As the credits rolled on last night’s season five finale of Love/Hate, there was a slight air of ambiguity about the show’s final few seconds. Was Nidge really dead? Had we just witnessed the inglorious end of a character who has carved his place in the Irish psyche unlike few, if any, before him?

It seemed certain that Patrick’s two shots had killed the most famous Irish TV character of recent years, but still some viewers clung to hope that this was not quite the end for Nidge. Without the definitive final moment confirming death there was bound to be questions. Some, well versed in the tricks writers can sometimes turn to to keep a plot twisting, noticed the lack of a shot to the head and scenes in earlier episodes of Nidge wearing a bulletproof vest. Was there more to this story?

Now though, the death of Nidge appears to be confirmed. Tom Vaughan Lawlor, the actor who plays Nidge, has today released a statement admitting his time on the show has come to an end and he is moving on.

"The last five years working on Love/Hate have been an incredible and unforgettable journey for me. I've had the privilege of working with a brilliant cast who I've learnt a huge amount from, a tireless and talented crew, a visionary director, an amazing group of producers from Octagon and RTÉ, and in Stuart Carolan a world class writer,” the statement said.

Vaughan-Lawlor said he was looking forward to taking his experience on the RTE drama with him into future challenges.

"I'm hugely grateful to the show and to its fans and I am equally looking forward to the new challenges ahead for me both on screen and stage. As I perform this week in Dublin in Howie the Rookie prior to touring it to London and New York I will take wonderful memories of Love/Hate with me together with all the things I've learnt on the show into my future work."

Nidge was shot twice by Patrick, the pipe bomb maker whose son had been shot in an attack sanctioned by Nidge in an earlier episode. The scene brought to a close one of the most talked about episodes in the show’s five season run. RTE announced that over one million viewers tuned in for last night’s finale, although there is still no confirmation on if a sixth season will be produced.