98-400: Fair City is an Irish television soap opera which has been broadcast on RTÉ One since 1989. Produced by the public service broadcaster RTE, it first aired on Monday, 18 September 1989. It has won several awards and is both the most popular and the longest running Irish drama serial. Plots centre on the domestic and professional lives of the residents of Carrigstown, a fictional suburb of
196-503: A billionaire , at the time worked for Jack Flynn, and Linda O'Malley, an acquaintance of Jack's, to whom he had promised fame as a singer. During the 1990s, the Phelan, Doyle, and Molloy families were introduced and dominated storylines for that decade. Bela and Rita Doyle , along with their brood of six children and Rita's mother Hannah, were involved in many stories. The Phelan family originally consisted of Hughie and Natalie, but later
294-455: A drug overdose in a suicide attempt ). In 2003, storylines included teenage pregnancy (14-year-old Kira Cassidy giving birth to a baby girl, Juliet ) and Heather Lyons' incestuous relationship with her half-brother Floyd Phelan (though they didn't know they were half-siblings at first). An Accident and Emergency special was aired in March 2003. Also, domestic abuse was highlighted with
392-477: A free-to-air public service broadcaster that targets Irish language viewers. The earliest colour broadcasts in Ireland took place in 1968. However, a full colour service was only introduced in 1973, with The Late Late Show remaining in monochrome until 1976. On 20 September 1998, TV3 launched as the first independent commercial broadcaster in Ireland. In the 2000s television in Ireland expanded with
490-622: A Freesat receiver. Some retailers in Ireland sell actual Freesat setboxes. Both Freesat and Sat4free are superior to generic satellite receivers for the reception of UK television, only old stock of Sat4Free is now available and new purchases should be "Freesat HD" even if the TV set is not HDTV. Imported " Grey market " (as the contract the operator has doesn't permit direct sales outside the intended Geographic area) satellite receivers are sometimes used to watch both FTA and subscription channels from visitors home countries (e.g., Cyfrowy Polsat ) Following
588-403: A banner saying we are dealing with rape and murder as issues. One of our characters gets raped and the story is how it affects her, her family and the community. We are not doing issue-driven programs. We use issues to illuminate the characters more than to illuminate the issues." In 1996, three years after homosexuality was decriminalised in Ireland, male characters Eoghan and Liam moved in for
686-516: A bicycle stuck in between, they were trying to copy Eastenders, but Tony Holland didn't realise that the Irish are less direct than the English." RTÉ's Director of Television Production at the time described the situation: "Now Fair City had run 17 episodes and there was a big question mark over its future. This had been for several reasons. One was the audience, by far the largest audience had been for
784-683: A large production. Each week rehearsals for the four episodes take place on Saturday and Monday. Shooting takes place on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the interior scenes are filmed at Studios A and C on RTÉ's Montrose campus. The exterior scenes are filmed on the lot within the grounds of the RTÉ Headquarters on Thursday and on location on Friday. Each day, 15 scenes are filmed. Scripts are prepared up to six months in advance, and episodes are shot six weeks before being aired. Four episodes are filmed every week. After shooting an episode, an editor will go through
882-500: A new branch of the family arrived including Hughie's mother Eunice , and his brother Christy , along with Christy's wife Renee, and their two children Floyd and Farrah . The Molloy family was introduced in the mid-1990s and consisted of patriarch Harry , his wife Dolores, and their two teenage children Wayne and Lorraine. The Halpin family was gradually introduced in the early 2000s, starting with Damien Halpin, his mother Tess Halpin and younger siblings Laura and Mark. Since then,
980-422: A pan-European satellite service was launched through SES . The service provided viewers with pan-European channels which targeted the entire continent. On 5 February 1989, when Sky Television launched, British Satellite Broadcasting , which was also available in Ireland, launched in 1990 and the two merged to form British Sky Broadcasting in 1990. For most of the 1990s however, Sky's DBS customer base in Ireland
1078-513: A passionate embrace – only to be interrupted. It would have been the first gay kiss on Irish television. Nowadays Fair City deals with LGBT themes more openly and more regularly. Yvonne, one of the soap's main characters, is bisexual, and used to date Connie from Australia. They were to have been married in Northern Ireland. Laura, lesbian daughter of Tess Halpin, formed a relationship with social worker Emily, only to have it broken up by
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#17327913968961176-493: A passionate embrace. 1996 also saw the first murder on the show when Tony Kelly was killed by London criminal drug-dealers whom he owed money to. In 1998, the show tackled the subject of rape , with the rape of Lorraine Molloy by Dr Jack Shanahan, who later committed suicide . Also, Kay McCoy began a relationship with Catholic priest Malachy Costello, who then left the priesthood and married Kay in 1999. Leo Dowling's wife Sandie slept with his son Dean after finding out that Leo
