Irish Blood Season 1 finale, which aired on Acorn TV, closes the six-episode arc by answering the mystery at the heart of the show.
How did Declan Murphy die?
Spoiler note: This piece discusses key plot points from the Irish Blood Season 1 finale
The finale stages a confrontation on the cliff where Declan fell, and a late confession changes the way the main character, Fiona Sharpe, understands her family. The episode ties together clues dropped across earlier episodes and shows how a single moment can ripple through a small town’s secrets.
The opening episodes set up a clear through-line as Fiona arrives from Los Angeles after a package and a funeral draw her back to Ireland, and she spends the season unpicking lies that kept her father distant.
By the finale, what first appears to be a suicide is revealed as something far more complex, with ripple effects on multiple characters and the broader criminal network woven through the town. While Fiona finally uncovers the factual truth she has been chasing, the ending leaves lingering questions about who was truly pulling the strings behind the scenes.
Una's confession explains how Declan died

In the final episode, Una, Declan’s sister, admits she was there the day he fell. The show presents the moment in a flashback. A heated argument, a shove, and then the deadly fall from the cliff. The scene is staged as an accidental push rather than a planned murder, and Fiona learns that her father did not take his own life.
Una's links to Johnny and the Donovan family widen the conspiracy

The finale does not stop at a single death. Una’s relationship with a criminal figure, Johnny McIntyre, and hints about the wealthy Donovan family suggest some higher-level actors used others to cover bad acts.
Scenes in the finale point to a network of blackmail, killings, and a missing hard drive that Declan once guarded, threads that make Una both culpable for the accident and a reluctant keeper of darker secrets. Those clues set up a larger arc that the show leaves unresolved at season’s end.
Fiona's choices on the cliff show what she prioritizes

Fiona’s behavior in the climax is specific. When Una moves toward a final, desperate act, Fiona physically stops her and presses for answers instead.
As per TV Guide reports, Alicia Silverstone, who plays Fiona, says
“She can’t lose her mom too”
And that she will not simply walk away from the consequences of what Declan was hiding. Silverstone also described Fiona’s empathy for Una by saying,
“Each of these people are her dad,”
These lines explain why Fiona refuses to let the story end with a single arrest. Those quotes clarify why Fiona responds to the confession by wanting the whole truth rather than immediate retribution.
What does the ending mean for a possible next season of Irish Blood?

Although the Irish Blood Season 1 finale answers the question of who pushed Declan, it intentionally leaves the larger conspiracy open. Father Al’s threats, the stolen hard drive, and the Garda’s actions all point to more story to come.
Acorn TV announced a second season renewal the morning the finale aired, which aligns with the show’s choice to resolve one mystery while expanding the field of suspects and motives for the next run.
Taken together, the Irish Blood Season 1 finale supplies a direct answer about Declan’s death while widening the scope of the drama. The confession changes the moral shape of the story.
It is a domestic accident with criminal aftershocks, not a neat solution. That mix of personal reckoning and lingering questions is what sends Fiona and the viewer back to Ireland with more to investigate.