AMC+’s newest original series, Kin, is focused on an Irish crime family. Maria Doyle Kennedy has an important role in the family, but who is she?
If you haven’t checked out Kin yet, now is the time to get on it. There’s only one episode available on AMC+ at the moment, with new episodes released Thursdays. If there’s one reason for Outlander fans to watch, it’s Maria Doyle Kennedy.
She plays an important role on the series. In fact, she and Clare Dunne portray two different types of women in Irish crime families, the two different generations of women. You’ll want to check out the series to see how they both get things done in their own ways.
Who is Maria Doyle Kennedy on the new series? Here’s all you need to know.
Maria Doyle Kennedy is Birdy on Kin on AMC+
Doyle Kennedy plays Bridget “Birdy” Goggins, the sister of Frank Kinsella, head of the crime family. Frank is played by Aidan Gillen, who you’ll know well as Petyr Baelish on Game of Thrones. Yes, this show has an exceptionally strong cast.
Birdy is a woman from the older generation. She’s smart and she’s clued into the family, but she doesn’t necessarily stand out. Her actions are done behind the scenes in a way that doesn’t make the men of the family seem smaller than they really are. The newer generation of women, which Dunne is part of, stand out more to take more control when they see things going wrong.
Birdy shares a lot of screen time with Gillen. Birdy and Frank spend a lot of time discussing the right things to do for the family, especially as the international cartel starts to cause problems for them.
Birdy is the matriarch of the family. Doyle Kennedy helped to create the character, one who was the least developed in the scripts according to an interview with CBR. She isn’t afraid to create tension between the characters when she thinks it’s going to be best, but most of her actions are off to one side. She’s smart, and had she been a man, she would have likely been the one in control of the crime family.
At the same time, she tries to keep the family together. Blood is thicker than water when it comes to the Kinsellas, and Birdy will do what she can to protect those close to her.
What do you think of Kin? Are you watching it to get through Droughtlander? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Kin airs on Thursdays on AMC+.