1274-420: A story which divided the country when Kay decided to abort her pregnancy against the wishes of the father Malachy. As an older mother, Kay has amniocentesis tests done which reveal the child has trisomy-13 which means that the child would be born severely disabled and probably would not survive long after birth. The storyline was seen by the actors and producers as controversial and heart-breaking. They recognised
1372-410: A timely, reasonable, non-discriminatory and transparent manner to the network to provide their own services and electronic programme guide from up to 20 channels maximum space. The licence would be for ten years and not automatically renewed. Those services are encrypted by the service provider to the subscriber. Contributors to the consultation 08/44 were given time to reflect on the terms suggested for
1470-411: A vague idea conceived by RTÉ when it decided that it needed an urban soap opera to compete with Coronation Street and EastEnders . RTÉ gave the job of creating this new soap to Margaret Gleeson. Gleeson, known for her work on Tolka Row and The Riordans , was appointed the show's first Executive Producer with Paul Cusack and David McKenna as producers. Tony Holland – co-creator of EastEnders –
1568-472: Is broadcast by 2RN , more than half subscribe to multichannel television networks. The biggest single multichannel television network in Ireland is Sky Ireland , which broadcasts digital satellite television services. Virgin Media Ireland , Vodafone TV and Eir among others, provide similar digital television services to Irish viewers. Television was first received in Ireland in 1949, following
1666-494: Is eventually outed as the stalker and, in late May 2014, holds Judith hostage with a gun. In July 2014, Christy Phelan has a stroke . Katy O'Brien questions her sexuality and becomes the show's first character to come out on-screen. In August 2015, Fair City took on the issue of miscarriage when couple Damien and Caoimhe lost their baby. From May 2016 until May 2017, Fair City provided its longest storyline ever, "Who Kidnapped Katy?" The storyline focussed on Katy O'Brien, who
1764-621: Is licensed to operate all over Munster. Operating at 11.7 GHz to 12.5 GHz ( MVDDS ) it delivered approximately 75 digital television channels and video on demand services from "Sky By Wire". Digital satellite is the only form of subscriber satellite transmission available in the country and is provided by Sky (and Sky+ HD ). The Freesat a UK service is also available in the country, as are FTA satellite channels from several other European countries. One company provides digital television via IPTV; Magnet Entertainment . In rural areas where neither cable or direct terrestrial overspill
1862-701: Is set in Carrigstown, a fictional suburb of the Northside part of the city of Dublin . "Carrick" is found in many real Irish locations (for instance: Carrickmacross , Carrickfergus , Carrick-on-Shannon , Carrick-on-Suir ), and is derived from the Irish-language word carraig , meaning "rock". Many of the scenes take place around the main street in Carrigstown, with notable landmarks on the street including McCoy's pub, Phelan's corner shop (now Spar , formerly Doyle's), The Hungry Pig (formerly The Bistro),
1960-455: Is the development of story and plot, which is carried out by a team of writers. Once the stories have been fleshed out and agreed, a scene breakdown is created. The episodes are then assigned to script writers , who create the dialogue and stage directions for the actors. Writers who have worked on Fair City scripts and storylines include Anna Carey , Sarah Francis, Michelle Duffy and Jennifer Davidson. Fair City 's original theme tune
2058-408: Is the most watched drama in Ireland, with average viewing figures of 550,000. Devised by executive producer Margaret Gleeson and series producer Paul Cusack, it has remained a significant programme in terms of RTÉ's success and audience share, and also in the history of Irish television drama, tackling many controversial and taboo issues previously unseen on Irish television, such as rape . Fair City
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#17327913968962156-541: The British Army and Bill Taylor 's psychological torture over Annette Daly 's alcoholism . 2009 also saw the show's first bisexual love triangle and lesbian storyline when Yvonne Doyle had an affair with her best friend Connie Boylan . In 2010, Damien Halpin 's unemployment reflects the Irish financial crisis . In addition the many scenes of domestic abuse towards Damien by his wife Suzanne have brought into
2254-689: The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland regulates both public service broadcasters such as RTÉ, TG4 and commercial broadcasters. DVB-T was repeatedly tested from 2RN 's Three Rock Mountain transmitter, with relatively long tests in 1998 and 2001, and shorter tests in 2004, with a single multiplex carrying the four Irish analogue terrestrial channels, and Tara Television while it was in existence, on both UHF (channel 26) and VHF (channel D). These were under temporary licences for testing, which are regularly awarded. RTÉast Networks also broadcast test DVB-T with analogue TV and radio channels from
2352-569: The Clermont Carn transmitter in the Cooley Mountains, County Louth with some signal bleed into Northern Ireland. A contract to run a nationwide system, with six multiplexes from main sites, and four from relay sites was awarded in 2001 to ITS Digital Limited, led by former RTÉ executive Peter Branagan and trading as "It's TV", who intended to launch a pay TV and broadband service. ITS wanted to offer broadband internet access using
