Available on the iPlayer, Crá is an interesting crime show in many respects. While it certainly doesn’t have the production values of a full-on Netflix, HBO or BBC series, it does show us the shadowy side of a little seen part of the world. Set in a small community in County Donegal, Ireland, the show’s title means ‘torment’ in Irish Gaelic, and there is plenty of that across its six 45-minute episodes. It’s also the first Irish language crime show we’ve come across.

In addition to streaming on the iPlayer app, Crá is airing in twin episodes weekly at 9pm on BBC Four in the UK from 11 to 25 January.

Click here to start watching Crá (UK only).

So, here’s the skinny. Our protagonist, Conall Ó Súilleabháin (Dónall Ó Héalai), is a garda officer at an outpost police station on the wild Donegal coast in the far northwest of the Irish Republic. He’s also a bit of a law unto himself and in an early scene he beats a local man senseless in an alley for no clear reason.

While attempting to investigate the poisoning of an eagle, Conall’s junior garda colleague Barry Roche (Alex Murphy) notices a woman’s hand in a stream running through the peat bog. He’s found a bog body – but this one isn’t 5,000 years old. The corpse is well-preserved, lily white and still wearing a wristwatch. In fact, it turns out to be the body of Conall’s mother, Sabine, who disappeared 15 years ago.

That could well be where Conall’s torment comes from, but there’s more. The relationship between his father, Art (Barry McGovern), and Sabine was a tempestuous one. They ran a hotel together, while she created paintings and sculptures. Everyone assumed she’d fled the unhappy marriage, but now Art is in the frame for murder. As things progress, and Conall’s temper grows more evident, he too comes under suspicion.

As a relative of the victim, Conall’s barred from investigating the case, however he has access to evidence in his parents’ home and pressures Barry to let him know what’s going on in the investigation, which is being carried out by detectives from elsewhere. Then there’s Ciara-Kate (Hannah Brady), a local journalist who was covering the eagle story but now has a murder case to write about. She begins her own investigation, and barters information with Barry. With these resources, Conall starts an off-the-books investigation of his own.

Between all these inquisitive minds, who knows what will be turned up.

Crá’s creators, Ciarán Charles Ó Conghaile, Darach Ó Tuairisg and Philip Doherty make the most of the barren grey-green hillsides, the windswept coastline and Donegal’s lonely country roads. Snow whips across the heathland and the world’s most unfit football team trains in it regardless of the chill. The sets are sparse, many of the characters seem distant, and scenes like Sabine’s wake feel fraught with unsaid resentment. With family sitting at the foot of the coffin, others paying their respects situate themselves as far away from them as possible. The scene could have come from a James Joyce novel.

Conall himself is an enigma. You may sway between empathising with him and hoping he gets rumbled for so egregiously abusing his position and breaking with procedure. No spoilers, but he comes across as someone with secrets who hides a cold fury. Then again, he lost his mother while growing up and this has left its scars.

The Irish language is not widely heard off the island of Ireland, where there are about 75,000 speakers. Compared to Welsh – in crime shows such as Hinterland, Hidden and Cleddau – it sounds softer, less lyrical. Like Welsh, it’s an ancient branch of the Celtic language group, and along with the sound of the language the scenery does make you feel like you’re on the Celtic fringe of Europe. Interestingly, Crá was co-produced by Britain’s BBC Gaeilge and Ireland’s Irish language channel TG4.

Allow yourself to be drawn into its melancholy atmosphere, peppered with torment, and Crá is a fascinating addition to the collection of Scottish, Welsh and Irish crime fiction available to enjoy.

For more Irish crime drama, but in English, see Clean Sweep or North Sea Connection.