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South Wales Argus
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- South Wales Argus
Caerleon's Arts Festival celebrates its 23rd year in 2025
The festival runs form July 3 to July 13. Actor Joe Rooney, who played Father Damian in the priest parody, will present a Father Ted celebration at St Cadoc's Church on Monday, July 7. William Byrne, one of the festival's organisers, says the festival can only grow and help boost culture in south Wales. The festival is now in its 23rd year. Father Ted, a much-loved comedy show is famous for lampooning priests and the Catholic Church. A callow youth, Fr Damian is something of a parody of the Catholic patron saint of Lepers. Rather than avoiding life outside of holy orders, Fr Damian is a fashion-obsessed, shallow and naïve young man who has delusions of coolness. Father Ted was one of the biggest sitcoms of the 1990s. Other attractions at the festival include From Page to Stage, with various performers reprising musicals that were inspired by literature. The celebrations will include performances from Westside Story, My Fair Lady and Les Misérables and Phantom of the Opera. The musical tributes will also be held at St Cadoc's Church. West Side Story is based on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Les Miserable is based on Victor Hugo's book of the same name, My Fair Lady is based on George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and Phantom of the Opera is based on Gaston Leroux's novel of the same name. There will be all genres of music from jazz and rock to male voice choirs. There will also be comedy, musicals and chats with local authors. Male voice choir and Shakespeare performances will be held at the Amphitheatre. Other venues include local pubs such as The Hanbury Arms. Events and ticketing information can be found at Caerleon Festival or From Page to Stage - Caerleon Festival
RTÉ News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Careful, now - the 10 best Father Ted episodes, ranked!
It's one of the best sitcoms of all time, and certainly one of the most iconic and beloved Irish shows ever. If you want to spark a lively debate across a pub table, however, you need only utter the words: 'What's the best Father Ted episode?' With Ted, Dougal, Jack, Mrs. Doyle and the assortment of characters that first set foot on Craggy Island celebrating their 30th anniversary, it's as good a time as ever to put ten of the show's best episodes in order. And if you don't agree? Well, that would be an ecumenical matter. 10. Flight Into Terror The tenth episode of Season 2 was a doozy, not least because of the proliferation of various other characters (including the glorious return of Fr. Noel Furlong and Fr. Fintan Fay, aka the Monkey Priest), but because of the superb gags that continue to resonate in everyday life. Hands up if you've ever seen a big red button and thought of Dougal? The priests found themselves in mortal danger as they returned from a pilgrimage to a golf course where an apparition of the Virgin Mary appeared. When Jack steals the only two parachutes on board - one for him, the other for the drinks trolley - it's up to Ted to save the day (Watch here, via RTÉ Player) 9. The Passion of St. Tibulus The phrases 'Careful now' and 'Down with this sort of thing' have become legend amongst Ted fans, and this was the episode that spawned those rallying cries. Bishop Brennan arrives on Craggy Island to insist that Ted and Dougal protest against the local cinema's showing of a racy religious film. When their protest inadvertently ends up making it a hit ("they're coming from Gdansk!"), Brennan threatens to exile them to terrible parishes - until Jack finds an incriminating VHS tape. The subtle skewering of figures like Eamon Casey and Michael Cleary was the cherry on the cake (Watch here, via RTÉ Player) 8. The Mainland The Craggy Island contingent make a rare trip to the mainland to run a variety of errands, and needless to say, things don't quite go to plan. From Ted and Dougal getting lost in the Very Dark Caves (where they're tortured by Fr. Noel Furlong's rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody), to Jack being attacked by crows, to Mrs. Doyle ending up in jail (and Dougal trying to order a bag of chips and a can of Fanta at the Garda Station), Richard Wilson's guest turn is only one of the best things about this brilliant episode (Watch here, via RTÉ Player) 7. Old Grey Whistle Theft The fourth episode of series two saw one of the most enduring guest characters - Father Damo Lennon - make himself known to the audience in glorious fashion; 'Blur or Oasis?' has never been weighted with so much gravitas. As the rebellious Damo leads Dougal astray, Craggy Island is rocked by the scandal of a stolen whistle: who is the thief? The writing in this episode is astoundingly good, from the bullish couple that Ted and Jack encounter on their picnic (F-U-P-O-F-F) to Jack's ability to name 'Jacob's Creek chardonnay 1991!' from the clink of a bottle, to the helicopter scene and the references to Boyz N the Hood (Watch here, via RTÉ Player) 6. Kicking Bishop Brennan Up the Arse Both Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews named this episode as their personal favourite, and it's definitely one of the best. In the previous episode (Escape from Victory), Ted's Craggy Island team had lost the Over-75s football tournament to his arch-nemesis Dick Byrne. The forfeit? Kicking Bishop Brennan up the arse. A likeness of the bishop has apparently appeared on a skirting board of the Craggy Island parochial house, and he arrives with Fr. Jessup - The Most Sarcastic Priest in Ireland - in tow to inspect it. From the 'very crude watercolour painting of a man in a bishop's hat', to the back-and-forth between Mrs. Doyle and Fr. Jessup, this episode is a total joy (Watch here, via RTÉ Player) 5. The Plague Another one that features the indomitable Bishop Brennan (Jim Norton), who arrives at Craggy Island to inspect the sleeping arrangements of Jack, who has taken to frightening the locals by sleepwalking nude. When he encounters Dougal's new pet rabbit Sampras - and Bishop Brennan is not a fan of rabbits, having been trapped in a lift with