2450-519: The DVB-RCT standard (which while high bandwidth at up to 30 Mbit/s, is not fast enough with 20,000 people on one mast). They had no broadband licence and no viable business plan without selling broadband, and due to lack of funding withdrew its application in October 2002. The government also planned to privatise RTÉ's transmission network at this time but this too failed in October 2002 following
2548-726: The National Ploughing Championships . For the 1989 Dublin City Marathon , actors filmed short scenes taking part in the marathon that were edited into the programme in the following episode. The series was originally focused on four families: the O'Hanlons, the Kellys, the Clarkes and the Doyles. Some of the earlier characters also included Lily Corcoran, her womanising nephew, Jack Flynn, Paul Brennan, now
2646-401: The Northside part of the city of Dublin . The area encompasses a restaurant, pub, garage, corner shop, community centre, charity shop, surgery, boxing club (Esker/Carrigstown Boxing Club) and various businesses. Originally aired as one half-hour episode per week for a limited run, the show is now broadcast year round on RTÉ One in three episodes per week, all of which air at 20:00. Fair City
2744-429: The legal system and the clerical sexual abuse of children. Homelessness was shown in 2005 when Cleo Collins slept rough on the streets. Gangland killing was also featured in 2005 when Mick Mahoney killed Alex Yuschenko, a Ukrainian gang member , under the orders of his new boss crime lord Sylvester Garrigan (which led to his niece Ali O'Shea being held hostage by them in 2006). Also, accidental drug overdose
2842-420: The 1995 one. The present theme, composed by Columb Farrelly and Andy O'Callaghan, is a jazzed up version of the original. Fair City 's original opening sequence was designed by Carol Coffey. The second opening sequence was introduced in 1995 when the then executive producer John Lynch decided that the opening needed modernising. It was designed by John Hayes in collaboration with John Lynch. For 10 years,
2940-717: The Community Centre (formerly The Haven) and Vino's (formerly Rainbows Sandwich Bar). Other recurring settings include the Acorn Cabs dispatch centre, the shared office, the Helping Hand charity shop, the surgery and most recently the Peggy Tea coffee shop. According to the RTÉ Guide , Carrigstown is bounded by Drumcondra to the north, the city centre to the south, East Wall to the east and Phibsboro to
3038-533: The Halpin family when Tess was murdered by her husband Marty following years of domestic abuse. The episode aired on 3 April 2003 and RTÉ had to set up a help-line following the episode. More recently in 2010, there was a domestic abuse storyline involving Tess's eldest son Damien. This time Damien's partner Suzanne was the abusive person in the relationship and this ultimately led to them breaking up. A week-long special dealt with date rape and teen suicide against
Fair City - Misplaced Pages Continue
3136-567: The Mobile Telegraphy Licence was seen as the best use of spectrum, given the nature of the spectrum of 8 MHz of UHF band in between 470 and 750 MHz in the five main urban areas due to the limited spectrum arising from DTT introduction and use of 4 multiplexes as the spectrum priority prior to analogue switchover (ASO). ComReg proposed launch of the wholesale mobile TV network following licence award be rolled out within 24 months before penalty or licence withdrawal from
3234-534: The Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, some of the most popular include: Free to access: Republic of Ireland Northern Ireland DVB-H Virgin Media Ireland provided a wireless cable service over an all digital MMDS network reaching over 80% of the country. This network operated at 2.5 GHz to 2.7 GHz until the 18 April 2016. The now defunct SCTV Digital provided an advanced digital television service to Cork City and parts of County Cork. It
3332-526: The United Kingdom. Following a broad range of technical work, the two governments agreed an effective way to provide for the continuing provision of TG4 by building a new, low power TV multiplex in Northern Ireland. In addition to carrying TG4, this multiplex, which is part of the UK DTT system, also carries RTÉ 1 and RTÉ 2. This increased the coverage of these channels in Northern Ireland, to 90% of
3430-586: The backdrop of the educational system . In 2004, Fair City continued to feature issues such as eating disorders (Robin McKenna's bulimia ) and teacher Sorcha Byrne's illicit affair with 19-year-old student Ross O'Rourke (which culminated in Barry O'Hanlon being overcome by clinical depression and having a mental breakdown ). Breast cancer awareness was raised (Nicola's battle with breast cancer). A three-week-long special dealt with Catholic Church politics,
3528-408: The big thing that Fair City does that the other soaps don't quite do is that it is really rooted in the community." Running in parallel with the writing process is the production process, which includes: casting, wardrobe, make-up, design and construction of sets, purchase of props, finding locations, booking facilities, developing schedules, sound, and other administrative tasks involved in managing
3626-548: The brand names Chorus NTL and UPC Ireland, is by far the largest cable operator, almost all of the state's cable TV operators and formerly all of the state's MMDS licences. Virgin Media offers digital cable television services in cities and towns throughout the country (with the exception of Cork, where the network is digital-only). It offered MMDS services in rural areas until the MDS licences were withdrawn in 2016. Other than Virgin Media,
