Name	Gowran
Gaeilge	Gabhrán
Map image	Ireland map County Kilkenny Magnified.png
Pin coords	left: 56px; top: 66px
North coord	52.633333 | west coord = 7.066667 | irish grid =
Province	Leinster
County	County Kilkenny
Web	www.kilkennycoco.ie

Gowran () is a village and former town in County Kilkenny, Ireland. Gowran Park race course is located nearby. Gowran is located on the N9 national primary road where it is crossed by the R702 regional road.

History

Gowran was a place of importance prior to the Norman invasion and a royal residence of the Kings of Ossory, sometimes recorded as the Kings of Gowran. King Robert the Bruce with his army of Scots and Ulstermen took the town in 1316. James Butler, 3rd Earl of Ormonde built Gowran Castle in 1385 close to the site of the present castle and town walls were erected circa 1415. King James I made Gowran a parliamentary borough in 1608.

The town, under the command of Colonel Robert Hammond, surrendered to Oliver Cromwell on 21 March 1650 following a siege. Colonel Hammond was a cousin of Cromwell's. The soldiers of the garrison accepted Cromwell's offer of quarter for their lives and handed their officers over to the Parliamentarians. Cromwell ordered the execution by firing squad of all but one of the officers; a priest captured in the castle was hanged.

In 1688 James II granted A Charter of Incorporation to the town and of 18 burgesses listed, six were Kealy's. A Magdelan hospital was built outside the walls circa 1578 "For the relief of poor leprous people".

Churches

In the centre of the village is the historic St Marys Collegiate Church which contains monuments from the 14th to 17th centuries. This collegiate church was built in the late 13th century on the site of an earlier monastery. It was served by a "college"—clerics who lived in a community but who did not submit to the rule of a monastery. They lived in a house, now destroyed, beside the church. The church was a large and elaborate structure, with an aisled nave—the main part of the church where the congregation—and a long chancel—the section of the church where the altar was placed—and has high quality architectural sculpture used throughout. In the late middle ages a massive tower was inserted between the nave and chancel, and in the 19th century this tower was incorporated into the parish church which was built in place of the chancel and which now takes up about half of the building. There were also several other changes made to the church at various periods. St Mary's is now a National Monument.

The Catholic church is the Church of the Assumption.

Barony of Gowran

Gowran is at the centre of the Barony of the same name. The Barony of Gowran contains 36 parishes (See Map) 3 of which are split between the Barony of Gowran and the Baronies of Fassadinin and Ida (Mothell, Kilmadum and Inistioge). Most of the eastern boundary of Gowran is formed by the River Barrow.

Transport

Gowran railway station opened on 14 November 1850 and finally closed on 1 January 1963.

People

Gowran is home to D.J. Carey who was born there. He is a renowned sportsman and played hurling for Kilkenny until his retirement in 2006. He is regarded as an icon of the sport and has won most of the major honours in the game. D.J now runs a successful business just outside the village called D.J Carey Enterprises. his wife and children live in Rockfield.

Other noted residents and former residents are Capt Padraig Quinn (Spanish Civil War veteran).

Kilkenny hurlers Kevin Fennelly and Lester Ryan

The ancestors of Walt Disney are from Gowran.

Colonel Dan Bryan, head of the Irish Army's intelligence unit G2 during "The Emergency" (World War II), was born in Dunbell near Gowran.

Economy

Business within the village include:

Gowran Park Horse Racing & Golf Course

Harding Fireplaces

Automotive Calibration

Loughlins Public House and Undertakers.

Sport

Gowran is internationally known for its picturesque racecourse, Gowran Park, which hosts the Thyestes Chase (The Grand National of the South), one of the prestigious steeplechases in Ireland which has been won by three time Cheltenham Gold Cup Winner, Arkle in 1964 and Aintree Grand National winners Hedgehunter and Numbersixvalverde. It has 16 National Hunt and Flat meetings all year round. Gowran Park is also home to one of the most challenging golf courses in Kilkenny and is a venue for meetings, conferences, weddings and parties.

Young Irelands Gaelic Athletic Association Club are based just outside the village on the Goresbridge Road. Senior County Hurling Champions in 1996 and 2002, they were also runners up in 1997, 2003 and 2004.

There is a popular Pitch and Putt course in the village.

The local soccer team is called Ajax.

