Every week we take a look in the RTÉ Guide archives to check out the stories from years gone by. On this week in 1989, we headed to Carrigstown for the first time as RTÉ launched a brand new soap opera: Fair City.
Inside the magazine, a map introduced readers to the new residents of the fictional north Dublin suburb.
Meanwhile, journalist Catherine Lee told the story of how the soap was created. "About a year ago Margaret Gleeson and some of her colleagues were sitting in the Drama Department fiddling with ideas for a new urban soap," she wrote. "Everybody agreed that there was a definite gap in the TV line-up. and now word had come that the gap would be no more. Life for Margaret would never be quite the same again.Twelve months on she sits in the same department with the satisfaction of knowing that the vague concept they tossed around is now very much a reality. Sixteen episodes of powerful drama to be known as Fair City are in the can and a further eight are at this moment being written.The task was a massive one, involving huge effort and commitment from each member of the cast and crew.
Led by Margaret Gleeson and Paul Cusack and co-ordinated by the superbly efficient Deirdre Ahern the team raced through 16 episodes in nine weeks. In the background beavering away and trying to keep one step ahead of the technical posse were the script-writers and story-liners under the editorship of Tony Holland of EastEnders fame.The general consensus of the crew is that they are quite happy with the results.
'The team have been great' says Margaret. 'It's hard to imagine how a vague idea for a soap will translate itself into the nuts and bolts of a serial, but thankfully it has worked very well. The actors added a huge dimension to it when they arrived. They gave it the flesh and blood.but its success is down to every single person working on it from the prop people to the script-writers.'"
This was clearly a learning experience for all concerned. "What people must remember too is that this has never been done before", Gleeson told Lee. "Script-writers have never written for a soap before. I've never had responsibility for a soap before and our Irish directors have never directed one.'" But, Lee wrote, "Margaret is convinced that all the work will be worthwhile. 'I think it will take Carrigstown a while to grow on people. but it will grow on them. They'll enjoy the romance and the conflicts, the rows between neighbours and the down-to-earth reality of it all.'
Fair City is about ordinary Dublin people living their lives in contemporary northside surburbia.They do ordinary things like go tothe pub and the shops. work inthe local area. 'And I think that is why people will like it... 'she says, as confidently as anyone who knows they've given it their best shot."
Fair City is still going strong, 37 years later.