3724-528: The comparative beauty contest before 11 September 2009 and following that feedback and ComReg's further reflection on that, the comparative contest guidelines were issued and an application date set by the end of the year. The winner of that contest would have two years to build the network and agree terms with Other Mobile TV Service Providers. The Broadcasting Act 2009 was also referred to in Comreg Publication 09/64. By April 2010, following on from
3822-410: The cost of setting up a new television service and dismissed the possibility on several occasions during the 1950s. By March 1951 O'Broin would press for the inevitable establishment of an Irish television service in the state. In a memorandum to government, the department set out four possibilities for the ownership and control of a new service: The Department of Finance was incensed with this and asked
3920-472: The difficulties involved with shooting outside of a controlled environment (e.g. having to negotiate with residents, traffic noise, etc.), it was decided to build a streetscape, known as the lot. In 1992, the Fair City lot was built at Ardmore, where set designers replicated the facades and interiors of the original houses. In 1994, a new lot was built at the grounds of RTÉ. In 2018, production moved again for
4018-422: The digital switchover. While initial reports suggested that BBC services would equally be made available free-to-air in the Republic of Ireland at the same time, this was not to be the case. Instead BBC One Northern Ireland and BBC Two Northern Ireland were to be made available on a paid-for basis. In practice all BBC satellite channels can be received freely in the Republic of Ireland, due to overspill from
Fair City - Misplaced Pages Continue
4116-459: The effects of Stockholm syndrome . In August 2016, Fair City tackled the issue of child abuse when Carol's father Trigger arrives in Carrigstown and she is forced to face her dark past. In October 2019, Fair City tackled the issue of domestic abuse in a gay relationship between Cristiano San Martin and Will Casey. The show highlighted abusive behaviour such as psychological and emotional manipulation and gaslighting as Will tormented Cristiano. In
4214-585: The episode scene by scene with the director. They will choose which shots to retain and which to cut. From 1989 until 1994, all interior shots were filmed at Ardmore Studios , near Bray , County Wicklow . In 1994, production moved to studios at Montrose specifically adapted to cater for the show. Like Brookside , all exterior shots were initially filmed at real houses in a real cul-de-sac in Barron Place, Drumcondra and later in Booterstown . Due to
4312-620: The event of an emergency or catastrophic failure of the DTT system. Approval for the revised National DTT plan and the new Saorsat satellite service was announced by the Minister for Communications at the end of July 2010. The Saorsat satellite service has been available publicly since 3 May 2012 as tests had commenced at the end of May 2011. With over one quarter of the population viewing programming on streaming platforms, many public service broadcasters and international streaming services serve
4410-537: The executive producer and series editor will cut or add scenes where appropriate so that the episode ends up with the correct running time. As noted in the book Inside Fair City , the episode will "go back to the editing suite and a final edit will be done to produce the finished product that viewers will see on screen". In 2016, Fair City cost RTÉ €53,500 per episode, which adds up to €10.7m annually. Fair City actors earned nearly €460 per day. 15 scriptwriters received €3,495 per episode and nine were paid €1,837. RTE said
4508-605: The failure of the commercial DTT process in May 2010 RTÉ submitted a revised DTT plan including an FTA satellite option to the Dept of Communications in mid-June 2010 for approval. RTÉ publicly announced at an Oireachtas Joint Committee on Communications discussion in mid-July 2010 that a free-to-air satellite service, called Saorsat , would be offered to complement the terrestrial DTT service. Saorsat will enable Irish public service channels to be made available free to air and unencrypted, for
4606-574: The first shot, but Rory struck back with another, wounding them both in the process. Rory survived, but Lorcan's days were numbered. Lorcan made a deathbed confession to the Gardaí before he died in hospital. Garrigan was arrested and was never seen again, but he is assumed to be in prison. Tim Carney's domineering marriage with Olga was also featured. Racism was shown when the Udenze family were targeted by racists Pete Flanngan and Morgan Dalton. In 2007,
4704-402: The first show and the 17 or the 16 that followed showed a fairly relentless fall in audience figures. And if you're doing something like a soap actually you expect the reverse trend if it's working". In 1990, RTÉ executives initially cancelled the show after the first season. However, they then decided to renew it for a second season. They brought in Irish writer Mary Halpin to drastically revamp
4802-539: The first time in decades to the present lot in RTE. On each set appliances such as washing machines and gas cookers do not actually work most of the time. The show has had four different opening sequences and five different theme tunes. The opening features several scenes of contemporary Dublin , while the closing credits shows a frozen image of the River Liffey . The series is planned in various stages. The first stage
4900-468: The first time, as a means of covering the last 2% of the population who will be unable to receive the Saorview terrestrial service. RTÉ said the combined offering was designed to be the most cost-effective solution for viewers and broadcasters; to offer for the first time 100% coverage of free-to-air public service television services in Ireland, and to provide full national backup coverage on satellite in
