"What's the story? I'll tell you what the story is, Nidge. You just tried to have me clipped there and you MISSED, you hear me?!"
- Darren's last words to Nidge, before being clipped
Darren Treacy is the protagonist of seasons 1, 2 and 3 of Love/Hate. He is portrayed as the moral centre of the gang, but shows ruthlessness on many occasions, both to defend those he loves and to protect his own interests.
| Actor | Robert Sheehan |
|---|---|
| Hair | Dark Brown |
| Also known as | Dazzler |
| Family |
Robbie Treacy - Brother (Deceased) Mary Treacy - Sister Grannie - Niece Kathyrn - Niece |
| First Appearance |
Season 1 Episode 1 |
| Last Appearance |
Season 3 Episode 6 (alive) Season 4 Episode 1 (deceased) |
| Status | Deceased |
| Series Lifespan | Season 1 Episode 1 to Season 3 Episode 6 |
Early life[]
Darren was the middle child of the Treacy family - younger brother to Mary and older brother to Robbie. At some point, he began a relationship with Rosie Moynihan, with the pair becoming very close. As a result of his work with John Boy's gang, Darren had a 9 millimeter semi-automatic pistol in his house that was found by the Gardaí during a raid. He fled to Spain to avoid arrest, leaving Rosie and his family behind.
Season 1[]
Darren decides to return from Spain on the day of Robbie's release from prison. In the taxi ride home, he gets in touch with Robbie, Tommy and Mary. While on the phone with Robbie, the latter is shot and killed. Darren blames Tommy for what happened, saying that it wouldn't have occured if Tommy had picked Robbie up like he was asked. At the wake, Darren reunites with John Boy, who promises to help with finding Robbie's killer. He also meets Rosie for the first time since fleeing. They spend quality time together, but Stumpy indirectly reveals that Rosie is pregnant with his child.
He is arrested for the firearm charge, but John Boy's solicitor Pat realises that the search warrant had the wrong date on it. This will likely clear Darren of any wrongdoing, but he must remain in Ireland until the court case. When it appears that he and Nidge will kill Tommy after Robbie's funeral, Darren tells Tommy that he doesn't care about his sexual relationship with Mary.
Suspecting Jimmy Byrne, somebody whom Robbie previously assaulted, is to blame, Darren stalks the Byrne house. His girlfriend tells Darren that Jimmy has gone to England but is not responsible for what happened to Robbie.
Mary is upset by a psychic telling her that Robbie's soul is not at peace because of his violent death. Darren visits the psychic, threatening him with a gun and demanding that he tell Mary that Robbie is at peace. The psychic complies, not before fainting from shock.
Nidge, Tommy and Darren kidnap Jimmy Byrne, who has returned from England, and interrogate him on Robbie's murder. Darren is convinced by Jimmy's testimony, letting him go. Hughie (John Boy’s brother) goes on to kill Jimmy by himself. This peaks Darren's curiosity; Hughie was the first one to suggest Jimmy as the killer and has now killed him. Darren rightly assumes that Hughie was behind Robbie's shooting.
After Stumpy beats Rosie and causes her to miscarry, Darren gives a similar beating to Stumpy. Hughie and Elmo try to shoot Darren to remove the heat off the former, but Elmo ends up wounded by Darren in the shootout. John Boy, siding with Hughie, confronts Darren at Nidge's wedding, warning him to stay away from his brother. Hughie accidentally shoot’s himself in the head. Darren and John Boy meet at Hughie’s wake. The two bury the hatchet, having both lost a brother in recent months.
Walking home from the wake and planning to run away to London with Rosie, Darren is shot through the chest by Stumpy in retaliation for the beating.
