Dicey Reillys in Ballyshannon has a rebrand as cameras roll for 'Obituary'

A popular Ballyshannon pub got a bit of a frontal makeover this week as the TV cameras rolled in.

Dicey Reillys is one of the sets featured in a new six-part television series by Disney-owned Hulu and RTE by the Magamedia production, entitled ‘Obituary.’

For the sake of the show, Dicey’s has been rechristened ‘The Mariner’ with the signs now adorning the bar on Market Street.

“Hi Everyone, just to let you know that Dicey's is still here,” reads a post from the bar. “There has been a temporary name change to "The Mariner" and some changes inside for the filming of a new series called ‘Obituary,’ but the roaring open fire awaits you in the Dicey's you know and love. Thanks everyone for your continued support.”

Supported by the Donegal Film Office, ‘Obituary’ is a new Irish dark comedy series set around a small-town newspaper, which will be shot between Market Street, Lawne Park and St Anne’s Cemetary in Ballyshannon and Rougey in Bundoran between now and March. It is expected to hit the screens later in 2023.

Siobhán Cullen takes the lead role of Elvira Clancy, an underpaid obituarist working at a newspaper, with the series written by Ray Lawlor, directed by John Hayes and produced by Nell Green. APC Studios’ Laurent Boissel and Magamedia’s Paddy Hayes serve as executive producers.

Elvira is feeling unfulfilled, although she adores her job writing obituaries. When her newspaper falls on hard times, her boss tells her he is unable to keep her on the payroll and she finds herself being paid per obituary overnight.

When she ‘accidentally’ kills a nasty piece of work in the town, she discovers she might have an untapped bloodlust. She relishes using ever more crafty methods to kill off the town’s unpleasant residents while making them look like accidents. Unfortunately, a wrench lands in the works – the paper hires a suspicious new crime correspondent with a penchant for conspiracy theories - and Elvira has an eye for him.