References

O'Kelly, Owen (1985), The Place Names of County Kilkenny. Published by Kilkenny Archaeological Society

Prim, John G A. (2002), Nooks and Corners of the County Kilkenny. Published by Grangesilvia Publications, Kilkenny

O'Neill, Gerry. (2005), Kilkenny GAA Bible. Produced by Kilkenny GAA Yearbook Committee

See also

List of towns and villages in Ireland

Category:Towns and villages in County Kilkenny Category:Census towns in County Kilkenny

Fullname	Anderson Luís de Souza
Dateofbirth	August 27, 1977
Cityofbirth	São Bernardo do Campo
Countryofbirth	Brazil
Height
Currentclub	Fluminense
Clubnumber	20
Position	Attacking midfielder
Youthyears1	1995–1996
Youthclubs1	Nacional (SP)
Years1	1996–1997
Clubs1	Corinthians
Caps1	2
Goals1	0
Years2	1997–1999
Clubs2	Benfica
Caps2	0
Goals2	0
Years3	1997–1998
Clubs3	→ Alverca (loan)
Caps3	32
Goals3	13
Years4	1998–1999
Clubs4	→ Salgueiros (loan)
Caps4	12
Goals4	2
Years5	1999–2004
Clubs5	Porto
Caps5	154
Goals5	32
Years6	2004–2008
Clubs6	Barcelona
Caps6	113
Goals6	11
Years7	2008–2010
Clubs7	Chelsea
Caps7	43
Goals7	5
Years8	2010–
Clubs8	Fluminense
Caps8	10
Goals8	1
Nationalyears1	2003–2010
Nationalteam1	Portugal
Nationalcaps1	75
Nationalgoals1	5
Pcupdate	18:38, 9 December 2009 (UTC)
Ntupdate	19:18, 29 June 2010 (UTC)

Anderson Luís de Souza, OIH (born 27 August 1977 in São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil), commonly known as Deco, is a Brazilian-born Portuguese professional footballer who currently plays for Fluminense

Deco is one of the few players to have won the UEFA Champions League with two different clubs – Porto in 2004 and FC Barcelona in 2006. He was named UEFA Club Footballer of the Year and UEFA Best Midfielder in Porto's UEFA Champions League winning season and was named Man of the Match in the 2003–04 Champions League final. Deco was the first player to win the UEFA Best Midfielder Award with two different clubs (Porto and Barcelona). He was awarded the FIFA World Club Cup Golden Ball and the Man of the Match award in the final despite losing to Internacional. Deco made his 100th appearance in the UEFA Champions League while playing for Chelsea against Atlético Madrid joining a group of only 13 players to have achieved the same milestone.

Deco received Portuguese citizenship in 2002 having completed six years of Portuguese residence, subsequently opting to play internationally for the Portugal national football team.

Career

Early career

Deco started off his career at Nacional Atlético Clube in the city of São Paulo, where he was spotted and signed by Corinthians. Deco arrived in Portugal in 1997 at the age of 19 along with fellow Brazilian player Caju after being acquired by Lisbon side SL Benfica, along with the Corinthians Alagoano franchise.

Despite good showings in training, Benfica decided to loan Deco to the Portuguese Liga de Honra side Alverca where he played for a season. Deco performed well and was close to renewing his contract with Benfica and joining the main squad. However, the Lisbon club and the player's representative did not reach an agreement, as the then manager Graeme Souness did not believe that he would develop into a player worth keeping. Subsequently, Deco was traded to Portuguese Liga side Salgueiros in the 1998–99 season, playing 12 games and scoring two goals. His performances caught the eye of the Porto staff, and during the winter transfer window, he was sold to FC Porto.

Porto

Under the guidance of José Mourinho, Deco was given the role of leading an ambitious Porto team. A key figure in the 2002–03 season, he scored 10 goals in 30 games, but nevertheless received 17 yellow cards and one red card. Deco was one of the key players in Porto's UEFA Cup final 3–2 win over Celtic that year. In the 2003–04 season, Deco helped Porto recapture the national title and led the team to the 2004 UEFA Champions League Final in which Porto won 3–0 over AS Monaco, scoring the second goal of the match. He was the Champions League's top assist provider and also suffered the most fouls in the Champions League that season. That season, Deco won the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year as well as the award for the best midfielder in the competition.

Barcelona

.]] On 17 June 2004, Deco told a Portuguese radio station that he would almost certainly join English side Chelsea (then coached by Mourinho) following UEFA Euro 2004. He said that a transfer deal between Porto and Chelsea had been all but finalised, and that the only remaining steps were passing a physical examination and signing a formal contract with Chelsea.

