Manions of America

The Manions of America is a 6-hour mini-series for American television made in 1981. The subject of the series were Irish immigrants to the United States during the Great Famine of the mid-19th century. It was directed by Joseph Sargent and created by Agnes Nixon, creator of the now-defunct All My Children, a hit daytime TV soap opera that aired on the ABC television network for over 40 years. British dramatist Rosemary Anne Sisson joined Nixon as co-writer.

Manions was the first American role for actor Pierce Brosnan and co-starred Kate Mulgrew, David Soul, Linda Purl, and young up-and-comer Martin O'Neill (who played a kid with a tin whistle). Actor Steve Forrest (younger brother of 1940s movie star Dana Andrews) played a Philadelphia powder mill owner called Kent and uncle of Kate Mulgrew's character Rachel, who begrudgingly hires Rachel's lover and future husband played by Pierce Brosnan.