If you’ve ever hidden a suitcase of vodka on a bus, been stoned on scones at a wake, or stolen a notice board at a local restaurant, then Derry Girls is the perfect show for you. The coming-of-age comedy series first appeared on Britain’s public television network, Channel 4, in 2018, which eventually became a popular streaming show on Netflix later that year. Set in Northern Ireland in the 1990s during the Troubles’, a group of five teenagers who’ve grown up together set out on their journey for self-discovery that’s greater than the sectarian violence simultaneously happening in their youthful adventures – one where the heart-wrenching humor is more than relatable, it’s nostalgic.

The genius Derry Girls was created and written by the compelling Lisa McGee, who in 2018 was listed as one of BBC’s 100 Women. McGee is both a screenwriter and a playwright, and has been since she was a teenager in 1990s Northern Ireland. Her inspiration for this witty tv series was her own life, and what it was like for her to come-of-age in such a complex time. Though she refused to write about the Troubles’ – or the three-decade conflict between Catholic nationalists and Protestant unionists in Northern Ireland – when she was younger, McGee came to the realization that the perfect scene for the plot of her story was exactly that. Why? She discovered that the Troubles’ in a border town in Northern Ireland was a strange time to grow up in, especially as a teenager, and for that the awkwardly flawless story evolved.

Though I never was an Irish 90s girl myself, many of the characteristics of the critically acclaimed series remain uncanny to the daily acts of life in an Irish household. Families are big, obedience is key, and mischief is ever present. The central character, Erin, lives in a relatively small house with five other people- her mother, father, aunt, cousin, and grandfather. The cluttered home filled with crucifixes and paintings of religious relics is always stirring with noisy movement, and frequently family members find themselves juggling multiple tasks on their hands. More often than not, your mother catches you with the tricks up your sleeve before you have even followed through with them. Family is essential in Irish culture, that’s why much of the show successfully focuses on scenes surrounding the parents and family members without the five teenagers. And the household is devoted to the Catholic church, in case you didn’t catch the memo from the countless crucifixes and relics. Though, if you think the Mary statue is crying, be sure to look twice because it might just happen to be the remnants of dog pee leaking through the ceiling.

Like Erin’s big family, my grandmother grew up in a household with many cousins as well. My mom was then raised in a large family; one with four sisters, her parents, and two aunts. I myself grew up in a family with seven cousins. My grandmother was similar to Erin’s mom, Mary, in the series: strict and somewhat cold. “Tough love,” my mom calls it, and it was because much of the time she caught her kids in loads of mischief. My grandfather never approved of my dad the same way Gerry, Erin’s father, is not approved by the grandfather in the show.

Although obedience is key, it is rarely followed. Unless you want to end up like the unlikeable tattle-tale, Jenny Joyce, then it serves you best to get into trouble… sometimes. As teenagers, my family was known for getting caught by parents and Catholic school nuns like Sister Michael. They were known for having a “bad girl” to egg everyone on and a “goodie two shoes” to remind their group of reason. The stereotypical roles of Michelle and Claire, the “bad girl” and “goodie two shoes” of the show, reign undeniably true. Whether it’s stealing alcohol from someone’s house and accidentally setting their bedroom on fire or having energy drinks to pull an all nighter from studying to the point that your hands uncontrollably shake, both characters are a true testament to a group of Irish teenage friends.

Yet with all the teenage and family chaos going on in the Netflix series, how do the Troubles’ fit in with Mcgee’s noteworthy narrative? The violent fights and riots between Catholics and Protestants during this time was not the foreground of the story. While it is duly fitting and important to the story’s plot, McGee manages to make the main focus of Derry Girls the awkwardly insecure yet rebellious teen. She writes each of their roles successfully and beautifully – getting inside the head of teenage girls and so accurately making their worries more about their inability to go to a 90s Pop Concert because of the escape of a polar bear rather than the ongoing war in their town. As teens and young people are still facing the crisis of finding themselves during political and social unrest, Derry Girls proves itself to be more than relatable, but timeless.

Growing Up Derry