Derry Girls’ finale serves as powerful reminder about importance of Good Friday Agreement

Derry Girls has finally bowed out after three perfect seasons – and fans are having a lot of feelings.

The critically-acclaimed Channel 4 series ended with an hour-long special set in 1998, the year the people of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland voted in favour of the Good Friday Agreement.

The episode follows our beloved derry girls as they grapple with the legacy of violence, the release of paramilitary soldiers, and whether they should vote “yes” or “no” in the referendum.

The powerful finale has already won acclaim – it’s been showered with five star reviews – and fans were quick to share their emotional reactions on Twitter.

Fans heaped praise on Derry Girls for educating the world on the Troubles

Many pointed out that the show has done more to educate the British public about the history of the Troubles than the UK’s education system has done.

Others heaped praise on creator Lisa McGee and the show’s stars for humanising the “ghost story” of the Troubles by showing it from the perspective of a group of teenage girls from Derry (and one English boy).

I learned more about the Good Friday agreement in the five minute closing #DerryGirls montage than I learned in the entirety of my education in the UK, and that is literally not an exaggeration in the least

— dan hett (@danhett) May 18, 2022

Big night for English people learning what the GFA is via Derry Girls

— Aíne (@ainemagu) May 18, 2022

So many people have tried to educate British people on the importance of The Good Friday agreement and hopefully Derry Girls has succeeded. #DerryGirls

— TwistedDoodles (@twisteddoodles) May 18, 2022

Lessons from #DerryGirls tonight.

Protect Channel 4 from the Tories.

Explain the Good Friday Agreement to the Tories.

— Declan Cashin (@Tweet_Dec) May 18, 2022

I’ve got chills. My generation owe our lives, the society we live in, and our future to the people who powerfully pursued the path of peace in this place.🕊

We can’t ever forget that, or forget to keep building upon the foundations people like John Hume left us. 🌹#DerryGirls

— Karl Duncan 🕊🌹 (@KarlWDuncan) May 18, 2022

If you don’t understand the significance of the Good Friday agreement or Ireland in general .. then watch the last episode of Derry Girls. Do yourself a favour and watch it all. and just everyone… Get over yourselves. 🇮🇪

— Niamh O'Reilly (@thatniamh) May 18, 2022

Put Lisa McGee's face on money. That was sublime. #DerryGirls pic.twitter.com/JLSEuSf7Wa

— Jonny Proud (@jonathanproud) May 18, 2022

i wonder how many british people watch derry girls and are exposed to the history of the north and the atrocities that occurred at the hands of british forces for the very first time. i don’t think many TV shows will leave a legacy in the same way that #DerryGirls inevitably will

— shauna (@wednesdaysadums) May 18, 2022

Derry Girls also won praise for refusing to shy away from the painful realities of the Troubles – in a devastating montage of historical clips, the episode draws attention to Bloody Sunday, at which the British Army murdered 13 civilians.

Sometimes there are no words that can adequately capture the emotion and significance of something as horrific as Bloody Sunday or important as the Good Friday Agreement. Liam Neeson does it with no words at all. Floored me. Peace in Northern Ireland MUST be protected #DerryGirls pic.twitter.com/xMoJTt1A6C

— Sarah Doran (@sarahisnothere) May 18, 2022

Give whoever is responsible for that shot of the granda and the baby leaving the polling station all the awards #DerryGirls

— Megan Hayward (@TheMeganHayward) May 18, 2022

“What if no one else has to die”

Such a powerful and poignant reminder of the leap of faith taken by voters in 1998, the Good Friday Agreement gave us the gift of peace, it's our responsibility to protect it. #DerryGirls

— Emma DeSouza (@EmmandJDeSouza) May 18, 2022

#DerryGirls has made such a huge impact and it deserves all the praise it gets. @LisaMMcGee has also given John Hume his rightful place as the heartbeat of peace and the Good Friday Agreement, which is truly wonderful to see.

— Ronan McCay (@RonanMcCay) May 18, 2022

The end of the last episode of Derry Girls actually destroyed me. I was a wreck. Sobbing, man

— Bolu Babalola 🍯🌶 (@BeeBabs) May 18, 2022

Nicola Coughlan’s ‘wee lesbian’ finally got her first kiss

Fans were also blown away by Clare, played by Nicola Coughlan, finally getting her first kiss in the show’s penultimate episode, which aired on Tuesday (17 May).

Clare came out as the “wee lesbian” in the show’s first season, but she’s never had the chance to meet another queer character. That’s why it’s such an endearing moment when she meets Laurie, another lesbian.

Towards the end of the episode, Clare and Laurie share a heartfelt kiss – tragically, her joy is quickly cut short when she learns that her father has been rushed to hospital after suffering an aneurysm. The episode ends with Clare’s father dying.

The shocking turn of events sent fans into a tailspin.

clare had her first kiss & lost her dad the same night. derry girls you have wrecked me. #DerryGirls

— mo 🍂 misses derry girls (@goodeplace) May 17, 2022

Tonight’s episode of Derry girls had me cheering to crying in a span of 30 seconds.#DerryGirls

— Isabella (@itsyaboi_bella) May 17, 2022

Derry Girls has the ability to make me howl and sob in the same 2 minutes.

What a phenomenal piece of television the whole show was but especially that ending 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 #DerryGirls

— ᴍᴇɢ (@Meg16960) May 18, 2022

Derry Girls might be done, but its legacy will live on.

Across three seasons, it made us laugh, made us cry, and it served as a powerful reminder about just how fragile peace really is.