'Love/Hate' depicts a Dublin we can all relate to

I must admit to being something of a latecomer to 'Love/Hate', RTÉ's riveting and rightly acclaimed crime drama.

Looking back now, the first series bears little resemblance to the tour de force that the programme has become. I remember being distinctly underwhelmed by the show in its early days, despite the fact that it starred acting heavyweight Aidan Gillen. It was late into series four before I dipped back in to see what all the fuss was about. This time, the performances seemed more assured; the writing was stronger; and the tension created by the evolving plotlines was often unbearable.

Nidge is a television character that many communities will be familiar with

There may well have been some disappointment at how series four ended but it set the scene nicely for what was to come. So far, the latest series of 'Love/Hate' has been an absolute triumph and is compulsive viewing every Sunday night.

RTÉ has upped its game in recent years when it comes to original television drama. 'Single-Handed', the story of a lone Garda taking on corrupion and crime in a rural Irish community, was excellent. But last year's highly anticipated missing teen drama, 'Amber', failed to live up to the promise of its opening episode and was ultimately unsatisfying.

The station's upcoming drama on the life and times of Charles Haughey should make for interesting viewing and will no doubt reignite national debate on one of Ireland's most divisive and controversial politicians. Let's just hope that the presence of so many 'Love/Hate' actors in the Haughey production will not prove too much of a distraction.

But back to Nidge and Co for a moment. I was trying to comprehend the huge appeal of the series as the credits rolled on one of the most explosive episodes so far (the one where the young Traveller boy is shot during a botched hit on his dad, Patrick). There is stark realism dripping from every page of writer Stuart Carolan's gritty script. Perhaps it's the familiarity of it all: the recognisable landmarks of the city; the authenticity of the dialogue; the drug lords living abroad; the brutal depictions of the type of violence we read about all the time in newspaper crime reports.

Most of us know parts of the city where residents are in constant fear of  real-life Nidges or Frans. We hear about pub shootings and daylight assasinations with disturbing regularity. It's a story that resonates with us. For all its brilliance, perhaps 'Love/Hate' succeeds most for creating a fictional Dublin we can all too easily relate to.