them once - Ted and Dougal's attempts to remove the bunnies prove futile. They eventually realise that the rabbits are attracted to Jack's scent, but by then, it's much too late. A farcical delight with a multitude of priceless one-liners (Watch here, via RTÉ Player) 4. Hell There are so many memorable moments in Hell that it quite simply deserves to rank within the top 5. Ted, Dougal and Jack go on holiday to the most depressing caravan in Ireland, where they inadvertently become the local peeping toms and have their trip gatecrashed by Fr. Noel Furlong and the St. Luke's Youth Group. Graham Norton's turn as the irritating priest is up there as one the funniest comedy characters in any sitcom, ever. It's also the episode that brought us the legendary 'small, far away' scene (Watch here, via RTÉ Player) 3. A Song for Europe It's not just because of the glorious My Lovely Horse, or because it so perfectly lampoons the Irish experience of Eurovision in the 1990s. Like most of the truly great Father Ted episodes, it's the little asides and in-jokes that keep the laughs coming in A Song for Europe - like Ted's meltdown during their writing session ("Just play the f**king note!"), Jack's reaction to their performance (shooting Ted's guitar with a shotgun), even Dougal's penchant for wearing an Ireland jersey in bed. An episode that never gets old (Watch here, via RTÉ Player) 2. New Jack City Brendan Grace was just one of the famous names in comedy to make a cameo in Father Ted, but the late Dubliner's turn as Fr. Fintan Stack was undoubtedly one of the best. When Jack is consigned to St. Clabbert's Hospital after contracting Hairy Hands Syndrome, his replacement Fr. Stack - an obnoxious, uncouth, jungle-loving terror who enjoys drilling holes in the wall - sets the cat amongst the pigeons at the parochial house. Again, the little asides in this episode, from a very drunk Dougal ("We're all going to heaven lads, waheyyyy!") to the 'Sports Day' video that Ted and his friends are watching, are superb - as is Brendan Grace, who nails the sociopathic Fr. Stack (Watch here, via RTÉ Player) 1. Speed 3 It's a tough call, but it's the right one. Speed 3 is the best Father Ted episode for a multitude of reasons - the writing, the acting, the clever references and the sheer ludicrousness of the plot - but mostly because it's one you can watch over and over again. When local lothario milkman Pat Mustard (Pat Laffan) arrives on Craggy Island and starts knocking up the local housewives, Ted makes it his business to get him fired. His revenge? A bomb on a milk cart driven by Dougal. This is also hands-down one of the quotable episodes, from 'Is there anything to be said for saying another Mass?' to 'I love my brick' to 'Those women were in the nip!' It also characterised the relationship between Ted (the late, great Dermot Morgan) and the hapless Dougal (the superb Ardal O'Hanlon) wonderfully. You will never get tired of watching Speed 3
Irish Examiner
18-05-2025
- General
- Irish Examiner
Suzanne Harrington: Stop embarrassing the diaspora with this skorts nonsense
It's not often a Father Ted episode makes its way into the news cycle, but here we are. Skorts. Like a historical re-enactment, a kind of collective flashback to the bad trip that was the status of women in Ireland in the not-distant-enough past. An Ireland where real life Father Jacks were still in charge and real life Mrs Doyles — and their camogie-playing daughters — were required to make babies and sandwiches and avoid having opinions. While wearing nice frocks. Maybe it was an oversight. Did the camogie committee not get the memo about how these days men can no longer go around telling women what to wear? That we have done away with this practice? Because they've ended up looking a bit silly. A bit dated, like salad cream or Benny Hill. Also, and perhaps even more unforgivably, the camogie committee has jammed the word 'skort' firmly into our temporal lobes. A word you may have blissfully avoided your entire life until now, both as a concept and an ugly sound — like something a malevolent JK Rowling character might snarl at you. Skorticus Riddikulus! As portmanteaus go, it's up there with Brexit, jeggings, and frappuccino in terms of pointlessness. The sartorial equivalent of a spork. The skort itself is not the point. Some people might quite like them, might find them practical, perhaps even aesthetically pleasing. Whatever. It's the 83% of camogie players who do not find skorts practical, comfortable, or fit for purpose who are the point. Their decision to not wear garments they dislike while playing their sport of choice seems like a fairly basic right, an unremarkable no-brainer. These players are not suggesting anything controversial, like playing camogie naked or using flamingos as camogie sticks. No. They would just like to exercise their right to dress themselves, like adult humans, rather than being told what to wear by men. This tired custom of women-being-told-what-to-wear-by-men stubbornly persists, extending far beyond the camogie fields of Ireland — whether it's women not covering their entire bodies in Saudi Arabia or covering their entire bodies in burqinis on French beaches or having a non-state approved hairdo in North Korea or showing their hair in Iran or exposing their shoulders in swathes of South Asia. But Ireland is not like Saudi Arabia or North Korea or Iran. Nor do we ban wearing items related to religious belief, like France. We are a small, progressive country that everyone likes, because we don't colonise or start wars, and are generally regarded as the best away fans at international sporting events. So when you see BBC headlines about skorts and shorts asking How Did We Get Here?, your toes might slightly curl as your brain involuntarily flashes back to the days of illegal Durex and the Abortion Express to England. Come on, camogie committee. Have a word with yourselves. Obviously the comfort of the camogie players — physical and psychological — is paramount, but the secondary comfort of the rest of us — culturally — counts for something too. Stop embarrassing the diaspora as we are forced to explain words like camogie and skort to non-Irish people, then watch as their eyes widen. It's cringe.
