East Enders Episodes in Ireland - Storyline Development

Storyline Development

In 1997, EastEnders aired a storyline in which the character Pauline Fowler (Wendy Richard) discovers that she has a long-lost sister, Maggie Flaherty (Olivia Shanley). In the storyline, Pauline's deceased mother Lou had given Maggie up for adoption shortly after her birth, as she was born out of wedlock. Maggie is first said to be the result of an illicit affair Lou had with an Irishman 60 years prior, but although Maggie is initially thought to be Pauline’s half sister, it later transpires that they share the same father too; Maggie was only the result of pre-marital sex between Lou and her husband-to-be, Albert Beale.

Pauline and various members of the Fowler and Beale family travel to Ireland to reunite with their long-lost relatives in a special week of episodes. The episodes were filmed on location in the countryside around County Dublin, away from the soap's typical filming location in Borehamwood, Elstree, England. They were filmed over a period of two weeks in July and August 1997, and were broadcast on 22, 23 and 25 September 1997. In the three episodes, Pauline is accompanied by her sons Mark and Martin (Todd Carty and James Alexandrou), Mark's wife Ruth (Caroline Paterson), nephew Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) and his daughter Lucy (Casey Anne Rothery). Speaking about their trip to Dublin, actress Wendy Richard who played Pauline said "It's nice to be in Dublin for a change. It's not like London at all, where they take you a little bit for granted", and Todd Carty, who played her screen son Mark, said "It's also really nice to get out of Albert Square for a while to do something different."

A number of Irish actors were cast as Pauline's long-lost relatives, many of whom were starring in their first prominent television role. They included Maggie Flaherty, played by Olivia Shanley, son Conor (Sean Gleeson) and his headstrong daughter Mary (Melanie Clark Pullen). For the latter two characters, Conor and Mary, the Ireland episodes were only the beginning of their stint in EastEnders. Both characters remained in the serial as regulars, moving back to the soap's setting in Albert Square to be with the new-found family. They remained on-screen for two years. At the time of filming the Ireland epiosodes, Gleeson, from Thurles, County Tipperary, said, "The EastEnders cast are all really nice people", and Shanley said, "I've always been a big fan of EastEnders and to tell the truth I was a bit star struck But they made us all feel very much at ease." Clark Pullen added, "I was expecting the cast to be luvvies but they were all brilliant — real grafters and totally down to earth. They were all very supportive as well and made me feel right at home. I was pretty starstruck Wendy Richard who plays Pauline Fowler was great — she is the most wonderful woman and she quietly gave me advice on how to cope with the sudden fame and attention." They were also joined by a host of other characters, including Maggie's husband Sean (Pat Laffan), second son Eamonn (Maurice O'Donoghue), Eamonn's wife Brenda (Janet Behan) and daughter Colette (Shiona Redmond).

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