The Merlin star will make a guest appearance as a character named Jimmy Minor, Radio Times reports.

Adapted by screenwriters Andrew Davies and Conor McPherson from the books by Benjamin Black (pseudonym of award-winning Irish writer John Banville), the three 90-minute episodes will star Byrne in the title role.

Banville commented: “I am very excited by the prospect of seeing my character Quirke incarnated by Gabriel Byrne, a perfect choice for the part.  I know both Quirke and Benjamin Black will be wonderfully served by Andrew Davies and Conor McPherson, two masters of their craft.”

> Order Quirke on DVD on Amazon.

The three stories in the series have been named as ‘Christine Falls’, ‘The Silver Swan’ and ‘Elegy for April’.

The official synopsis reads: “Quirke (we never get to know his Christian name) is the chief pathologist in the Dublin city morgue – a charismatic loner whose job takes him into unexpected places as he uncovers the secrets of sudden death in 1950s Dublin. It’s a rich and smouldering world along whose smoky streets and damp alleys Quirke goes from bars that glimmer with peat fires and whiskey to elegant Dublin houses brimming with sexual tension. It’s a time full of mystery, secrets and intrigue.

“Each episode will see him investigate the death of one of the unfortunate souls who end up on his mortuary slab. But as Quirke turns accidental detective he discovers his investigations are often more closely linked to his own life than he could ever have imagined. Little by little he is forced to confront the sins of his past as he peels back the layers of his own tangled family history.”

Filming begins in Dublin later this year and the cast will also include Michael Gambon, Nick Dunning, Geraldine Somerville, Sara Stewart, Stanley Townsend, Brian Gleeson and Aisling Franciosi.

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