scene being filmed in one and finding herself in tears as the actors brought her characters to life. Neither the paper nor RTÉ says which bog. Mulgrew summed up the choice of setting for RTÉ Entertainment between takes: “Conamara being the character in this is perfection.”
Ross Castle
Hot Press magazine visited the set at Ross Castle, which it describes as a 16th-century manor in Connemara, while some of the final scenes were being filmed. Its reporter watched a scene being shot and noted that the castle’s garden privy had been turned into a makeshift studio.
That description matches Ross Castle at Rosscahill, a private lakeside estate about nine miles from Galway city. The castle’s Discover Ireland listing says the castle was built in 1539 by the O’Flahertys and that the Martin family later built the present manor house on its foundations. It should not be confused with the better-known Ross Castle in Killarney, County Kerry.
Can you visit Ross Castle?
As far as its listing shows, only as a guest. The estate is rented out for group stays and events, with room for parties in the castle and in a marquee, so it is a place you book, not one you tour.
Galway city
The city’s part in the shoot comes from the casting call. On March 18, 2026, the Connacht Tribune reported that filming would begin later that month in Galway city and Connemara, and that West Coast Casting wanted extras who were free between March and June. Midwest Radio carried the same call that day.
No report names a street, pub or quay. The nearest thing to a named place is a research visit. Verling told Hot Press that just before filming, the team was shown around the new Garda station in Galway by a chief superintendent. That tells you how the police scenes were prepared. It does not show that the station appears on screen.
Why Oughterard keeps coming up
Oughterard comes up in several interviews, but as backstory. Mulgrew told RTÉ she was staying in a house there when she met Verling over dinner, and the Connacht Tribune places that dinner in Oughterard. The friendship led to the series. No source says the village was used for filming.
Who made the series, and when
The Galway Bay Murders was made for RTÉ by Two Cities Television, the company behind Blue Lights, with AS I AM Productions and Keeper Pictures. Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor directed, and Televisual names James Mather as director of photography. ITV Studios distributes the series outside the Republic of Ireland.
Filming started in March 2026, and extras were needed until June. No wrap date has been published.
Also read: Marble Hall Murders Filming Locations.
