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Irish Independent

Pauline McLynn is joining Corrie – but do you remember all these other Irish Coronation Street characters?

McLynn is joining the cast of the soap as a character called Maggie, the interfering mother of the Rovers Return's new landlord Ben O'Driscoll, played by Northern Irish actor Aaron McCusker. The two previously acted together in Channel 4's Shameless. This will be McLynn's second foray into TV's soapy waters. From 2014 to 2015, she appeared in EastEnders as Yvonne Cotton, Dot Cotton's former daughter-in-law. All the UK soaps have had Irish actors in their cast – Bryan Murray in Brookside, Patrick Bergin in EastEnders, McLynn's Father Ted co-star Frank Kelly in Emmerdale – but Coronation Street holds the record. DOREEN KEOGH Keogh, who was a familiar face on British TV throughout her long career, including as Mary Carroll in The Royle Family, occupies a special place in Corrie history: she played the Rovers Return's first-ever barmaid, Concepta Riley, from the soap's inception in 1960 through to 1964, and later returned for three guest appearances. JOE LYNCH The multi-talented Corkman, whose list of TV and film credits would stretch the length of the River Lee, rolled into Coronation Street in 1978 as taxi driver Ron Mather, who became local sex siren Elsie Tanner's latest conquest. He lasted until Christmas Eve, 1979, when Elsie gave him the heave-ho for turning a blind eye to her (and his) boss's sexual harassment. CATHERINE CUSACK The London-born actress – who was Cyril Cusack's fourth daughter and is a half-sister to Sinéad, Sorcha and Niamh Cusack – caused memorable mayhem on the cobbles in 1992-93 as Carmel Finnan, a disturbed student nurse and classmate of Gail Platt's husband Martin. Carmel convinced herself Martin was secretly in love with her. She tried to split up the marriage by climbing into the drunken Martin's bed when Gail was away, pretending they'd had sex and claiming she was carrying his child. Martin later had an affair with a different woman. SEAN HUGHES The late comedian had a month-long stint as Pat Stanaway, a chirpy charmer who won the heart of taxi company dispatcher Eileen Grimshaw, first with phone calls and then with flowers. A guilt-ridden Eileen embarked on an affair with him, knowing he was married, only to discover something much worse: Pat was, in fact, single and had multiple women on the go at the same time. KEITH DUFFY The former Boyzone star's role was supposed to last just three weeks. But his character, the charming Ciaran McCarthy, proved so popular with viewers that it turned into three years (2002-05). Duffy had a second year-long stint in 2010. On the soap's Richter scale of bad behaviour, the worst you could say of Ciaran is that he was a ladies' man. Think Ken Barlow had lots of affairs? This guy has gone through more women than Manchester's tap water. SORCHA CUSACK Unlike her half-sister Catherine, this member of the acting dynasty didn't get a chance to make much impact as Helen Connor, matriarch of the Connor clan, largely because her appearances in 2008 were intermittent and the part was recast with Dearbhla Molloy the following year. FRANK GRIMES The late actor, whose most memorable TV role was as the snobbish, uncharitable Fr O'Connor in RTÉ's epic Strumpet City, played Helen Connor's husband, Barry. His big dramatic moment was admitting to his daughter Michelle that her mother had caught him having an affair. The Bachelor's Walk star's spell was brief: just two episodes in 2017 as a jewellery salesman. Nonetheless, he managed to make a fool of himself in the Rovers by assuming the lovely Eva had fallen for him at first sight. You know, as you do.