Latest news with #Don'sBar
Sunday World
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
Irish country legend meets Dallas star Patrick Duffy and reveals he owes success to show
'Patrick got a great kick out of the fact that I had a hit with Who Shot J.R. Ewing?' American soap star Patrick Duffy, who played Bobby Ewing in '80s' smash hit soap Dallas, has been touring the country this week doing a TV documentary on rural Irish pubs. And life has come full circle for Tom Allen, aka T.R. Dallas, as one of the pubs chosen for the series was Don's Bar in Moate, Co. Westmeath, owned by his son, Don. Duffy (76), whose great-grandfather came from Kilmovee, Co. Mayo, was accompanied by his wife, actress Linda Purl, known for her role in Happy Days as Fonzie's girlfriend Ashley Pfister. Patrick Duffy and wife Linda Purl with T.R. Dallas News in 90 Seconds - Thursday, July 3 'Patrick and Linda were lovely people to meet and they got a great kick out of the fact that I had a hit with Who Shot J.R. Ewing?,' Tom told the Sunday World . 'I had a copy of the original single with me and I sang a couple of verses for the documentary. They were also impressed by my Western stage style with the suit and the Stetson. Larry Hagman (as J.R. Ewing) and Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing) in Dallas 'Patrick was interested in hearing the story of the single and what it did for my career. And, of course, he was fully aware of how big the Dallas TV show was in Ireland in those days. 'Watching Dallas in those times was a religion in Ireland. Nobody missed an episode and it was all the talk among people the day after. 'Then the shooting of J.R. happened, that was a massive story. A fella in Cork called Rocky Stone wrote a song about it that month and it landed in my lap. 'I recorded it and then we contacted The Late Late Show that week to see if they would have me on to sing it. Tony Boland, who was their music producer at the time, agreed but suggested that I change my name to T.R. Dallas. 'So overnight I became T.R. Dallas and it has stuck with me all these decades later. Even my own family call me T.R.' Who Shot J.R. Ewing? also became a huge hit in the UK after broadcaster Terry Wogan played it on his radio show. But because the single was sold through a deal with Woolworths the sales didn't register for the UK charts and so Tom missed out on the chance to perform on music show Top Of The Pops. Eddie Rowley with T.R. Dallas However, his brother, Tony, did make it on to the BBC TV chart show that year as one-half of Foster & Allen with their hit, A Bunch Of Thyme. 'Patrick and myself talked about Larry Hagman and he said the pair were good friends away from the cameras,' Tom reveals. 'I actually have a Stetson hat belonging to Larry that I bought at an auction in Ireland in the '80s where he was in attendance. It's signed by J.R. Ewing himself and I'd be happy to auction it for charity.' Duffy, who also filmed on the Aran Islands and in Hi-B bar, Cork, is no stranger to Ireland. Read more The actor, who also had an aunt, Agnes Powell, living in Kinnegad, Co. Westmeath, was guest of honour at the St Patrick's Day celebrations in Dublin in 2023. The previous year he had visited his relatives in Kilmovee, Co. Mayo, for a TV documentary sponsored by Tourism Ireland. Titled Finding Ireland, the series showcased Ireland's culture and scenery and encouraged the Irish diaspora to visit. It also explored Duffy's Irish ancestry. 'I'm sure when he emigrated in the 1800s, Patrick's great-grandfather never imagined that one day Ireland would be celebrating one of his relatives who made it big around the world as an actor,' T.R. added.
Irish Daily Mirror
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Patrick Duffy, AKA Bobby from Dallas, spotted pulling pints in Westmeath pub
Two acting stalwarts from the 1980s have been spotted in Ireland as they film a documentary on Irish pubs. The TV power couple Patrick Duffy (beloved for playing Bobby Ewing on Dallas) and his partner Linda Purl (known for her role in Happy Days as Fonzie's girlfriend Ashley Pfister) were snapped pouring a pint at Don's Bar in Moate, Westmeath, where they were filming a documentary on Irish pubs. The couple posed for snaps in the bar, and were even seen pouring pints of Guinness out of the tap. The pictures come just a day after Aran Island Ferries told followers that the pair had been onboard the Galway ferry service to the biggest of the famous Irish islands. They wrote in a post on social media, alongside a picture of the couple with crew members from the ferry: 'Welcome to Inis Mór Patrick Duffy and Linda Purl!' Duffy, who was one of the most famous faces in the world during his time on soap opera Dallas, and his partner, Linda Purl, are no strangers to Ireland and have visited many times, with Patrick even being invited as an international guest of honour to St Patrick's Day in Dublin in 2023. Previously, Patrick, whose grandfather emigrated from Ireland to America in the 1920s, visited Ireland with Linda in the summer of 2022 to trace his own Irish roots in Kilmovee, Co Mayo for a TV show. The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week