Irish Examiner
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Five things to know before the Eurovision 2025 final, including a threat to Ireland's record
Who did we send and is Ireland in the final? Sadly, no. Ireland's entry Emmy performed Laika Party during Thursday night's second semi-final and failed to secure enough votes to progress through the competition to Saturday's grand final. Emmy is a 24-year-old singer-songwriter from Norway and she was selected to represent Ireland after battling it out on the Late Late Eurosong Special back in February. You may recall one of her rivals in that competition was Samantha Mumba, who later hit out at the judging panel. Emmy is known for singing on TikTok, growing a profile with 1.2 million followers. She teamed up with Irish songwriter Larissa Tormey, whom she met at a songwriting camp in Norway, to create Laika Party — a song based on a Soviet space dog. Laika was a stray dog from the streets of Moscow who was the first living creature launched into orbit in 1957. Sadly, she died from overheating hours into the flight. So we have no Irish hopeful now? PARG from Armenia performs Survivor. Picture: AP Photo/Martin Meissner Not exactly. Armenia's entry Survivor was written by Joshua Curran, whose dad is Irish. Curran spent his summers at his grandmother's home in Tramore, Co Waterford. "I have loads of cousins from Waterford and Dublin, and we holiday together as a family every year. I've always described myself as an Irish-Czech singer-songwriter," he previously told RTÉ, adding: 'you can hear the Irish influences in many of my songs.' He said his dad informed him of Ireland's success in the contest, and of course that Father Ted episode was a key memory for him too. 'He was always telling us about how successful Ireland had been in the competition and how it was ruined by a turkey, which honestly, I still don't understand. Also, the Eurovision episode from Father Ted has always been my favourite.' Speaking of our record...? Johnny Logan performing Hold Me Now on stage during the 32nd Eurovision Song Contest in Brussels in 1987. Ah, the elephant in the room. Two years ago, Sweden matched Ireland's seven-win record when Loreen claimed the 2023 win for the country. As it was her second time to win the contest too, she also matched Johnny Logan's then-unmatched record for one singer winning the contest twice. Technically, Johnny still has one extra win, though – he penned Why Me? for Linda Martin, which won in 1992. However, this year that tie could be broken as Sweden are the favourites to win – meaning they would have an unprecedented eight wins at Eurovision. And with Emmy out of the running, we certainly won't be breaking that record before them this year. This year's act from last year's host country is KAJ, made up of Kevin Holmstrom, Axel Ahman and Jakob Norrgard, with the Swedish song Bara Bada Bastu, about Nordic sauna culture. The group qualified for the last stage of the contest in Basel, Switzerland, in Tuesday's semi-final. Can anyone else swoop in and win instead, please? Among the other favourites are Austrian musician JJ with the song Wasted Love. Austria has won twice at Eurovision, most recently with Conchita Wurst. France, Netherlands, Finland and Israel are also close contenders. Israel is still taking part? Yes. Despite concerns being raised – including by RTÉ - the country is still permitted in the contest despite their ongoing attacks on Gaza. Israeli singer Yuval Raphael's song New Day Will Rise is fourth in Saturday night's line-up. However, the country's presence is not going unprotested. Raphael had her preview show performance interrupted on Thursday night when six people with 'oversized flags and whistles' obstructed it. There have also been pro-Palestinian protests in the Eurovision host city and a demonstration against antisemitism took place on Thursday in the city centre. Israel's government said that Raphael, 24, a survivor of the October 7 Hamas attacks, encountered a 'hostile crowd' during the Sunday opening ceremony and criticised the protests.
Irish Independent
13-05-2025
- Irish Independent
‘Father Ted' co-creator Graham Linehan pleads not guilty to harassing trans woman
Writer also denies damaging alleged victim's phone ©Press Association Today at 21:30 Father Ted co-creator Graham Linehan has said he has 'lost a great deal' but 'will not waver in my resolve' as he faces trial accused of harassing a transgender woman. The 56-year-old Dubliner appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court yesterday to deny two charges, one of harassing transgender activist Sophia Brooks (18) on social media and another of damaging her mobile phone in October. Register for free to read this story Register and create a profile to get access to our free stories. You'll also unlock more free stories each week.