4998-533: The first time. While Sky is the biggest satellite service in Ireland, it is by no means the only satellite broadcast available. Most free to air broadcasts available in Europe are available in Ireland via the right receiver ( set top box ) and a dish pointed at the correct satellite. In 2008, Sat4free , an adapted version of the UK Freesat equipment, began selling in Ireland. It is a fixed NI postcode version of
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#17327913968965096-813: The government to tell O'Broin to resubmit the proposals through the Department of Finance according to the formal procedures of the Civil Service. John A. Costello , the Taoiseach , did so and returned the memo to the Department of Post and Telegraphs. The Minister for Finance refused to look at TV, calling it a "luxury service". Through this O'Broin was able to get funding for the research he had asked for. The public service broadcaster, Telefís Éireann , opened in 1961, followed by an additional channel RTÉ2 in November 1978. TG4 launched on 31 October 1996 as
5194-434: The jealous, bitter and deranged Lucy. Troy, the son of Leo Dowling (another major character), is openly gay. The programme's first transgender character was Ryan Donnelly, who debuted in 2017 and was played by the trans man Jack Murphy. Also, in 1996, there was the false accusations story, in which schoolgirl Niamh Cassidy falsely accused her teacher Barry O'Hanlon of coming onto her after she seduced him and they had
5292-536: The launch of Eir Sport 1 , Bubble Hits (now defunct) and 3e (originally C6 on Cable, later added to Sky), which are available through PayTV cable and satellite services. TV3 purchased C6 and rebranded it 3e. Only with the launch of Saorview (FTA DTT) was 3e available free-to-air. Ireland commenced its switch over to its free-to-air digital terrestrial television (DTT) in October 2010. This provided viewers with greater viewing opportunities with an increase in public service channels, i.e. of commercial services with
5390-447: The launch of Ulster Television (now known as UTV ). Throughout the 1950s the governments of Ireland were worried about the influences of British television and the popularity of the medium. By the end of the 1950s, 60% of the population could receive the UK's BBC TV and ITV from spillover from Northern Ireland, Wales and the west of England. Throughout the 1950s the Irish government discussed
5488-724: The licence in the fourth quarter of the year of 2010 and announce the licence results by the end of 2010. It weighed elements of business plans when it began the comparative process in Q4 2010. Offer of licence would have been 2011 but this was then cancelled by ComReg. International frequency co-ordination would also be ongoing during the period primarily with the UK. Comments to ComReg's mobile television licence proposal were taken until 30 April 2010. By November 2010, only two responders responded to ComReg's Television licence proposals consultation. These were RTÉNL and Vodafone Ireland. Points regarding wholesale access commitments considered critical for
5586-486: The mother Vivienne, her sons Decco, Denzo and Zumo and her daughter Charlotte. Vivienne's niece Sash Bishop was introduced in 2011 and the patriarch Paddy Bishop in 2013. The O'Briens came in 2014 – the father Eoghan, the mother Debbie and their daughter Katy and their son Michael. Paul Brennan is the only character from the first episode currently in the show. Sarah Flood was axed in 2013 after 23 years playing Suzanne Doyle . Former executive producer Niall Mathews believes
5684-599: The multiplex which is licensed under the UK's Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006 by Ofcom at the request of the UK government. In addition, the licensee has put out to competitive tender all the elements of the multiplex operation which are contestable and the multiplex is operated on an open book basis. Mobile Terrestrial Television is TV on mobile phone handsets, which does not have contention problems compared to 3G networks. The Commission for Communications Regulation issued its response to Consultation 08/44 about interest in multi-city mobile TV licenses that could cover up to 40% of
5782-572: The only other operators providing digital cable systems are Crossan CableComm which operates in Longford, Smyths Cablevision, which operates in Cavan, and Casey Cablevision which operates in Dungarvan , County Waterford . Direct broadcast satellite service has been available since the late 1980s with the arrival of free-to-air satellite Astra and subscription service Sky Television . In 1988
5880-669: The open the taboo subject of spousal abuse towards males. The series has been praised for this edgy and at times controversial storyline. It proved to be so popular that British soap opera Coronation Street later did their own version. Organ donor awareness was raised in 2011 when Lucy Mallon received a cornea transplant. Wearing pyjamas during the day was covered with Sash Bishop. Aside from this, soap opera staples of youthful romance, jealousy, rivalry, gossip and extramarital affairs are regularly featured. Late 2011/early 2012 saw Orla Kirwan and Caoimhe Dillon engage in numerous shoplifting sprees around Dublin. In April 2012, life in prison
5978-464: The opening of high-power BBC transmitters at Sutton Coldfield near Birmingham, England and later Holme Moss in West Yorkshire, England, giving marginal reception along parts of the east coast. The first transmissions on the island of Ireland began with the launch of BBC in Northern Ireland ( BBC Northern Ireland ) when it began broadcasting television programmes in 1953, followed in 1959 by
