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Irish Mirror

Entertainment

Michelle Townsend

Where are the Doyles from Fair City now? From sad death to new life in New York

Fair City (Location) New York RTE David Mitchell Helen Carrigstown

The Doyle family was for a long time synonymous with Fair City and produced some of the more memorable characters and storylines on the hit RTE soap.

Much like Mitchells in EastEnders, the Platts in Coronation Street and the Dingles in Emmerdale, the Doyles were a staple of Carrigstown.

During the 1990s and 2000s, they were the main family in town with six children but nowadays Bela is the only one left on our screens.

Bela and his wife Rita shared six children - Yvonne, Darren, Louise, Jimmy, Suzanne and Helen.

Viewers will never forget the drama the clan provided over the years - including Yvonne's scheming ways, Jimmy's shock marriage split, Suzanne's domestic abuse and Helen's tragic death.

Here we take a look at what the actors have been up to in recent years.

Bela Doyle - played by Jim Bartley

Bela is still living in Carrigstown although he has a much less prominent role without his family members. In 2021, the popular character married his good pal Cass, purely for tax benefits. While actor Jim is still working on Fair City, he admitted that he suffers from a health condition which means he has to use a wheelchair from time to time.

He told the Irish Sun in 2021: "I suffer from a thing called Peripheral neuropathy which is the damaged nerve ends in the feet which affects your balance and your walking.

"That's why I used the wheelchair, now I don't use it all the time there are times when you will see me standing up."

Rita Doyle - played by Jean Costello

Rita was a much loved matriarch on the streets of Carrigstown and viewers loved her. Rita was a mainstay in Fair City between 1989 and 2013, with actress Jean Costello eventually giving up the role due to illness. The fan favourite and TV star passed away on St. Stephen's Day in 2019 after a long battle with dementia.

Yvonne Doyle - played by Ciara O'Callaghan

Ciara O'Callaghan playing Yvonne Doyle on Fair City (RTE/Fair City)

Yvonne was the eptiome of drama back in the noughties. Most fans will remember her best for her tumultuous relationship with Mike Gleeson, coming out as bisexual and becoming pregnant with daughter Ruth after sleeping with Paul Brennan.

Ciara left Fair City in 2014 and has gone on to enjoy a successful acting career, both on stage and screen.

Most recently she starred alongside Jane Seymour in Acorn TV series Harry Wild, playing the role of Vivian Mitchell-Tiernan.

This year she also voiced the role of Mrs Taffy for RTE animation series Tales of Dun Draiochta.

Ciara also starred as Julie O'Brien in Amy Huberman drama Striking Out. Other notable TV credits include Bridget and Eamonn, I Kill Giants, Doctors and Mrs Brown's Boys.

Jimmy Doyle - played by David Mitchell

Let's be honest, Jimmy is the OG Irish soap heartthrob as people up and down the country had a major crush on him during his time in Carrigstown.

As a soap character Jimmy had been through it all - he tragically lost his first wife Lorraine shortly after marrying her and then struck up a fan favourite romance with mechanic Robin - but that all came crashing down he cheated on her with Ali.

Actor David first appeared in Fair City in 1991 but left 17 years later to pursue new opportunities.

Following his Carrigstown exit, David appeared in (and won, may I add) the celebrity version of singing competition You're A Star.

He now lives in New York and runs a pub with his family.

Suzanne Doyle - played by Sarah Flood

Suzanne Doyle is best remembered for marrying Damien Halpin and the couple seemed like love’s young dream. However, things took a dark turn when Suzanne started physically attacking Damien in a gripping domestic abuse storyline, inevitably causing their marriage to fall apart.

Fair City fans were shocked when Sarah was dropped from the soap back in 2013, but since then she has gone on to star in Run, Princess Rehab, I Am Jesus, and most recently, Here Are The Young Men.

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