Row over Father Ted festival

Fans of Father Ted have planned a bizarre festival celebrating the show – causing a war of words between two remote Irish islands.

The three-day Tedfest 07 will be taking place on the Aran Island of Inis Mor next month to mark the ninth anniversary of the death of star Dermot Morgan.

But the plans have upset the island’s smaller neighbour, Inis Oirr, claiming it has a larger claim over the sitcom, because the title sequence shows local scenes, including the beached cargo shi the Plassey.

Inis Orr, off the coast of County Galway, feels it has missed out on the off-season tourist boost the influx of Friends of Ted fans will bring for the weekend of February 23.

One B&B owner on Inis Oirr told the Irish Times: ‘It's unfair that Inis Mor is cashing in on Father Ted when obviously we have closer links with the show.

‘Fans and tourists would have come here in the past just to view the Plassey shipwreck. Inis Mor is trying to pull a fast one to be honest and we're not very impressed.’

Daft events taking part over the weekend include the Father Jack Cocktail Evening, Father Dougal movie charades, the Lovely Girls Contest, the Toilet Duck Comedy Awards, Ludo Aerobics and Buckeroo Speed Dating.

No one location was used for Craggy Island, with much of the outsides secenes shot in County Clare. The parochial house is at Glenquin, near Kilnaboy.

Morgan died of a heart attack aged 45 on February 28, 1998, just 24 hours after work of the last episode of Father Ted.

Published: 21 Jan 2007