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#17327913968966076-493: The opening remained unchanged, aside from the digital insertion of the Millennium Bridge . In order to be compatible with wide-screen format and show the changing face of Dublin, a new opening, designed by Michael McKeon, was introduced in 2005. The present opening, designed by Paul Gibney, was introduced in 2008. Each episode should run for 23 minutes (not counting ad breaks). If any episode runs over or under them,
6174-536: The police. In January 2014, Paul Brennan finds himself the victim of a blackmail plot when Jane extorts €40,000 from him. In March 2014, Yvonne faces a trial which she is terrified about. Also, in February/March 2014, bullying is covered again with the bullying of Rachel Brennan by Amanda Ryan, who torments Rachel along with a group of girls. In April and May 2014, stalking is shown, with stalker Tommy Dillon's campaign of terror towards his ex-wife Judith. Tommy
6272-444: The population in Northern Ireland to receive their services on a free-to-air basis, either through overspill as before or via the new multiplex. The former analogue signals were switched off on a co-ordinated basis in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland on 24 October 2012. Foreseen as part of the agreement between both governments was the establishment of a joint venture (as a not-for-profit company) between RTÉ and TG4 to run
6370-535: The population that would lead to the Award of available UHF spectrum in the urban areas of Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick and Waterford. That response to consultation was issued on Tuesday 28 July 2009. Having provided options to stakeholders in terms of 2 options outlined in Consultation 08/44 of Mobile Telegraphy Licence or a technology neutral Wireless Telegraphy Licence, and minded by the 7 responses it received,
6468-742: The possibility of more public service channels from existing public service broadcaster and possibly two new channels, the Houses of the Oireachtas Channel and the Irish Film Channel, subject to finance from the government for the last two. The then Minister for Communications Pat Rabbitte aspired to have a complete DTT service rolled out by 31 December 2011. In Ireland, the Commission for Communications Regulation regulates radio wave spectrum licensing, and since 1 October 2009
6566-476: The provision of an Irish television service; this was headed up by Leon O'Broin, the secretary of the Department of Post and Telegraphs. The Department of Post and Telegraphs had responsibility for Radio Éireann, Ireland's radio service. In 1950 O'Broin established his own committee on Irish television and bought a television set to receive broadcasts from the BBC . The Department of Finance at this time were worried about
6664-560: The response to its consultation at end of 2009 the communications regulator ComReg issued an Information Notice on the future award of a mobile television license, ComReg 10/26 Mobile TV Wireless Telegraphy Licence Award on Tuesday, 30 March 2010. The Information Notice provided in ComReg's plans to issue one 8 MHz frequency channel in the UHF band in the areas of Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick, and Waterford and invited candidates to tender for
6762-567: The series. Television in the Republic of Ireland Television in the Republic of Ireland is available through a variety of platforms. The digital terrestrial television service is known as Saorview and is the primary source of broadcast television since analogue transmissions ended on 24 October 2012. Digital satellite (from Sky Ireland , Saorsat and other European satellite service providers are available) and digital cable (from Virgin Media Ireland ) are also widely used. While many people receive their television via Saorview , which
6860-507: The show tackled the subject of bullying , with the bullying of Mark Halpin . Missing persons were also highlighted in 2007 with the disappearance of Lana Dowling. In 2008, the show dealt with the issue of euthanasia by featuring Floyd's death in a pact with Heather's husband Brendan. The Criminal Assets Bureau was shown when Carol lost her pub and nightclub which were purchased by Billy with his ill-gotten gains. In 2009 mental health issues were confronted such as Keith McGrath's desertion of
6958-454: The show's focus has shifted to individual characters instead of family groupings. Notable characters introduced subsequently include Carol Meehan , Tracey Kavanagh, Ray O'Connell, and Jo Fahey. Another change in recent years has been the introduction of ethnic minority characters such as Lana Dowling and the Udenze family. However, the Udenzes moved back to England after the father Gabriel
7056-470: The show, Cristiano would often reply to Will's domestic abuse saying "Will, you're scaring me" which was turned into a popular catchphrase in Irish media as a nod to the MeToo Movement and a number of t-shirts were sold sporting the phrase. Problem gambling was covered in 2024 when Anto was struggling with a Gambling Addiction In 1988, a year before Fair City hit the screens, the show was just
7154-686: The show. Jake, who came first, was initially homeless, but later started a relationship with Ama. His gay brother Cristiano soon followed, and both now run a coffee shop, Brewzers, in the Carrigstown Arcade. 2012 brought the additions of the Dillon family – the Father Tommy, the Mother Judith and their three daughters Caoimhe Dillon , Neasa Dillon and Dearbhla Dillon , and their son Zak. The Bishops arrived in 2009, consisting of