However, on 26 June 2004, he told the Portuguese sports daily O Jogo that he would rather move to FC Barcelona than follow Mourinho to Chelsea. While Bayern Munich gave up on Deco after the Chelsea deal seemed to have been concluded, it was still uncertain whether the German side would make a new bid. The best offer at that time was a €21 million bid from Barça, but this figure was still €4 million short of the request by Porto's board. Portuguese newspapers then reported that Barça would try to offer Portuguese winger Ricardo Quaresma as part of the exchange in order to ease the deal.

Finally, a deal was achieved between Porto and Barcelona the day after the UEFA Euro 2004 final. Barça agreed on a €15 million fee in cash, plus the complete rights of Quaresma to Porto, which tagged Quaresma for €6M. Deco signed a four year deal with the Catalan side on 6 July 2004.

In Barcelona, some suggested Deco would be completely eclipsed by Brazilian star Ronaldinho (a duo that according to Luiz Felipe Scolari "can make rain fall"). Indeed, many Barcelona fans met the transfer with raised eyebrows, as Deco was considered an attacking midfielder – a department which was already well covered. Instead, coach Frank Rijkaard used him in a pure central midfield position, where his tactical knowledge, defensive abilities, and enormous work rate surprised many. In December 2004, he came second in France Football's Ballon d'Or 2004 award, losing to Andriy Shevchenko and beating teammate Ronaldinho by six votes.

On 14 May 2005, Deco played in the draw against Levante, which gave Barcelona their 17th La Liga title. He also was named Barcelona's player of the season in the 05/06 season

Deco scored twice in the Spanish Supercup 2006–07, which Barça won. Deco won the UEFA Best Midfielder Award yet again for his performance in Barça's Champions League winning season, enabling him to join the exclusive group of players that have won the same award more than once with different teams, having won the Champions League previously with Porto. Other members of this exclusive group include greats such as Paulo Sousa (Borussia Dortmund and Juventus), Clarence Seedorf (Ajax, Real Madrid, and Milan (Twice)), Marcel Desailly (Marseille and Milan), Frank Rijkaard (Milan and Ajax), Samuel Eto'o (Real Madrid, FC Barcelona (Twice) and Internazionale), Didier Deschamps (Marseille and Juventus), Owen Hargreaves (Bayern Munich and Manchester United) and Edwin van der Sar (Ajax and Manchester United). He was also awarded the Golden Ball at the FIFA Club World Cup and the Man of the Match award, despite losing the final to Internacional.

Chelsea

On 30 June 2008, Chelsea signed Deco from FC Barcelona on a three year contract for £8 million. He was the first signing of new Chelsea coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, who was formerly the national coach of Portugal.

Deco scored on his Chelsea debut and his Premier League debut, with a 30-yard goal, in a 4–0 victory over Portsmouth. Deco followed up his performance by scoring in his second game for Chelsea, a curling free kick against Wigan Athletic. These performances led to him winning the Premier League Player of the Month award for August. Deco made his Champions League debut for Chelsea on September 16. Deco injured himself during a training session, but he returned from the thigh injury on 19 October and came on as a substitute against Middlesbrough. He was sent off in the 3–1 defeat by AS Roma on 4 November 2008. He then scored a bicycle kick against Bolton Wanderers on 6 December.

Deco eventually lost his place in the 2008–09 starting line up, due in part to some poor performances, but also to the sacking of Scolari. In a June interview, Deco stated: "I do not want to stay. I have not liked my experience at Chelsea." This was soon followed by Internazionale, managed by former Chelsea manager José Mourinho, declaring that they were attempting to sign Deco along with fellow countryman Ricardo Carvalho, who had also declared his desire to leave and like Deco desired to link up with Mourinho again. Both players were under Mourinho at Porto. However, Inter president Massimo Moratti later ruled out signing either of the Portuguese internationals on the basis of their age, telling Gazzetta dello Sport, "Deco and Carvalho? They are two champions but at this time I don't feel there's a need to buy them." Soon after this Deco said that he would be willing to stay at Chelsea for at least the rest of his contract, but he said that things must change from his first season in West London.

