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RTÉ.ie

Peter Coonan found Love/Hate rape 'hard to watch, but the scene made sense'

He also had no idea Nidge had been shot, until he watched the episode on Sunday night.

ACTOR PETER COONAN has spoken of his shock at finding out the details of his character’s rape in Love/Hate.

In the RTÉ series’ season finale on Sunday night, Fran was held down and raped with a pool cue in the showers of Mountjoy Prison.

“After the script was handed out [...] I came into work one day, and people were kinda looking at me,” he told Newstalk Breakfast.

“And then I read it, and I had to kinda sit back for a minute and really think about it.”

After speaking with writer Stuart Carolan, he felt more comfortable with it.

“It made sense in regards to the arc of the character, you know, for this alpha male to be brought down to this level,” Coonan said, “and was it the right choice?”

It was hard to watch as well for me.

Coonan said the “tough” scene itself took as long as eight hours to film.

He added that he often gets Fran’s phrases, such as “coola-boola”, shouted at him in public but that he “hasn’t walked the streets” since Sunday’s episode.

Newstalk 106-108 fm / YouTube

Cooonan also said that he didn’t know of Nidge’s fate, and that after he found out that Siobhán had been killed, he didn’t want to accept it and so asked no more questions until watching the episode “just like everyone else” on Sunday night.

And what about another series?

“We are normally the last people to find out”.

If you have been affected by rape or sexual assault, these services offer support:

  • The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre: national 24-hour helpline on 1800 77 88 88
  • The Samaritans on 116 123
  • Amen, for male victims of domestic abuse, on 046 902 3718
  • Women’s Aid national helpline on 1800 341 900

Read: Why was everyone making rape jokes after the Love/Hate finale? >

More: What can we learn about anger management from Nidge and Fran? No, seriously… >

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28 Comments
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    Mute john Appleseed
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    Mar 16th 2017, 3:06 PM

    Fathered a child = heinous crime. Fiddled a child = let’s say no more about it. Catholic Church 2017

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    Mute John003
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    Mar 16th 2017, 3:11 PM

    Don’t think Irish Catholics were “profoundly upset” by Bishop Casey being a dad at all…..

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    Mute Deborah Behan
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    Mar 16th 2017, 3:28 PM

    @John003: it was more the embezzling of the money that irritated me.

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    Mute Scorpionvenomm
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    Mar 16th 2017, 3:59 PM

    @john Appleseed: well said

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    Mute jane
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    Mar 16th 2017, 4:13 PM

    @john Appleseed: I think it was the beginning of the end for the Catholic Church as we knew it in Ireland. If a bishop like Casey could do that then we were able to believe all the other revelations that followed. The Catholic Church might see what he did as harmful but I think he unwittingly did a lot of good.

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    Mute Damien Aulsberry
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    Mar 16th 2017, 4:51 PM

    @john Appleseed:

    Nail on the Head John…absolutely disgusting

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    Mute john Appleseed
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    Mar 16th 2017, 5:00 PM

    I think that’s what irritated them the most too

    12
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    Mute Lily Martin
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    Mar 17th 2017, 2:47 AM

    It beggars belief doesn’t it? “Bishop has a child with a consenting adult and steals money” is profoundly disturbing to the the head honchos of Catholic Ireland, but sexually and physically abusing children and leaving them with indelible psychological scarring gets brushed under the carpet. I believe in God but the Catholic Church has proven itself to be a dark, twisted and corrupt organisation with no regard for anyone outside its chosen members. Just like our government. The Lord between us and all harm.

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    Mute Paul Mac Court
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    Mar 16th 2017, 3:31 PM

    One priest/bishop father’s a child and gets posted to a hell hole in the third world. Another priest molests numerous children and gets moved to another comfortable parish. Priorities are clear.

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    Mute Chris Kirk
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    Mar 16th 2017, 4:26 PM

    @Paul Mac Court: Don’t you mean that they are spirited away to another comfortable parish. Ir is all divine intervention or smoke and mirrors with them bouyo’s

    29
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    Mute Garreth Byrne
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    Mar 16th 2017, 7:06 PM

    @Paul Mac Court: Eamonn Casey wasn’t ‘posted to a hell hole in the third world.’ He chose to go and serve as a missionary priest in a remote area of Peru. He could have chosen to work in the USA or some other economically developed country, and in fact served in an English parish after finishing his stint in Peru.

