Warning: spoilers for Episode One ahead!
Bestselling author and Assistant Professor of Information and Communication Páraic Kerrigan is among the cast of The Traitors Ireland Season 2. The first episode dropped on Sunday, August 30, as a group of 23 contestants from all across the country landed in Slane Castle to play the ultimate murder mystery game.
Páraic, writer of Reeling in the Queers: Tales of Ireland’s LGBTQ+ Past, announced his participation in the show on Instagram, sharing: “Taking some snakes around here to a whole new level let me tell you! This year I will be stepping into Slane Castle to play the game of my life as part of The Traitors Ireland Season 2!
“Traitor or faithful? Either way, I’ll be stirring the pot…”
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With €50,000 up for grabs, it didn’t take long before queen of the castle Siobhán McSweeney picked Páraic as one of the first three traitors, alongside 61-year-old drama teacher and actor Fionula, and 27-year-old early years educator Carla.
“There it was, the tap on the shoulder. And I said to myself, ‘Oh my god, I am Biddie to her Miley, it’s game on,” Páraic commented in the diary room.
Throughout the episode, the contestants took on their first mission, alliances and suspicions continued to rise, and a fourth traitor was selected. It also emerged that Páraic is not the only LGBTQ+ cast member on The Traitors Ireland Season 2.
45-year-old David from Dublin is a stay-at-home dad, married to his partner Colm. In the episode, he spoke about how growing up gay in Ireland may help his game, as it led him to become “good at keeping secrets”.
39-year-old Denis from Cork also mentioned being gay. However, he too is hiding a few secrets under his red hat, including his career as a psychotherapist.
LGBTQ+ influence was also seen within the show’s costuming, as Siobhán McSweeney’s iconic cloak is designed by GCN cover star Oran Aurelio.
The Traitors Ireland continues every Sunday, Monday and Tuesday on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player, followed by The Traitors Ireland Uncloaked.
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