Season 2[]
During surgery, Darren's heart stops multiple times, but he ultimately survives the drive-by. In the proceeding year, he suffers badly with post-traumatic stress disorder and nightmares. He works with Fran Cooney in a smuggling scheme, but borrows €30,000 from him over this time. He kills Fran's dog, Tyson, in an attempt to save Luke, who Fran is punishing for owing money. Fran sacks Darren, demanding the money owed by both he and Luke, totalling €35,000. JohnBoy agrees to settle the debt with Fran, so long as Darren returns to the gang.
Darren tries to give up his life of crime, but he knows that he must first repay his debt to John Boy. He and Luke rob an ATM, but it does not clear all the money owed. Instead, John Boy orders that Darren kill Stumpy, who John Boy suspects of being a rat. Darren is conflicted, as he knows that Rosie will disapprove, but he ultimately goes through with it and shoots Stumpy.
Rosie returns to Dublin and resumes her relationship with Darren, but her parents suspect that he is behind Stumpy's murder. Darren deals with the guilt of the murder itself and lying to Rosie about it. He visits Stumpy's mother and gives her money for the funeral arrangements.
John Boy orders Darren to kill Ado, who has been giving his girlfriend Debbie heroin behind John Boy's back. He says that this will finally cancel Darren's debt. Darren expresses concern to Nidge about having to kill again, but Nidge assured him that it has to be done. In a double cross, Darren enters the pub and kills John Boy, revealing a conspiracy to remove John Boy that he and Nidge were behind.
Realising that Luke has been stalking Mary and has gone as far as to break into her house, Darren and Nidge bring Luke into the woods under the guise of finding John Boy's stash of hidden money. When they arrive, Nidge kills Luke and they paid bury him. Rosie breaks up with Darren because she doesn't believe his lies about not killing Stumpy.
Season 3[]
Mary has cut ties with Darren, leaving him alone. During the session on St. Patrick's Day, Git Loughman punches and then rapes Tommy’s girlfriend Siobhan, Tommy pulls Git off her and beats him, breaking his neck. Darren decides to hit Git Loughman, who is slowly suffocating in his own blood, with a keg and kills him. This enrages Nidge, but Darren insists that he was only putting Git out of his misery. He, Nidge and Fran spend the rest of the night burying Git.
When Nidge uses Elmo as a scapegoat to explain Git's disappearance to Dano (Git’s son), Darren is called upon to clip Elmo and Gary. He insists that he is paid €50,000 for it, citing that he's skint. He meets Elmo in the pub on the way; Elmo talks about loving his little boy and Darren doesn’t want to kill him as he had nothing to do with Git’s death. So he gives Elmo the chance to escape, but he must give up Gary's address. With the aid of Lizzie, Darren arrives at Gary's house and shoots him, as well as his wife Nicola. This leaves their young son orphaned, which troubles Darren.
Darren lies to Nidge about Elmo, saying that he did a runner. He asks for his payment, but Nidge refuses. Darren eventually haggles into getting €20,000, but is not paid then and there. Awaiting the money, Darren moves in with Ado and Nadine.
While his money comes in installments, Darren grows close to Lizzie. She develops a childlike love for him, going as far as to stare at photos him on her phone during nights out. After her brother Raymond dies, they bond over their shared experience in losing a brother.
He is almost clipped by a hired thug, but survives and demands to know who is behind it. The thug reveals that Liam Creed, father of Gary, paid him to kill Darren.
Darren saves Nidge from an attack by Dano and Paddy, who are out for revenge for Git. After shooting one of the gunmen, Darren realises that he has killed Paddy, the other brother of Lizzie. He plans to flee the country once Nidge pays the remainder of his money. Ado drives Darren to the destination he will supposedly be collected at, but the latter suspects foul play. Ado locks the car after leaving and Elmo appears with a gun, trying to kill Darren. He only manages to clip Darren's arm before running away. Darren retrieves a gun from Ado's house and calls Nidge, realising that Nidge has sold him out to the IRA over Git's murder. While he is still on the phone, he is shot twice in the head by Lizzie, who avenges the death of Paddy. Darren dies on the street, still on the phone to Nidge and his blood soaking the concrete.