After talks with new Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti Deco said he was very happy at the club and wanted to show everyone what he could do, he started on the bench in the 2009 FA Community Shield against Manchester United. Deco himself stepped up to take the winning penalty for Chelsea, but was not allowed as Salomon Kalou was placed before him on the list handed to the referee. Deco had an excellent start to the new campaign. He came on as a second half substitute in the first game of the new season for Chelsea against Hull City, and assisted Didier Drogba who scored in injury time. He scored in the next match with a 3–1 win over Sunderland A.F.C with a powerful right-footed shot which came off the inside of the post from outside of the penalty area. He made his 100th UEFA Champions League appearance against Atlético Madrid joining only 13 other players to have achieved as many appearances. Deco scored his second goal of the season in a League Cup tie against Bolton Wanderers F.C., with a shot from 16 yards into the bottom right hand corner of the goal. He added to his goal tally the very next game, again against Bolton Wanderers, with a curling left footer from inside the penalty box. Deco was a consistent player for Chelsea throughout the Autum period but injuries halted his season throughout the Christmas period, he returned in games against Preston, Hull City and Birmingham and played well, but then injury caught him again. Deco made his first start after injury in the 5–0 win away at Portsmouth, and his header forward (even though through an error from Portsmouth goalkeeper David James) set up Didier Drogba for Chelsea's first goal. Deco was sensational in Chelsea's 7–1 win over Aston Villa, creating chances for his team mates and helping Chelsea's midfield flow, he provided a key pass for Chelsea's third goal of the game, skilfully working past an Aston Villa defender and playing a clever ball with the outside of his right foot to Yuri Zhirkov who's cross fell to Florent Malouda who scored. Deco started in Chelsea's potential title decider against Manchester United at Old Trafford alongside fellow midfielders Frank Lampard and John Obi Mikel. Deco made several accurate passes to advancing teammates and also provided a key delivery to Florent Malouda who set up Joe Cole for the opening goal in Chelsea's 2–1 win.

Fluminense

On 6 August 2010, Deco signed a 2-year contract with Brazilian club Fluminense on a free transfer, joining former Chelsea player Juliano Belletti. Also on 2010, Deco has won his first Brazilian Champioship, participating on Fluminense's victorious campaign.

International career

Never called up to the Brazilian national team, Deco was eligible to play for Portugal, with Deco playing club football with Porto his years in Portugal made him eligible to play for the Portuguese. Deco has mentioned several times in the media as an option for the Portuguese national team. In 2002, having completed six years of Portuguese residence, he received Portuguese citizenship. After many months of public discussion which split Portuguese public opinion, and despite the opposition of a large number of Porto rivals' supporters, he was called up for his first international — coincidentally against Brazil. He scored the free kick that stunned Brazil, leading to a 2–1 win for Portugal. This was Portugal's first win over Brazil since the 1966 World Cup. Since that game, he has been a regular in the national team, in spite of initial criticism by players such as Luís Figo, who later recognised Deco's value. Despite the early criticism, Deco was one of the highlights of the Portuguese national team. He scored five goals in 75 caps for Portugal by June 2010 and his international career ended after the second round defeat to Spain at the 2010 World Cup.

2006 World Cup

In the 2006 World Cup, Deco scored the first goal in Portugal's second Group D match against Iran in the 63rd minute minute prior to Cristiano Ronaldo's 80th minute penalty. During the first knockout stage of the competition, Deco received two yellow cards in the game against Netherlands with the first given for a rash tackle on John Heitinga, suspending him from the quarterfinal win against England, as he already picked up a caution in the match with Iran. The win against England in the quarterfinal stage led to Portugal's defeat in the semifinal, which Deco was able to participate in.

Euro 2008

On 11 June, Deco scored the opening goal in Portugal's second match of Euro 2008, a Group A clash with the Czech Republic. The game ended 3–1 to Portugal, with Deco aiding his team in their passage to the quarter-finals where Portugal's campaign came to an end against Germany, the eventual runners-up of the tournament.

In February 2010 Deco announced that he would be retiring from international football after the 2010 World Cup.

2010 World Cup

Deco played for Portugal in their opening game against Côte d'Ivoire. During the game he was injured and was ruled out of the remaining two group games, against North Korea and Brazil. He was fit again for the Last 16 game against Spain but Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz chose Tiago over Deco.

Deco retired from international football with 75 caps and 5 goals.

