The Walsh Sisters cast on BBC One: Derry Girls and House of Guinness stars lead BBC's Marian Keyes adaptation
Meet the ladies bringing these beloved characters to life
The Walsh Sisters cast is packed full of Irish talent – and as the new drama comes to BBC One, they’re ready to make you laugh and cry in equal measure.
In this six-episode heartwarming (and heartbreaking) series, viewers are the unofficial sixth Walsh sister, but peeking behind the closed doors of these tight-knit siblings sees life catch up with them fast in increasingly devastating ways.
The show has an all-star cast, and is loosely based on the Walsh Family book series by Marian Keyes. While most are Irish favourites, there are also some American stars you may recognise.
Meet the cast of The Walsh Sisters, and where you may have seen them before. Here’s everything you need to know.
Who’s in the cast of The Walsh Sisters? Caroline Menton stars as Rachel
Who is Rachel Walsh? Rachel is a fun-loving party girl, but it’s beginning to catch up with her. It’s affecting her relationship with boyfriend Luke, her parents, and most importantly her sisters – particularly Anna, who she lives with. But no matter how bad things get, she insists she’s ‘grand’. It takes something drastic for her to realise she has crossed a line and may need help. Despite this, she loves her family, and dotes on her niece Kate, who she is fiercely protective of, and is hurt that her mother is so dismissive of her.
What is Caroline Menton famous for? Originally from Dublin, Caroline trained to be an actress at RADA and Drama Centre London. Caroline’s first standout role was in 2024 thriller, Oddity, which earned an Audience Award at South by Southwest film festival. She also appears in Channel 5’s cosy drama, All Creatures Great and Small.
Louisa Harland stars as Anna
Who is Anna Walsh? Anna lives with sister Rachel in Dublin, and is completely in love with her boyfriend Aidan. She’s the life and soul of a party, and often joins her sister for a night out. However, unlike Rachel, she knows when the party’s over, and is ready for the next phase of her life. Anna jumps feet first into everything – including a whirlwind engagement to Aidan when he proposes – but struggles with the judgement that comes from her family. When disaster strikes, she struggles to figure out what to do next.
What is Louisa Harland famous for? Louisa Harland is a Dublin-born actress who is most beloved for playing hapless, dance-loving Orla McCool in Derry Girls. Before joining the Walsh Sisters cast, she also starred in Disney+’s Renegade Nell as the titular rebellious fugitive, Big Boys and Joy. Most recently, she appeared in 2026’s Oscar-nominated film, Hamnet.
Danielle Galligan stars as Claire
Who is Claire Walsh? Claire has a lot to celebrate as the series starts. Her divorce from ex-husband James is finally coming through and she’s ready to get back out there on the dating scene. A single mum to six-year-old daughter, Kate, Claire relies heavily on her sisters to raise her. She is exhausted with the back-and-forth of her custody agreement. She can’t help but feel like she’s missed out on life after becoming a mother so young.
What is Danielle Galligan famous for? Dublin-based Danielle is an actress who studied Drama and Theatre at Trinity College. She has a bachelor’s degree in Acting from the prestigious Lir Academy. Danielle can be seen in Netflix’s Shadow and Bone as Nina Zenik, and has roles in Kin, Obituary and The Great. She is currently in House of Guinness as socialite Lady Olivia Hedges, who is in a lavender marriage with Arthur Guinness.
Máiréad Tyers stars as Helen
Who is Helen Walsh? Helen might be the baby of the family, but emotionally she’s the most put together, often becoming the support system for her sibling’s needs, regularly being pushed to the sidelines. Still living with her parents, Mammy and Daddy often rely on her to understand the world today – from tech issues to ‘what’s politically correct’. She is currently at college, and is ready to forge her own identity.
What is Máiréad Tyers famous for? Raised in County Cork, Máiréad moved to London to train as an actress at RADA. Her breakthrough role was starring as troubled lead Jen in Disney+’s Extraordinary. She then appeared in My Lady Jane and Obituary before joining the Walsh Sisters cast. Her first major project was appearing in Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast in 2021.
Stefanie Preissner stars as Maggie
Who is Maggie Walsh? Maggie is the eldest of the Walsh sisters, and Mammy’s favourite daughter. That doesn’t stop her from doing things to stay in her good books, though. She is married to Garv, and the couple desperately want to start their own family, but are struggling to conceive.
What is Stefanie Preissner famous for? Stefanie Preissner is an Irish actress and writer – and is one of the lead writers on The Walsh Sisters, alongside Marian Keyes and Kefi Chadwick. As a result she has limited on-screen roles, but appears in her own projects. She previously wrote and starred in comedy-drama Can’t Cope, Won’t Cope, which aired from 2016 to 2018.
Carrie Crowley stars as Mammy
Who is Mammy Walsh? Mammy Walsh is a tough nut to crack. She likes to keep things a certain way, believes in propriety, and cares a lot about keeping up appearances. She loves her daughters, but very openly plays favourites. They have not become who she imagined they’d be, and so many of their choices disappoint her (something she’s not afraid of voicing). After 35 years as their mother, she’s ready to live her own life, but struggles to accept that – no matter how old they are – the Walsh sisters still need their Mammy. She’s also not very good at dealing with emotions.
What is Carrie Crowley famous for? Carrie is best known for playing Jackie Ferguson in Irish drama, Fair City. She has also appeared in The Quiet Girl, Smother and Hope Street, as well as cult fave Vikings and its spin-off, Vikings: Valhalla, as Hilde.
Aidan Quinn stars as Daddy
Who is Jack Walsh? Jack Walsh is a stoic man, who is vastly outnumbered as the father of the Walsh sisters. With a tough wife, he doesn’t raise his voice and tries to stay out of the way. While he is ready to help his daughters financially, he’s also quite emotionally absent from his family’s lives. He is a man who is content with his life in Ireland, and doesn’t see the need to break out of it.
What is Aidan Quinn famous for? Aidan Quinn is an American actor with a 45-year career on screen, and is one of the few non-Irish stars in the Walsh Sisters cast. However, while technically American, he has Irish parents, and growing up he would back and forth between Ireland and the States. He’s starred in classic films including Desperately Seeking Susan, Benny & Joon and Practical Magic. He is now best known for starring in Elementary, playing Captain Gregson in the Sherlock Holmes series opposite Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu for 154 episodes.
Who else stars in The Walsh Sisters?
Jay Duffy plays Luke Costello, who is Rachel’s boyfriend. The Irish actor is best known for playing Sean in Northern Lights, Dain Bornhald in The Wheel of Time, and Dane Preen in Playground. He also appears as Harry, a short-lived love interest for Michelle in Derry Girls.
Samuel Anderson stars as Aidan, Anna’s American fiancé. At the moment, the Birmingham-born actor is starring as hunky downstairs neighbour Mal in Amandaland – but you may know him best as Ross Kirk in Emmerdale. He is also Matt Blake in Shetland, Michael in Channel 5’s The Rumour, and Fingers in Gavin and Stacey.
Debi Mazar plays Chaquie. Debi is an American actress famed for Goodfellas, Entourage, KAOS and Younger. Most recently, she appeared in Sky’s The Iris Affair as Celia Baxter. She also stars in a string of Madonna music videos, including Papa Don’t Preach and True Blue.
Stephan Mullen is Maggie’s husband, Garv. His previous roles include Love, Rosie, Royal-ish and Mayfair Witches.
Gina Moxley appears as Josephine. Previously, she has had roles in shows including Game of Thrones, The Ambassador and Smalltown.
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