Tolka Row was an Irish drama serial set in a fictional housing estate on the northside of Dublin. Based on Maura Laverty's play of the same name, Tolka Row was first broadcast on 3 January 1964 and aired weekly for five series until it ended on 31 May 1968. As Telefís Éireann's first venture into soap operas, Tolka Row quickly became a staple of the new television station's schedule and set the pace for all future home-produced serials. Its popularity also resulted in the station developing a second soap opera, The Riordans, in 1965. Tolka Row is similar in format to the long-running British soap Coronation Street, from which it borrows its main premise (the everyday life of a number of neighbours). The show was centred on the Nolans, a typical working-class Dublin family, and their neighbours, the Feeneys. All episodes were filmed in studio at Telefís Éireann's Television Centre in Donnybrook, Dublin. Cast Jack Nolan – Des Perry Rita Nolan – May Oliss Seán Nolan – Jim Bartley Statia Nolan-Doyle – Iris Lawler/Sheila O'Sullivan Oliver Feeney – John Molloy Assumpta Feeney – Aileen Harte Concepta Feeney – Virginia Cole Queenie Butler – May Cluskey Mr. Pender – Ritchie Stewart Harry Allen – Martin Dempsey Andy Kinnear – Gerry Alexander Peggy Kinnear – Laurie Morton Gabby Doyle – John McDarby Paddy Moore – Paddy Long Mrs. Moore – Úna McCourt Molly Ryan – Patricia Martin Jim "Beardie" Toomey – Andrew Irvine Production Broadcast format During its entire four-year run Tolka Row remained at the centre of Telefís Éireann's prime time schedule. The pilot episode was broadcast at 19:20 on Friday, 3 January 1964. The first two series aired once a week on Fridays at that time. The third series moved to Sunday evenings where it usually aired at 19:45. The last two series returned to Friday evenings with a broadcast time of 20:00. Every episode was pre-recorded in black and white before the broadcast date. Sets For all five series, the complete set of Tolka Row (house interiors and exteriors) was erected inside Studio 1 of Telefís Éireann's Television Centre in Dublin. Sets were constructed and removed on an ad hoc basis. There are a number of reasons for the use of an indoor studio; the main one being that the infancy of production techniques at the time did not allow easy recording and editing of sequences filmed in different