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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 Colette Mullins
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    Nov 11th 2014, 1:47 PM

    There is a man in Mountjoy for raping a woman with a broken bottle.
    If that is called rape why is what happened to fran not called rape?
    rape is rape is rape. A person voliated by another in a sexual manner.

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    Mute Maria Byrne
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    Nov 11th 2014, 2:05 PM

    What about people who partake in anal sex? If a woman had a pool cue inserted into her vagina would it still be a brutal assault and not rape? I’m trying to understand the logic of why it wouldn’t be rape. In my opinion it is.

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    Mute Bhrinoceros
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    Nov 11th 2014, 2:32 PM

    Under irish law a man cannot be raped, only sexually assaulted, disgusting but true

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    Mute Donagh O'Loughlin
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    Nov 11th 2014, 3:19 PM

    A man can be raped under section 4. A man can of course be sexually assaulted. What happened to Fran would be considered an aggravated sexual assault and could carry up to life imprisonment.

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    Mute Bhrinoceros
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    Nov 11th 2014, 3:24 PM

    I got my fact off my friend who is a 3rd year law student in ucc and also a homosexual. In case you’re wondering why I stated his sexuality it’s because they’re the largest group of males in Ireland that experience rape yet they’re told its “sexual assault”, he had researched it for an assignment

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    Mute Joanna
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    Nov 11th 2014, 3:44 PM

    I don’t think by law that men can be raped by women as rape is defined mainly by the act of penetration. I could be wrong though.

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    Mute Donagh O'Loughlin
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    Nov 11th 2014, 4:15 PM

    A man can be raped under section 4 so long as it is a penis which penetrates the anus (or mouth). A foreign object does not constitute section 4 rape but rather a sexual assault. Read the statute and note that it specifies a penis only and is not gender specific.

    http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1990/en/act/pub/0032/sec0004.html

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    Mute Martin Ryan
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    Nov 11th 2014, 3:28 PM

    I think Peter Coonan, is a excellent actor, one for the future.

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    Mute Maria Byrne
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    Nov 11th 2014, 3:36 PM

    Saw him in The Borstal Boy a few weeks back in The Gaitey. He was brilliant.

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    Mute Gareth Keane
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    Nov 11th 2014, 1:42 PM

    It seems the Journal these last few days has been more concerned with giving away the ending of Love/Hate than with actually providing the news.

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    Mute Powerful Sayings
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    Nov 11th 2014, 2:29 PM

    I don’t think they are giving it away, it was on television on Sunday night.

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    Mute Gareth Keane
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    Nov 11th 2014, 2:46 PM

    That doesn’t mean that everyone in the country, or Irish diaspora, was watching RTE on Sunday night.

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    Mute Joanna
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    Nov 11th 2014, 2:49 PM

    But sure anyone with a Facebook or Twitter would know the ending. And probably the bulk of the main plot =P

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    Mute Shaunagh McCafferty
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    Nov 11th 2014, 3:29 PM

    56% of the country watched sunday nights episode that is news and thats a majority more people are interested than not

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    Mute Powerful Sayings
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    Nov 11th 2014, 4:30 PM

    When the last person has watched love/ hate can they let thejournal know.

    173
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    Mute conor foley
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    Nov 11th 2014, 1:58 PM

    Unlawful carnal knowledge of a bodies orifice is rape

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    Mute Dermot Ryan
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    Nov 11th 2014, 2:21 PM

    the old term – Forced Unlawful Carnal Knowledge ! FU etc.

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    Mute Seán A Haon
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    Nov 11th 2014, 2:03 PM

    In all fairness. The rape scene from American History X is much worse.

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    Mute Diarmuid Danger Lenihan
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    Nov 11th 2014, 2:52 PM

    The one from I spit on your grave tops them all.

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    Mute poisonivy
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    Nov 11th 2014, 4:37 PM

    It’s not as graphic but the one from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo makes for some very hard watching too.

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    Mute andrew haire
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    Nov 11th 2014, 2:10 PM

    We all know there are scu*bags out there doing terrible things, why do we want to watch it on tv.

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    Mute ganjagetter
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    Nov 11th 2014, 4:02 PM

    @andrew you can cover your eyes for the reality of wats going on in our free state on TV , do u cover yur eyes & ears when hearing/watching similar stories on the news in REAL LIFE,

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    Mute the
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    Nov 11th 2014, 2:36 PM

    Eh spoilers …

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