We need your help now
Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
GLENROE WAS AN embarrassment to RTE says Mary McEvoy, who played the character Biddy in the national broadcaster’s longest running TV soap.
Speaking to Ireland’s Own Magazine, the actress said that RTE made a decision to stop shooting the show because it was an inconvenience to the station.
“It’s a show that survived by accident and was popular with people, but I believe it was an inconvenience to RTE,” she said.
“At the time it was cancelled we were becoming an increasingly urban society, and I think we country people were the unwanted at that stage. We were an embarrassment in general, with our country image, and the urban Dublin arts press never had much time for us or even for television in general.”
Born onto a farm in Co Westmeath, McEvoy was first cast as Biddy in 1983. Wife to farmer Miley Byrne, played by Mick Lally, the character was eventually killed in a road accident the year before the series ended in 2001. Mick Lally died in 2010.
According to McEvoy, Glenroe’s popularity could not save the series because it clashed with another soap, Fair City, and RTE could not afford to fund both.
“They were taken by surprise by its success but it was highly financially inconvenient to have both Glenroe and Fair City running,”
McEvoy has since returned to the family farm, where she raises cattle and sheep and practises Buddhism. In an interview with RTE’s Would You Believe in 2009, she revealed that she suffered from depression for many years, an experience she wrote about in her autobiography How The Light Gets In.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
I wish RTE had canceled Fair City as well… woeful doesn’t begin to describe either show
Fair city is deadly.
its the best sit com on RTE its priceless!!!
And now, RTE is an embarassment to RTE.
“And now,RTE is an embarassment to RTE”???
RTE has always been an embarrassment,we just didn’t know any better.
My name is Mike O’ Brien and I liked Glenroe.
I’m still attending the Glenroe Anonymous meetings too :D
Good man yourself Mike, I thought it was great as well
Glenroe certainly had run it’s course and should have ended a few years earlier but it it was never the horror show that Fair City is. Please RTE – in these tough times put this ‘programme’ out of it’s (very considerable) misery.
I was a Dub raised in Meath for a few years. My Da used to bring be down to the pub in a Sunday night to watch Glennie and after the farmers finished perving over that fine filly Theresa Lowe ;-) the while pub went quiet to watch Glenroe . Whoever spoke was quickly hushed! They couldn’t believe when Miley rolled in the hay with Fidelma. Fidelma was their ideal mot!
I liked Glenroe, and I was a city boy born and bred. Agree with the comments that Glenroe was vastly superior to Fair City, at least it had serious actors hamming it up and generally looking like they were enjoying themselves. There was a lot of talent on that show. To be honest, Glenroe set a benchmark for RTE that they’ve failed to match in recent years.
it was a big mistake by RTE to kill it off… it was enjoyed by many.
Well holy God.
Dinny Byrne, Miley Byrne, Blackie Connors, Dick Moran, Teasy mcDaid I could go on these actors are legendary and deserve more respect.
Don’t forget Colin Farrell.
Hear hear. I think it’s great when the cast of a soap opera were at the same time involved in some of the best performances of shows written by our best playwrights. Name another soap opera that can claim similar.
Colin Farrell was not in Glenroe he was in Ballykissangel
Gabriel Byrne was in Glenroe, before he moved on to the shortlived Bracken.
Just being pedantic: Gabriel Byrne was in The Riordans, and then starred in the short-lived Bracken. Miley and Dinny were also in Bracken, and became the first two main characters in Glenroe.
Yep. Your correct. I got the timeline all messed up.
Would definitely have the roe back over fairly shitty
She’s right it was a embarrassment to the Irish.
That’s not what she said at all.
Growing up it was part of life to watch Glenroe on a Sunday evening. The same can never be said about any other soap, especially the worst of all time. Fair shitty.
Louise, did read the article prior to commenting? Growing up my family and I loved the show!
Think you missed the point there louise.
i think that the Irish are more of an embarrassment to the Irish… look at the mess we are in and nobody blames the Irish
Is that you Fidelma?
Jeez Louise.. read it next time!
I can’t watch fair city at all, at all.
Soaps in general are an embarrassment to every society, Hollyoaks isn’t bad though ;)
Are you having a laugh ??
Her ginormous ego and sense of self importance is an embarrassment to her.