7252-415: The soap's success is due to the large cast and the fact that no single character or group of characters dominates. "Difficulties are inherent if you are dealing with just one family", he says. "Look at Dallas and Dynasty ; both did well at the beginning, but because all the action was centred on a single family, the writers ran out of things to say." Executive Producer Brigie de Courcy said: "I think
7350-403: The successful provision of wholesale Mobile TV service and the provision of Mobile TV services for the benefits of consumers more generally were discussed. The two responders addressed points regarding automatic additional spectrum and ComReg outlined that it was minded to consider later award of mobile TV license when a national network for same would be possible of for other uses. The main concern
7448-700: The time sensitive nature of the decisions that had to be made and the potential impacts and worked to show it all. This storyline caused anti-abortion viewers to complain to the Justice Minister on the grounds that the story was hate speech against people with disabilities. Drug addiction has also been portrayed a number of times. In 1997, Lorraine Molly became addicted to amphetamines to cram for her exams. One of Fair City 's best-known storylines took place in 2001, with crime lord Billy Meehan abusing his wife Carol and mistress Tracey McGuigan before being murdered by Carol's son Lorcan . Prostitution
7546-407: The time was described as "the most ambitious production of its kind ever undertaken by RTÉ". Fair City was not an instant success and was on shaky ground for a couple of seasons. Former executive producer John Lynch recalled: "My impression of it at the time was of nothing happening very fast, then you'd cut to a scene where nothing happened even faster, then there would be a shot of somebody riding
7644-599: The transition to DTT . There are few (if any) such systems still operating in Ireland. Tess Halpin Fair City is an Irish television soap opera first broadcast on RTÉ One in 1989. The following is a list of characters who currently appear in the programme and a list of former characters, listed in order of first appearance. Some characters have been recast since their first appearance. The following characters departed Carrigstown. The following famous faces have appeared in Fair City . Reg E. Cathey has expressed
7742-540: The west. Carrigstown takes its name from the village that grew up around the quarries in which granite was mined until the early 20th century – carraig , as noted above, being the Irish-language word for "rock". Fair City occasionally makes use of real Dublin locations, such as Grafton Street , the Natural History Museum and Dublin Zoo . In 2011, filming took place for the first time outside of Dublin at
7840-407: The whole thing. Fair City derives its title from the opening line of the traditional song " Molly Malone ": "In Dublin's fair city, where the girls are so pretty..." and was the only English-language soap opera produced in Ireland until Red Rock was launched on TV3 on 7 January 2015. The show was launched with an hour-long pilot episode , written by Peter Sheridan , on 18 September 1989 and at
7938-488: The wider public aware of the needs of aging and disabled viewers; they also launched a website. Promotion for DTT roll-out began on 17 March 2011. On 1 February 2010 Ireland's then-Minister for Communications Eamon Ryan signed an agreement with the UK's Ben Bradshaw . This agreement was designed to ensure viewers within Northern Ireland could watch RTÉ One , RTÉ2 and TG4 on a free-to-air basis after
8036-533: The winner of the contest. The contest was done by comparative beauty contest instead of auction, given the nature of Mobile TV as a newish area and the risks in terms of investment inherenet in it. Given the limited spectrum a wholesale model as noted by the EU Commission reference 2 in such situation is chosen. This results in third parties having access through agreements with the wholesale mobile network operator as Other Mobile TV Service Providers (OMTSPs) in
8134-543: The withdrawal of ITS Digital Limited DTT licence application and a number of other factors. TV Access , a coalition of organisations that promote issues surrounding individuals with disabilities and senior citizens, began a campaign to highlight the switchover from analogue to digital television (DTT) broadcast services in its contribution to the Oireachtas Communications Committee heard on Wednesday, 1 April 2009. TV Access aimed to make
8232-495: The writers were given "an additional 35pc of the basic fee per episode in respect of a further broadcast of the episode within seven days. These are rates agreed with the Irish Playwrights and Screenwriters Guild". The show has featured a number of gritty and controversial storylines reflecting major issues in Irish society, particularly from the mid-1990s. Former executive producer Niall Mathews said: "We don't hang out
8330-465: Was kidnapped and later held hostage in the garage of Ciarán Holloway, who had come to Carrigstown to seek revenge on Emmett O'Brien – Katy's brother – for apparently giving rise to his sister's death in South-East Asia whilst travelling. During this period, Katy had become extremely attached to Ciarán, and later defended his honour on television and to his family, in what would be described as
8428-507: Was also shown in 2001 when Tracey turned to prostitution in order to pay for drugs. Prostate cancer awareness was raised in June 2002 in a storyline depicting Bela Doyle's battle with prostate cancer. Gambling addiction was depicted, with Malachy's gambling addiction. Mental health issues were confronted in December 2002 when Yvonne Doyle developed schizophrenia (which led to her taking
