Game of Thrones star gives clue to how show will end as final series prepares to air

After 10 years of delighting fans, the fantasy epic will come to a close in its final season, which starts this month.

Actor Liam Cunningham, who plays smuggler turned Lord Davos Seaworth, described the ending of the show as "bittersweet".

The HBO hit, which was mostly filmed at locations across Northern Ireland, has become infamous for gritty scenes including extreme violence, but has hooked audiences across the world.

Cunningham, from Dublin, appeared in Belfast on Wednesday to launch the Game Of Thrones Touring Exhibition, and defended the often shocking content of the show - as well as hinting that the ending will be as challenging as the previous seven seasons.

He described his character as the "moral compass of the piece".

Davos was present during a scene when three men were burned alive by the priestess Melisandre as a sacrifice to the "Lord of Light".

Cunningham pointed out it was a show written by grown-ups, for grown-ups.

"There were a lot of things that happened at the seasons went on that a lot of people found very challenging, shall we say," he said.

"This is a grown-up show, written by grown-ups, for grown-ups, and one of the reasons for its success was it wasn't condescending for its audience, it's genuinely challenging, and you do find yourself sometimes questioning your attachment to characters for what they get up to.

"But there is no-one bad in it for the sake of being bad - well, maybe the Boltons (known for flaying their enemies), and King Joffrey - but you understand their reasons for doing what they do.

"All that stuff... in our show it is justified, but not in real life."

He was tight-lipped about the fate of Davos.

"Mr George RR Martin, the man who wrote the story, described the end as bittersweet," he said.

"Having seen everything, I'd have to agree with that.

"The other thing I think it is fair to say is if we wrapped up this story with a nice pink ribbon, people would be very very annoyed with us because that would be patronising.

"It's a bit like life, there is unanswered bits and answered bits and pain and misery and suffering but all the big stories, there is a certain resolution to them.

"But I am not going to say any more than that."

Cunningham added that he had never dreamed of getting such an opportunity so close to home.

"Westeros is an hour and a half drive from my front door. All my actor friends are incredibly jealous because it's the biggest show on the planet.

"And in fact, when we filmed at the Linen Mills in Banbridge, that's only 40 minutes away - I could commute to Westeros," he said, adding that the show had introduced him to hidden gems in Northern Ireland.

"Ballintoy, the harbour there, first time we filmed there, it's an absolutely beautiful place. I'd never seen the Dark Hedges, there were loads of places that were news to me. It was great for me to see this corner of the island."

The Game Of Thrones Touring Exhibition will run at Titanic Exhibition Centre from April 11 until September 1.

The final season of the show is set to start on April 14 on Sky Atlantic.