Glenroe is an Irish television soap opera broadcast on RTÉ One for 18 years between September 1983 and May 2001. Glenroe was centred on the lives of the people living in the fictional rural village of the same name in County Wicklow. The real-life village of Kilcoole was used to film the series. The series was also filmed in studio at RTÉ and in various other locations when directors saw fit.
The show was a spin-off from Bracken — an RTÉ drama that was broadcast from 1980 to 1982, which was itself spun off from The Riordans — another RTÉ drama that was broadcast from 1965 to 1979. Glenroe was broadcast, generally from September to May, each Sunday at 8:30 pm. It was created, and written for much of its run, by Wesley Burrowes, and later by various other directors and producers including Paul Cusack, Alan Robinson and Tommy McArdle. Glenroe was the first show to be subtitled by RTÉ, with a broadcast in 1991 starting the station's subtitling policy.
The main protagonists were the Byrne and McDermott/Moran families, related by the marriage of Miley Byrne to Biddy McDermott. Other important characters included Teasy McDaid, the proprietor of the local pub; Tim Devereux and George Black (the Roman Catholic priest and the Church of Ireland Rector of the village respectively); Fidelma Kelly, a cousin of Biddy; Blackie Connors; George Manning; and Stephen Brennan.
Title sequence Imagery Glenroe was noted for its original title sequence, which featured the words "Gleann Rua" in Gaelic script morphing into "Glenroe" over a series of rural images. The original title sequence was used from the 1983/84 series to the end of the 1992/93 series, and was replaced with a more up-to-date title sequence at the start of the 1993/94 series.
Jarlath Hayes (1924–2001), master Irish typographer and designer, "who gave his best years as a man of letters working within Irish publishing…drew his own type, Tuam Uncial…it became familiar to a generation of Glenroe viewers on RTÉ television where it featured in the credits".
Theme tune
Glenroes theme tune was that of a traditional Irish song called "Cuaichín Ghleann Néifinn" and was arranged by Jim Lockhart of Horslips. The original version was used from the 1983/84 series to the end of the 1992/93 series. A newly recorded version, at the start of the 1993/94 series, along with changes to the title sequence was requested by TV, film, theatre producer and director, the late Art Ó Briain and was arranged and performed by Máire Breatnach featuring Cormac Breatnach on Whistle.
Setting and characters The central focus of Glenroe is the fictional rural area of the programme's title, located in County Wicklow. The setting is an area consisting of a collection of farms, small village, period house and other rural locations. The programme focuses on a cast of characters living near the village. The main characters are Miley Byrne and Biddy McDermott, whose courtship and marriage form the centerpiece of the action during the early years. Their parents also feature heavily in the storylines. Miley's father Dinny Byrne is a chancer and Biddy's mother, who has been widowed early in the series, conducts a long-running relationship with Dick Moran, the local solicitor. Dick occasionally has other affairs, such as that with Terry Kileen. A number of themes are explored throughout the series from relationships, facing tragedy and other life challenges. While the main theme is drama, there are elements of comedy evident, e.g. the interactions between two central characters of Miley Byrne and his father Dinny Byrne (continuing their character portrayals from Bracken).
Character Actor Duration Dinny Byrne Joe Lynch 1983–2000 Miley Byrne Mick Lally 1983–2001 Biddy Byrne Mary McEvoy 1983–2000 Dick Moran Emmet Bergin 1983–2001 Mary McDermott-Moran Geraldine Plunkett 1983–2001 Stephen Brennan Robert Carrickford 1983–2001 Father Tim Devereux Dónall Farmer 1987–2001 Teasy McDaid Maureen Toal 1987–2001 Mary-Ann Byrne Grace Barry 1990–2001 George Manning Alan Stanford 1984-1992 Michelle Haughey Isobel Mahon Fr. Tracey Philip O'Sullivan 1999 Blackie Connors Liam Heffernan 1992–2001 Nellie Connors Moira Deady Sergeant Jim Roche Paul Bennett Fidelma Kelly Eunice MacMenamin 1995 Aileen Synnot Laura Ellen Howard 1998–2000 Ann Synnot Noelle Brown 2000 Nuala Brennan née Maher Carmel Callan Kevin Haughey Liam Carney Sylvie Dolan David Kelly Uncle Peter Cyril Cusack Dr. David Hanlon Mario Rosenstock Terry Kileen Kate Thompson Rev. George Black Enda Oates Paudie Doyle David Boyd 1999 Dan Reilly Joe McKinney 1998–2001 Catherine Daly Louise Kerr Conor Sheehy Timothy Murphy Fiona March Black Lucy Vigne-Welch Bernadette Timlin Barbara Griffin Mynah Timlin Eileen Colgan Joseph Timlin John-Paul McGarry Jennifer Crosby Rachel Pilkington Hoppy Crosby Glenn Mulhern/Lochlann Ó Mearáin 1999–2000 Venetia Crosby Maria McDermottroe 1995–2000 Regina Crosby Eva Birthistle 1995–1998Albert Crosby Peter Caffrey 1995–2000 Deirdre Cooney Sinéad Flynn 1999 Nessa McIntyre Síle Nic Chonaonaigh 1999 Conor Sheehy Timothy V. Murphy 1995 Madge O'Regan Ronnie Masterson 1983 Tommy Murphy John Finnegan 1997–1998 Lizzie O'Driscoll Maire Hastings 1999–2000 Maurice Nolan Frank Kelly 1999–2001 Lucy Reilly Cathy Belton 1999 Collette Daly Honor Heffernan 1999 Johnny Connors Michael Collins 1995–1999 Peggy Connors Linda McDonnell 1999 Julia Connors Miriam Brady Francie Donnelly Frank O'Sullivan 1999 Mike O'Shea Bryan Murray 1999
Origins Glenroe, as a story, had origins in two previous shows, The Riordans and Bracken. The three productions were the brainchildren of Wesley Burrowes.
