RTE will be first to air season 2 of The Handmaid's Tale outside of America

Well this is great news for Irish fans of award-winning series The Handmaid's Tale.

Season one of the dystopian drama may have just finished up its run last night on RTÉ2, but the national broadcaster has announced today that they have secured the rights to the much-anticipated second season, which will premiere on Hulu stateside on April 25th.

RTÉ will have it the very next day with the second season airing here on RTÉ2 on Thursday 26 April at 10.35pm, with live streaming and on-demand availability through RTÉ Player.

Based on Margaret Atwood’s novel of the same name, The Handmaid’s Tale follows the story of life in a dystopia of Gilead, a totalitarian society in what was formerly part of the United States. Elisabeth Moss stars alongside Joseph Fiennes, Yvonne Strahovski, Alexis Bledel, Madeline Brewer, Ann Dowd, O.T. Fagbenle, Max Minghella, and Samira Wiley.

The first season secured eight Emmy wins and two Golden Globes alongside a host of other awards.

RTÉ’s Director of Acquisitions and Co-productions Dermot Horan said: "We are pleased to be able to bring season two to Irish viewers first. RTÉ2 is home to a number of top US acquisitions and we make great efforts to bring our viewers the very best in world class drama."