RYAN'S HOPE, a soap about a large Irish-American family living in the Riverside district of New York City, debuted on ABC on July 7, 1975. The patriarch, Johnny Ryan (
Bernard Barrow) owned a bar, Ryan's, which was across from Riverside Hospital. His wife, Maeve (
Helen Gallagher) and their children, helped with the running of the bar. Highly acclaimed by critics, RH won several Emmys, including two for Outstanding Drama Series, during its run. Several well-known actors got their start on RH, including
Ilene Kristen (currently OLTL's Roxy),
Roscoe Born,
Julia Barr,
Kate Mulgrew,
Grant Show,
Yasmine Bleeth, and
Corbin Bernsen. After 14 years, the series limped to cancellation on January 13, 1989, already having been dropped by a large number of ABC affiliates. As was tradition at most of the Ryan celebrations, the final moments of the series' finale feature Maeve singing the well-known Irish song "Danny Boy" one last time for the patrons of the bar. And just like that, it was over.
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