Narratives Affairs of the heart Michael Judge, Irish playwright who wrote scripts for Glenroe, published Glenroe: Stories from the RTÉ series created by Wesley Burrowes through Gill & MacMillan in 1990. The book relays the intricate relational beginnings of what would become the soap's linear storyline which would span 18 years. In the beginning two contrasting storylines of the amorous kind were present: that of the wholesome Biddy and Miley, contrasted with the risqué Mary and Dick.
The blow-ins, as they are referred to by the book, are the Byrnes, who arrive in Glenroe from the mountains. The character of Biddy is central to the story. Her parents, Mary and Michael MacDermott, are married and dissimilar in age bracket. Biddy becomes interested in one of the blow-ins. Biddy's first comment on Miley is "he looked a bit of a gom".
The relationship between Dick and Mary emerges as they have a secret love affair, Mary being frustrated in her relationship with Michael MacDermott whom she married out of obligation. The love affair would blossom through secret getaways, with the couple once trying to arrange to be together under the guise of getting away to a Bridge Congress. In the book, when Michael discovers his wife is having an affair, he strikes her.
Widower Dinny Byrne found love after Teasy McDaid's arrival in Glenroe in 1987, with her having been left the local pub by her recently deceased uncle. They were married on 11 September 1994, with Teasy moving into Dinny's thatched farm cottage. Shortly after, Teasy's previous husband, Sylvie Dolan, turned up. Sylvie had disappeared years before and had faked his own death in Australia, sending a fake death certificate to Teasy. He demanded a share of the life insurance payment Teasy had received in exchange for his disappearing again. Teasy responded that she would return the money to the insurance company. Dinny and Teasy stayed together until Dinny's death in 2000.
Religion The subject of religion featured in the programme throughout the series. One storyline showed how Miley, a devout Roman Catholic, believed his daughter, who had been critically ill with meningitis, was saved by prayer and divine intervention, while Biddy, who rarely went to Mass, credited the doctor with her recovery. The parish priest, Father Tim Devereaux, was upset that nobody was listening to his pastoral advice, and retired to embark on a round-the-world cruise with Shirley Manning, a widow of Protestant and Jewish ancestry.
Another storyline evoked the question: How much money should be spent on a First Communion dress?
Travelling community In the fourteenth season, Tommy McArdle, the show's producer, began to explore the topic of Irish Travellers in greater depth. However, the topic had not been absent from the programme before this. The character of Blackie Conors is a member of the Irish travelling community.
Another narrative which revolved around the topic of the Travelling community is Miley and Biddy trying to evict a family of travellers who park their caravan on the edge of the farm. When two pet rabbits disappear, the community suspects the travellers have eaten them.
In a later episode, Anne Synnot reveals to her daughter Aileen that she is the product of her mother's affair with a Traveller. Previous to this revelation, Aileen was shown in conversation with Joseph Timlin at the bar in the Molly Malone, using the derogatory term "knacker" referring to the character Francie Donnelly.
Cancellation In 2000, it seemed the soap was going into inevitable decline. If the actors who played the main characters and whose appearance and likeness were so intrinsic to the beginnings and the storyline of the soap were leaving, it would cease to be Glenroe. Through a press release the public learned in May 2000 that Joe Lynch, who played Dinny, was to leave. Kevin O'Sullivan wrote, "RTÉ last night confirmed his departure after 20 years, taking into account Glenroe from its beginning and its precursor Bracken. 'No reason was given.' A statement said the 75-year-old actor had made the decision."
On 19 January 2001, despite claims four years previously that it could run for another ten years, RTÉ announced that Glenroe was to end after eighteen series. The final episode of the soap was to be broadcast the following May. The RTÉ Director of Television, Cathal Goan, said it had been clear for some time that Glenroe was "coming to the end of its natural life". On 1 August of that year, Joe Lynch, who played Dinny, died at the age of 76.
The character of Biddy had been killed off in a car accident, and the actor Joe Lynch had died. The Irish Times published irreverent, tongue-in cheek-headlines about the ending of a soap and characters who were fair game for mockery and satire.Shane Hegarty, 'Well, wholly gone' The Irish Times, 12 May 2001.
John Boland, in the Irish Independent in 2001, criticised the RTÉ Guide'''s coverage and lack of critique or analysis about the end of Glenroe: "a supposedly loved friend was expiring after 18 years and you're supposed to feel something about that, aren't you? Then you realised that the programme had been expiring for years and years, and that this final death throe was merely embarrassing in its lateness."
Wesley Burrowes in his article for The Irish Times's Arts section on 27 January 2001, discussed the beginnings of Glenroe as a story. This started with The Riordans, after which RTÉ asked Burrowes to write a spin-off which became Bracken, and then on to Glenroe where the characters Miley and Dinny Byrne were carried forward to the slightly more urban setting of Glenroe (set in Kilcoole, Wicklow). Glenroe evolved around Miley and Biddy's love affair, with Miley admiring Biddy for her farming expertise.
Burrowes articulated the problems around the decline of the series, explaining how both ratings and frequency were both guiding factors in the show's ascent and then demise. He drew correlations between Coronation Street and EastEnders, which both competed for frequency and ratings at the BBC, and then explained "the more often a programme appears in a week. the higher its rating goes... Glenroe has been left as the only soap in the archipelago struggling along on one slot a week".