8526-432: Was available, UHF television programme retransmission systems or deflectors picked up the UK terrestrial channels (either from Northern Ireland or Wales), and retransmitted them on local UHF signals along with other channels. These operators faced legal action in the late 1990s from MMDS operators, as they did not pay royalties to the relevant broadcasters, and were not licensed. When the deflectors were shut down, there
8624-498: Was brought in as a consultant. The target launch date was September 1989 and an initial run of 13 episodes was commissioned. With the help of Cusack, McKenna and Holland, Gleeson devised the many components needed to make the initial thirteen-episode limited series . She created twenty-two original characters for the soap and cast actors for them. The show had a number of working titles – Glasfin and Northsiders – before settling on Fair City . Gleeson had nine weeks in which to shoot
8722-457: Was burnt to death in a fire, and Lana Dowling was kidnapped and murdered. In 2009 an Israeli character was introduced to the show – Avi Bar Lev , Avi hails from the town of Haifa in Israel. In 2013, Ama Chisenga, a devout Christian nurse from Zambia came to Carrigstown, and faced trouble with documentation for immigration. More recently in 2017, two Chilean brothers, Jake and Cristiano came to
8820-423: Was composed by Adam Lynch and Hugh Drumm. They were asked to come up with a piece of music that would be "easy on the ear, have a certain warmth, conjure up a feeling of Dublin and manage to reflect the mood of the programme". The second theme tune was introduced in 1995, the third in 2005 and the fourth in 2008. The 1995 theme is an orchestral version of the original. The 2005 theme is an upbeat piano version of
8918-532: Was covered, with prisoner Decco Bishop fearing for his life behind bars. Domestic violence has been a recurring theme in Fair City , most recently in 2013 with the introduction of the character Paddy Bishop, who is captured on screen flaking his wife Vivienne with a belt. In December 2013, Yvonne Doyle is raped by Internet predator Martin Baxter. He later bombards her with calls and texts, and calls to her restaurant Vino's and threatens her, but she later reports him to
9016-659: Was dwarfed by the large numbers receiving its channels via cable. Sky Digital, Ireland's first digital television service, launched in October 1998. However, in the absence of any subsidy for the Sky Digibox in Ireland – viewers in the UK could avail of both a Sky subsidy and one from British Interactive Broadcasting – the cost to initially acquire Sky Digital equipment was very expensive ( IEP 450) and subscriber numbers did not rise until both these subsidies were introduced into Ireland in 2000. In 2001, UK and Irish terrestrial channels became available to Irish Sky customers for
9114-458: Was having an affair. Helen Doyle died in a car accident. Noeleen and Stephen McCoy were brainwashed by a religious cult called The Church of the Children of Eternal Light. Foster care was shown in 1999 when Kay and Malachy fostered teenager Lorcan Foley. A psychopathic nanny , Mona Fagan, kidnapped Paul Brennan and Nicola Prendergast 's baby son Osin. Abortion was portrayed in 2001 with
9212-571: Was highlighted, with the death of Dolores Molloy 's baby Jessica from an accidental Ecstasy overdose when Ross left some ecstasy tablets on the floor of the Molloy household. A two-week-long special looked at the murkier side of yuppie life against the backdrop of property speculation reflecting the Celtic Tiger . In 2006, the gangland storyline was revisited, with a chain of bad fortune for Garrigan ultimately leading to his downfall. First, he
9310-568: Was such an outcry in those areas that an independent election candidate in County Donegal , Tom Gildea , was elected as a TD on a platform of supporting legalisation, which occurred in 1999. Deflectors were first licensed in 1999 by the then spectrum regulator, the ODTR . The Wireless Telegraphy (UHF Television Programme Retransmission) Regulations, 2009 were the last for deflectors, as all deflector licences expired in December 2012 due to
9408-597: Was the most common system for distributing multi-channel television in Ireland. With more than 40 years of history and extensive networks of both wired and "wireless" cable , Ireland is amongst the most cabled countries in Europe. Forty percent of Irish homes received cable television in September 2006. The figure dropped slightly in the early years of the 21st century due to the increased popularity of satellite reception, notably Sky , but has stabilised recently. In Ireland, Virgin Media Ireland , which formerly traded under
9506-443: Was to whether there is demand for broadcast mobile TV, given experiences elsewhere or whether the award be made post ASO when international spectrum co-ordination is clearer. ComReg welcomed views regarding these issues from interested parties by no later than 5.00 p.m. on 9 December 2010. It will make its decision going forward on the licence proposal following consideration of responses to this. Prior to Sky Digital, cable television
9604-495: Was wounded in a drive-by shooting , which was an assassination attempt on his life by the Ukrainian gang in retaliation for killing Alex. Subsequently, a sting operation by undercover Garda Rory Goff found drugs that Lorcan was piggybacking on one of Garrigan's booze runs. Garrigan was furious that Lorcan had implicated him in drug-dealing and he ordered Lorcan to kill Rory. As Rory and Lorcan confronted each other, Lorcan fired
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