International goals

Career statistics

Honours

Club

Porto

Portuguese Liga: 1998–99, 2002–03, 2003–04

Taça de Portugal: 2000, 2001, 2003

Portuguese Supercup: 1999, 2001, 2003

UEFA Champions League: 2004

UEFA Cup: 2003

Barcelona

La Liga: 2004–05, 2005–06

Supercopa de España: 2005, 2006

UEFA Champions League: 2006

Chelsea

Premier League: 2009–10

FA Cup: 2009, 2010

Community Shield: 2009

Fluminense

Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 2009–10

Individual

Portuguese League Footballer of the Year: 2003–04

UEFA Club Footballer of the Year: 2003–04

UEFA Best Midfielder: 2003–04 , 2005–06

FIFA World Club Cup Golden Ball: 2006

Premier League Player of the Month: August 2008

Orders

Medal of Merit, Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa (House of Braganza)

Personal life

When Deco started his European career in 1997, his first wife Cila, whom he had met three years earlier, moved to Portugal with him. Deco and Cila have two sons, João Henrique and Pedro Gabriel, who now live in Brazil with their mother. A few years later, Deco met Jaciara at a party in Salvador (Brazil) and divorced Cila to live with Jaciara in Porto. They married in April 2005 and now have a son, David, and a daughter, Yasmin. They announced their divorce in March 2008. His maternal family is of Japanese heritage and his paternal family is of Portuguese descent. In 2009 his ex-girlfriend gave birth to his fifth child, a daughter, Sofia.

Deco is the brother-in-law of fellow footballer Alecsandro, who plays for Internacional and Brazil international Richarlyson. Deco is an ambassador for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. He has a charitable organisation, Deco Institute, in the Brazilian city of Indaiatuba, near São Paulo, where he grew up.

References

External links

Match stats, Player Profil and News

FootballDatabase provides Deco's profile and stats

FC Barcelona profile

Deco profile from About.com

Category:1977 births Category:Living people Category:People from São Bernardo do Campo Category:Naturalised citizens of Portugal Category:Portuguese people of Brazilian descent Category:Portuguese footballers Category:Portugal international footballers Category:UEFA Euro 2004 players Category:2006 FIFA World Cup players Category:UEFA Euro 2008 players Category:2010 FIFA World Cup players Category:Portuguese expatriate footballers Category:Portuguese expatriates in Brazil Category:Sport Club Corinthians Paulista players Category:FC Alverca players Category:Primeira Liga players Category:S.C. Salgueiros players Category:F.C. Porto players Category:Portuguese expatriates in Spain Category:Expatriate footballers in Spain Category:La Liga footballers Category:FC Barcelona footballers Category:Expatriate footballers in England Category:Premier League players Category:Chelsea F.C. players Category:Brazilian people of Portuguese descent Category:Brazilian people of Japanese descent

In 1997, the BBC soap opera EastEnders broadcast three singular transmissions that were filmed on location in Dublin, Ireland. The episodes involved the Fowler and Beale family travelling from London to the "Emerald Isle", to meet their long-lost relatives. They were badly received by viewers and heavily criticised in the media. The BBC was inundated with complaints from angry viewers from Ireland for negative stereotyping, portraying Irish people as "dirty, rude, and drunk". Complaints were made by the Irish Embassy and there were fears that the episodes would have a negative effect on the Irish tourist trade. The BBC was forced to issue an apology for causing offence.

Storyline development

In 1997, EastEnders aired a storyline in which the character Pauline Fowler (Wendy Richard) discovered that she had a long-lost sister, Maggie Flaherty. 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 was said to be the result of an illicit affair Lou had with an Irishman 60 years prior, but although Maggie was initially thought to be Pauline’s half sister, it later transpired that they shared the same father too; she 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 travelled 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 was 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. 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." 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). Viewers were angered by scenes that they felt portrayed Irish as resentful towards English, drunk, dirty, poor and rude — one scene showed a drunk man pouring beer over Pauline Fowler (later revealed to be her brother-in-law), and then demanding payment for the drink. Callers to Radio Ulster's Talkback programme and Gerry Ryan's morning talk show on RTÉ radio, demanded that the scriptwriters be sacked. BBC contributor Mike Philpott described the show as "the worst case of stage 'Oirish' seen for a long time" and "one of the most shameful half-hour episodes in the history of British television". The Irish Embassy in London said, "[EastEnders] has caused a great deal of upset and annoyance in the country [Ireland] and with Irish people in Britain." He added, "EastEnders is a powerful and very concentrated medium … People are upset at the caricature and misrepresentation of Ireland. Irish people can laugh at themselves but, the point is, this is one of the most popular programmes on British television, and it decided to present an image of Ireland that conforms to old-fashioned negative stereotypes. It selected an unrepresentative range of stereotypes. Cultural and racial stereotyping tends to create barriers between people." The Irish actors, who were employed specifically for the storyline, were also criticised by Kelly for not speaking out against the scenes they were enacting. He accused them of selling out their heritage and denigrating their fellow-countrymen.

