Mid-West’s ’JR’ meets Dallas friends

Mid-West’s ‘JR’ meets with Dallas friends


Michael Commins

MID-West Radio presenter John Ryan (JR!) was on top of the world in recent weeks. He journeyed all the way to Texas to share in the celebrations around the 30th anniversary of the famous ‘Dallas’ show.
An aficionado of the Dallas series for many years, the reunion of the cast and fans of the show provided John with an opportunity of a lifetime to meet up with some of the stars that held such a grip on television viewers in the late 1970s and during the ‘80s.
“It was brilliant to be there for the celebrations. I got chatting to Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen) and Charleen Tilton (Lucy Ewing) and it was just such a special occasion. I always loved the Dallas series but never dreamed when watching it back home in Sligo way back then that some day I would actually be at the Southfork Ranch,” says John who hosts the  Monday to Friday evening show on MWR.
Dallas began its famous run on the CBS network in September, 1978, and finished in May, 1991. The viewing audience for the episode of ‘who shot JR’ on November 21, 1980 was the highest ever recorded for an episode of a soap opera.
“I had a fabulous time in Dallas. It was lovely to meet with the stars of the show and also with so many other devotees of the series. We all had something in common and it was a trip I will cherish for a long to come,” says the radio presenter who resides in Rosses Point.