''Bracken'' is a television drama serial broadcast from 1980 to 1982 on

RTÉ 1 (RTÉ) (; Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the national broadcaster of Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, while ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

, depicting rural life in and around

County Wicklow County Wicklow ( ; ga, Contae Chill Mhantáin ) is a county in Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is bordered by ...

. Created and written by

Wesley Burrowes Wesley Burrowes (15 April 193031 December 2015) was an Irish playwright and screenwriter. Originally from Northern Ireland, he became a resident of the Republic of Ireland. He was best known as the chief scriptwriter on '' The Riordans'' and '' ...

, it starred

Gabriel Byrne Gabriel James Byrne (born 12 May 1950) is an Irish actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, audiobook narrator, and author. His acting career began in the Focus Theatre before he joined London's Royal Court Theatre in 1979. Byrne's s ...

and

Niall Tóibín Niall Tóibín (; 21 November 1929 – 13 November 2019) was an Irish comedian and actor. Born in Cork into an Irish speaking family, Tóibín grew up on the north-side of the city in Bishop's Field. He appeared in ''Ryan's Daughter'', ''Bride ...

. The show is chiefly known for being the link between two long standing RTÉ series, in that Gabriel Byrne's character, Pat Barry, had first appeared in ''

The Riordans ''The Riordans'' was the second Irish television drama serial made by Raidio Telefís Éireann (then called ''Telefís Éireann''). It ran from 1965 to 1979 and was set in the fictional townland of Leestown in County Kilkenny. Its location fil ...

'', towards the end of that show's run. The characters of Dinny and Miley Byrne, played by Joe Lynch and

Mick Lally Mick is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Michael. Because of its popularity in Ireland, it is often used in England as a derogatory term for an Irish person or a person of Irish descent. In Australia the meaning broade ...

, first appeared on this series, they were later to become the central stars of ''

Glenroe ''Glenroe'' was a television drama series broadcast on RTÉ One in Ireland between September 1983, when the first episode was aired, and May 2001. A spin-off from '' Bracken'' — a short-lived RTÉ drama itself spun off from '' The Riordans' ...

''. Each of the three series were created by

Cast

as Pat Barry *

as Edward Daly * Joe Lynch as Dinny Byrne *

Sean Lawlor Sean Lawlor (25 January 1954 – 10 October 2009) was an Irish character actor and playwright. He was best known for his portrayal of Malcolm Wallace in ''Braveheart''. He also appeared in ''Titanic'', '' In the Name of the Father'' and '' On B ...

as Peter Thompson *

as Miley Byrne *

Fiona Victory Fiona Victory (born 1952) is an Irish actress. Her television roles include: Louise Daly in ''Bracken'' (1980), Harriet Wright in ''Shine on Harvey Moon'' (1982), Maeve Phelan in ''The Hanging Gale'' (1995) and Dr Annie Robbins in '' Dangerfield ...

as Louise Daly *

Dana Wynter Dana Wynter (born Dagmar Winter; 8 June 19315 May 2011) was a German-born British actress, who was raised in the United Kingdom and southern Africa. She appeared in film and television for more than 40 years, beginning in the 1950s. Her best-know ...

as Jill Daly * Jim Fitzgerald as Barney Kenny

References

External links

*
Bracken in the RTE Archives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bracken (Tv Series) 1978 Irish television series debuts 1982 Irish television series endings 1970s Irish television series 1980s Irish television series English-language television shows Irish television soap operas RTÉ original programming