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    Mute Kevin Slater
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    Mar 17th 2017, 9:56 AM

    Keeping his head down more like in a far away place

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    Mute Jimmy McCarthy
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    Mar 16th 2017, 3:17 PM

    Once again putting the institution (church) before the welfare of his son and his mother. Somethings never change even after all the revelations.

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    Mute Gerry Ryan
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    Mar 16th 2017, 3:30 PM

    @Jimmy McCarthy: they attempt to balance every wrong done by clerics with a eulogy on all the good deeds done.
    But if you dont follow their rules there’s no balance sheet.
    You’re bound for hell.

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    Mute Philip Howlin
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    Mar 16th 2017, 11:40 PM

    @Jimmy McCarthy: Thousands of Irishmen are guilty of same crime as Bishop Casey. They put their own welfare and position above that of their children by not living up to their responsibilities. They stood idly by and let women
    and children suffer in bell holes like Magdalene Laundries and so called Mother and Baby Homes.

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    Mute seanmccann
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    Mar 17th 2017, 9:26 AM

    @Philip Howlin: Yep all those immaculate conceptions. Where were the fathers. Some of them moved to another parish. No love for fallen women.

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    Mute Markonline
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    Mar 16th 2017, 3:10 PM
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    Mute Michael Lynch
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    Mar 16th 2017, 3:17 PM

    Any sign of Annie and/or Len’s son?

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    Mute Deborah Behan
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    Mar 16th 2017, 3:29 PM

    @Markonline: crying emoji face

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    Mute James
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    Mar 16th 2017, 3:04 PM

    Had to get the dig in… Of course when O’Connell kicked it they basically rewrote history for his eulogy…

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    Mute Neal, not Neil.
    Favourite Neal, not Neil.
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    Mar 16th 2017, 6:38 PM

    The church needs to learn that moder society doesn’t give a toss about the “sins”. It’s their crimes that we have a problem with.

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    Mute EvieXVI
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    Mar 16th 2017, 5:06 PM

    Why do RTE keep calling him ‘Bishop’ when he hasn’t been Bishop for 25 years??

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    Mute Kieran O'dwyer
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    Mar 16th 2017, 5:44 PM

    @EvieXVI: once a bishop, always a bishop unless defrocked.

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    Mute EvieXVI
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    Mar 16th 2017, 7:16 PM

    @Kieran O’dwyer: he was kind of defrosted though…

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    Mute EvieXVI
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    Mar 16th 2017, 7:17 PM

    @EvieXVI: *defrocked* even!

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    Mute Margaret Mcgarry
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    Mar 16th 2017, 7:17 PM

    @EvieXVI: once a bishop always…..,

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    Mute Kevin Slater
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    Mar 17th 2017, 9:55 AM

    No, defrosted is what he was. Got warm and loved a woman.

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    Mute Unitedpeople
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    Mar 16th 2017, 3:33 PM

    Cases actions – or lack of them in some cases, were pretty upsetting for his son while growing up. The church in their PR spinning, is always all too willing to gloss over that fact conveniently.

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    Mute Michael McGuinness
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    Mar 16th 2017, 6:44 PM

    He’s human.

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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
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    Mar 17th 2017, 3:45 AM

    @Michael McGuinness: So was Stalin, Hitler and Churchill?

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    Mute Dan Henry
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    Mar 16th 2017, 7:39 PM

    Bishop Casey was not a bad man but a good one there are priests and nuns out there who raped young boys and girls who were in their care shame on them some of those victims never got justice()

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    Mute Each Way Thief
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    Mar 16th 2017, 7:45 PM

    Michael Cleary was worse. He denied ,on his death bed, that he fathered a child.

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    Mute Michael Lynch
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    Mar 20th 2017, 11:19 AM

    @Each Way Thief: Father Jack has video evidence.

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    Mute Laura Mulcahy
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    Mar 16th 2017, 9:49 PM

    Where does the torture and rape if small children fit in with those who “preach the gospel?” You just have to hand it the Catholic Church, the bs is never ending.

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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
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    Mar 17th 2017, 3:46 AM

    @Laura Mulcahy: Is that the one with the big white dog that is always flying lol.

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    Mute Kevin Slater
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    Mar 17th 2017, 9:53 AM

    Removed from office for having a normal human relationship. That’s what the RC church is most afraid of. Women. Girls, you’re the biggest threat there is to the dead stale corpses who call themselves priests and christians

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    Mute Maire
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    Mar 17th 2017, 11:15 AM

    Suffering?? Caused by the Birth of his Son!! Has nothing Changed? What an Awful thing to say at His Funeral! Appalling! RIP Eamon! God Bless His Son!

    4
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