Exploring the Locations of Conversations with Friends

The last time Sally Rooney’s work was adapted for television, it broke records and became the breakout hit of lockdown 2020. Normal People, released as a single boxset on BBC iPlayer, was streamed over 60 million times, made stars of leads Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal, and became a word-of-mouth phenomenon. Conversations With Friends is its follow-up; based on Rooney’s first novel published in 2017, it is also screening on iPlayer in one bingeable dose, and it shares other characteristics too.

Conversations with Friends revolves around couples, though in this case there are two intertwined: ex-girlfriends Frances (newcomer Alison Oliver) and Bobbi (Sasha Lane, known for Utopia, American Honey, and The Miseducation of Cameron Post), as well as the older husband and wife duo Melanie (Jemima Kirke from Girls) and Nick (Joe Alwyn, noted for his roles in The Favourite and Mary Queen of Scots).

As with Normal People, the setting is Rooney’s native Ireland, with Trinity College Dublin reappearing in a leading role. Furthermore, there’s a similar transition abroad, which brilliantly forces the story’s relationships into the light. Consequently, here’s a guide to the stunning locations you can expect to see in this highly anticipated series.