This article is from page 24 of the 2008-01-22 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 24 JPG
AFTER 10 long years, Father Ted is coming home. On February 28, 1998, comedy legend Dermot Morgan died suddenly, just days after completing the final episode in the third series of Fr Ted.
To mark the ten year anniversary of his passing, Fr Ted is returning to it’s spiritual home in north Clare next month for the second annual Ted Fest. The festival will this year be split between Inis Mor and Kil- fenora and will run from February 25 to March 3.
Kilfenora was one of the many places in north Clare used while shooting Fr Ted. Memorable scenes such as the Milk Float scene in Speed
3 and the Chinese Pub (Vaughan’s Bar) were all shot in the village.
“It happened by chance really. We had always been saying up here that we should bring Fr Ted back to Clare, to where it belongs. I’m a big Father Ted Fan, I know all the episodes in- side out, so the joined the Friends of Ted organisation. So people in the organisation kept asking where dif- ferent episodes were shot, and I was able to tell them,” said festival or- ganiser, Janet Cavanagh.
“So anyway my husband was in London at a rugby match and hap- pened to start talking to this guy called Fergal, who it turns out was the head of the Friends of Ted, the eroup who organise the festival in Inis Mor.
“SO we got in contact and decided to make one big event, involving both Inis Mor and Kilfenora, to mark the 10 year anniversary of Dermot Mor- gan’s death.”
The Kilfenora leg of this year’s fes- tival will kick off with Chinese Re- ception on Monday, February 25 in Vaughan’s Bar. Other events will in- clude the EcumeniCeili, a trad-disco, the Milk Float and banger parade, the Brick-fada, the first ever blondes only snakes and ladders competition, an evening with Father Ted writers Arthur Mathews and Graham Line- han and the all Ireland Elvis look- alike competition.
“IT wouldn’t want to give away too many secret about exactly how the events are going to take place,’ con-
tinued Janet. “It’s will be all about getting involved and we would ex- pect people to make the effort and get dressing up.”
Unfortunately, both legs of Ted Fest 2008 are already sold out. There will a large number of events which will be free and open to anyone who wants to come along.
Watch the Burren Section of the Clare People for weekly updates on Ted Fest and the 40 Days and 40 Night Milk Float challenge with Down Syndrome Ireland.