Fair City’s Barry O’Hanlon will be returning to the soap ahead of their big 30th anniversary episode!
The iconic character, who was on our screens for over 22 years, left the show back in 2011 in dramatic circumstances, and now, actor Pat Nolan has opened up about Barry’s hugely anticipated comeback.
“When I first joined, I was young, around 31, and I thought I would just get it in, stay for a while and then go back to stage work,” Pat told the Irish Sun on Sunday.
“And then I ended up staying 22 years. So when my agent said it to me, I was finishing up stage work and I also teach as well, but it worked with my schedule.”
“Sometimes I feel like I have never been away and other times, I am like, ‘where am I going?
“I am still happy to play him, and still energised by the job and committed. If you are not committed then you need to not do it, as the audience can see it.”
Pat’s character Barry was written out of the show by being imprisoned for the manslaughter of much loved character Sarah O’Leary, and he now says that he may get a mixed reception when returning to Carrigstown.
“It is a small community so there are some faces like Paul who are glad to see him back and then there are some who call him a killer and think of the awful thing he did.
“And then, as with all small communities, there are some Chinese whispers of things people say he did and did he actually do it?
“Prison has changed him, he had to learn to adapt, new coping skills, how to deal with people so it will be interesting to see that and also, if he meets Denzo again. How will that go?”
Fair City’s anniversary special will air on Wednesday September, 18 on RTE One!