Sad day for Fair City fans as fan favourite Bela Doyle actor Jim Bartley retires
When Fair City broke onto our screens at the end of the eighties it was full of gripping storylines and one character that everyone loved to hate was Bela Doyle.
But after 34 years playing the Dubliner, actor Jim Bartley has decided to say goodbye to Carrigstown.
Over the years Jim has had some challenging scenes but when it comes to what fans remember, it will always be Bela's affairs.
In the early nineties, the Doyle family represented the stereotypical large Irish family struggling to get by. Bela and his wife Rita had six kids, Helen, Jimmy, Darren, Yvonne, Suzanne, and Louise but Bela's wandering eye often got him into trouble.
Sleeping with his best friend Leo's girlfriend, which led to a pregnancy and miscarriage, the stories that aired on RTÉ certainly got people talking and Jim was seen as somewhat of a Casanova when he stepped onto the street.
Bela was involved in several big storylines and many viewers loved his and character Cass who was played by Eamon Morrisey's extreme lengths they went to to avoid a tax bill.
Pretending to be a couple, they married only to find
Fair City bids farewell to much-loved character Bela Doyle as actor announces retirement
FAIR CITY’S BELA Doyle, one of the longest running characters on the show, is bidding farewell to Carrigstown as actor Jim Bartley announces his retirement after almost 34 years.
Bartley joined the cast in and has been a staple character on the show since.
In Fair City, Bela Doyle was married to Rita and was father to their six children: Helen, Yvonne, Jimmy, Darren, Suzanne and Louise.
Nonetheless, the character had numerous affairs through the years, including a secret love child with Barry O’Hanlon’s girlfriend, Linda, but the baby tragically passed away.
A love triangle with Pauline, Leo Dowling’s love interest and eventual wife, also followed.
When Pauline chose Leo and married him, Bela ended up as Leo’s best man.
Tragedy struck many times with death, drama and heartbreak impacting Doyle and his family over the years, including the death of his daughter, Helen.
His most enduring friendship through the years in Carrigstown was with Charlie Kelly, an unlikely pair.
“After over 60 years of association with RTÉ, firstly on Tolka Row, aged 18, and over 30 years spent on Fair
Fair City legend Jim Bartley retires as Bela Doyle after 34 years
Fair City legend Jim Bartley is retiring from the soap after almost 34 years.
The actor has played the much loved character of Bela Doyle since
For a year before the character actually arrived on screen, Bela Doyle had a reputation as Carrigstown’s Casanova, despite being married to Rita and being father to their six children: Helen, Yvonne, Jimmy, Darren, Suzanne and Louise.
Read more: Fair City star Matthew O'Brien reveals his unusual second job away from the RTÉ soap opera
Bela had a string of other dalliances, with countless ladies falling under his spell over the years.
This led to many tangled affairs, including a secret love child with Barry O'Hanlon's girlfriend, Linda, but the baby tragically passed away. As no one knew that he was the father, he couldn’t openly grieve.
A love triangle with Pauline, Leo Dowling’s love interest and eventual wife, also followed. When Pauline chose Leo and married him, Bela ended up being Leo's best man. All love was not lost for Bela on their big day, however, as he had a dalliance with Pauline’s bridesmaid, Nicola.
Tragedy struck many times w
'I wasn't happy': Fair City legend Jim Bartley reveals reason he left RTE soap after illness
Fair City legend Jim Bartley revealed he left because he ‘wasn’t happy’ working on the RTE soap anymore due to ill health in recent years.
The actor, 79, announced he was retiring from his role as Carrigstown casanova Bela Doyle last week, after over three decades on the show.
Opening up about the decision, he said that "it is time", and explained that it is something he has been thinking about for some time.
READ MORE - Where are the Doyles from Fair City now? From sad death to new life in New York
"Well it was happening over the last few years because of the progression of neuropathy in the legs," he said.
"It was limiting my mobility and the deadness of the nerves, and it wasn’t easy."
The acting star explained his deteriorating mobility saw him have to work in a wheelchair in recent years.
"Fair City got me a wheelchair so Bela could be in a wheelchair. But I wasn’t happy," he told Virgin Media's Ireland AM.
He added: "And over the last year I was going through litigation with RTE and that worked out but while that was goin
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