Why? Because she’s prepared to say what she thinks?
Is saying what you think the great new thing now?
I heard Fair City lost 7 million one year a few years ago, maybe it was 2009/ 2010. I haven’t heard what it lost other years since then but it’s just so typical of them to waste money like that and give us nothing to watch. I’m sure you can massage the figures to make it look like it isn’t a black hole, but it is, and it’s extremely uncomfortable viewing.
Then don’t watch it. Fair City rules.
I’d sooner stick pins in my eyes than watch that shite.
dont know why we have to subsidies rte with having to pay a tv licence most of what they put on is crap thank god for tv3 and sky.
And what about all the money they get from advertising? BBC don’t have advertising and its subsidised by the public
Bad and all as RTE is , TV3 is still worse. If u took the programmes made by ITN/UTV (most of which are muck anyway) out of it’s schedule there’s virtually nothing worthwhile left…. I would not want to be depending on TV3 for entertainment
TV3 are the reason Sky doesn’t have the 4 ITV channels. TV3 is just a watered down ITV with less choice, Irish adverts & Tallafornia. I say get rid of TV3 an let us have the 4 ITV channel’s. I am pretty sure RTÉ1/2/TV3/TG4/3e could be consolidated into one channel that provides national news, national discussion programs but I don’t see the point in paying a licence fee for imports that are available on other channels anyway, the added choice is nice but it’s a luxury I can live without
With the exception of Vin B, TV3 is shite. It just repeats the same programmes over and over again. How many times have they shown Gangland Ireland and the series, whose name escapes me, about the scissor sisters and Catherine Nevin and all the other high profile murders of the last decade. I’m a Dub and loved Glenroe on a Sunday night, much better than the feckin ham acting and stupid story lines in Fair Shitty.
Ham from the Sunday dinner in a sandwich followed by glenroe and then where in the world. Happy times!
I remember Blackie Connors de-horning calves on a Sunday night with Dinny then havin ta clayn out da bottom shed they don’t make em like that anymore!
Thrills to look forward to in Fair City this week:
Lucy complains to Dolores that Bob is making her job in the Hungry Pig more difficult which prompts Dolores to ask Pete if he said anything to Bob. An argument soon starts again with Wayne leaping to Lucy’s defence. Pete asks Dolores to choose who she wants to live with.
Rachel and Niamh are back from their holiday and Rachel is excited to see Graham again. Charlotte meanwhile has been getting on with Graham and admits to Sash that she fancies him. Sash warns her not to get involved but Charlotte gives Rachel the idea that Graham won’t settle for just kissing.
Cass’ objections to paying for on street parking lead him to chancing his arm with Paul and a run in with Keith.
Paul is finding it hard to get motivated for work after his holiday but Niamh insists he goes into work if she has to. Paul however is miserable and gets annoyed when he finds out Ray has been talking to Niamh about the stagnation in the garage.
i.e. lots of standing around in carboard sets talking shite.
Maybe RTE is just translating scripts from Bulgarian soap opera’s? 100 scripts for a fiver?
Lol. That’s about it
Ah, Fair City. Where everyone’s default emotion is ‘annoyed’.
At least when it finished us culchies no longer had to endure the comment ……” Get up the yard there is a smell of Benjy off ya” in Dublin pubs and clubs.
Ah, yes. Furstenburg on tap. God be with the days. Such an innocent time.
@Bill Ryan, Benjy was in The Riordans not Glenroe !!
Great, Now I have the Glenroe tune stuck in my head! Thank you The Journal!
Off to bed with you now, school in the morning! I hope you have all your homework done.
RTE calling something an embarrassment….hahaha pot kettle black!…..Glenroe was complete horse sh-t all the same.
Glenroe is an embarrassment? For the love of god what the hell is fair city then!
Glenroe was part of a healthy diet back in the day.
Crap !!! Glenroe was just embarrassing that’s what I mean!!!
the sheep and cattle in glenroe were more convincing actors than anyone in fair city.
As bad as Glen Roe was its still better than towie and all that other scripted “reality” shite. Can’t believe so many people watch that crap. Population of absolute bird brains!
Fidelma was a right minx altogether!
Ham from the Sunday dinner in a sandwich followed by glenroe and where in the world. Happy times!
blackie Connors is in fair city now.great show
have your say