Complaints were upheld by the British Broadcasting Standards Commission, who said "the intention was positive rather than negative but the result was clumsy and irritating". The BBC said, "EastEnders has a reputation for showing slices of life in many different ways and sometimes these are not flattering",

Characters introduced

Flaherty family

Maggie Flaherty

Name	Maggie Flaherty
Portrayer	Olivia Shanley
Years	1997
First	22 September 1997
Last	25 September 1997
Occupation	Housewife
Home	Kilmoneen, Ireland
Family	Beale
Father	Albert Beale
Mother	Lou Beale
Brothers	Harry BealeRonnie BealeKenny BealePete Beale
Sisters	Dora BealePauline Fowler
Husband	Sean Flaherty
Sons	Eamonn FlahertyConor FlahertyJohn FlahertyTommy Flaherty
Grandsons	Eamonn Flaherty Jr.Declan FlahertyCarl Flaherty
Granddaughters	Colette FlahertyKylie FlahertyMary Flaherty

Margaret "Maggie" Flaherty (née Medeemey) was born illegitimately to Louise Medeemey before Lou's marriage to Albert Beale. She was given up for adoption, as she was born out of wedlock, and was sent to live with a family in Ireland.

In 1996, eight years after Lou died in 1988, her youngest daughter Pauline found a letter from Lou to her best friend Ethel, revealing that she had a secret daughter. Pauline and her family tried to find Maggie, and when they did, they visited her in Kilmoneen, Ireland.

Whilst in Ireland, Maggie's lecherous husband Sean flirted with Pauline, and was abusive to his granddaughter, Mary. When Pauline and her family left, taking Mary with them, she begged Maggie to leave Sean and return to Walford with her, but Maggie decided to stay and look after her vast family. This was the last time she was seen. Her all grown up family sent a wreath to Pauline's funeral in 2006.

Sean Flaherty

Name	Sean Flaherty
Portrayer	Pat Laffin
Years	1997
First	22 September 1997
Last	25 September 1997
Home	Kilmoneen, Ireland
Wife	Maggie Flaherty
Sons	Eamonn FlahertyConor FlahertyJohn FlahertyTommy Flaherty
Grandsons	Eamonn Flaherty Jr.Declan FlahertyCarl Flaherty
Granddaughters	Colette FlahertyKylie FlahertyMary Flaherty

Sean Flaherty, portrayed by Pat Laffin, is first seen as a lecherous drunk in a pub in the Irish village of Kilmoneen. Sean leered over Pauline's breasts and tried to buy her a drink, only to be told to leave her alone by Ian. He later went over to Pauline and tried to touch her, spilling stout on her. He was then thrown out of the bar.

Later, when Pauline was at Maggie's house, and her eldest son Eamonn brought his father home, Pauline was shocked to see that Maggie was married to Sean.

As Pauline, Mary and the family left Kilmoneen, Sean staggered into the road to try and stop the car, and stop Mary from leaving. Mark got out of the car and punched Sean in the groin, and they sped off in the car, leaving Sean doubled over in pain. is the son of Eamonn (after whom he was named) and Brenda Flaherty. Eamonn was witness to the first kiss between Colette and Martin, when they went to collect him from choir practice.

Other family members

Other characters

Gerry McCrae

Name	Gerry McCrae
Portrayer	Simon O'Gorman
Years	1997
First	22 September 1997
Last	23 September 1997
Occupation	Shopkeeper
Home	Kilmoneen, Ireland

Gerry McCrae was the shopkeeper in Kilmoneen, the Irish village where the Flaherty family lived.

Gerry was a married man, but was secretly having an affair with Mary Flaherty. He told Mary he was leaving his wife to be with her, but Mary ended their relationship publicly, and the local bartender, Patrick, heard their argument and told Mary's uncle, Eamonn. Eamonn couldn't wait to tell his violent, alcoholic father Sean, which led to Mary's departure from the village, scared of what Sean would do to her.

References

Further reading

Episodes in Ireland Category:1997 in British television Category:EastEnders episodes