Go on, go on ... Head to Craggy Island for TedFest this February

Every February, Inishmore of the Aran Islands becomes Craggy Island as nuns, priests, ‘lovely girls’ and doting housekeepers descend on its rugged shores. Yes, the splendid storm of drink, music, sport and irreverent fancy dress that is TedFest is back from February 23rd to 26th.

Essentially a fan convention, TedFest is a three-day festival that celebrates the hugely popular Channel 4 series Father Ted. Whether you’re a Father Ted devotee or a sinner who’s never seen an episode in your life, TedFest makes for a rollicking good time.

Festival-goers come dressed as the show’s beloved characters, donning every kind of ecclesiastical attire to participate in a number of musical, comedy and sporting events, with titles such as ‘Morning Games with Sr Assumpta’ and ‘Sing-a-long with Sister Scratchy and the Bad Habits’.

Written by Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews, Father Ted ran for three seasons from 1995 to 1998. It was quite popular at the time, but thanks to frequent reruns, it has garnered a massive following. More than one million DVD box sets of the series have been sold.

The show follows the misadventures of three exiled priests who live together with their ever-doting, tea-and-biscuit-pushing housekeeper, Mrs Doyle, in a parochial house on the remote Craggy Island, a fictitious island off the west coast of Ireland.

Dermot Morgan starred as the titular Father Ted Crilly, the genial, but conniving and ambitious grey-haired 40-something, who constantly schemes to resolve situations in the parish, and is eager for fame, fortune and an end to his banishment (a result of financial impropriety). His perpetual frustration is exacerbated by the half-wittedness of the young, wide-eyed Dougal (Ardal O’Hanlon) and the wild inappropriateness and obstinacy of the persistently dishevelled, boozed-up, foul-mouthed Father Jack Hackett (Frank Kelly). And then there’s Mrs Doyle, the overwhelmingly hospitable housekeeper who constantly encourages the priests and their guests to consume mountains of cakes and sandwiches and gallons of tea with insistent cries of “Go on, go on, go on, …”.

Silly, surreal, controversial, never pretentious and always hilarious, Father Ted is a watch-over-and-over-again comedy classic. To show their love, every year fans descend on the wild and blustery Craggy Island, or Inishmore, by ferry, and cram every guesthouse and pub for one massive fancy dress party.

Inishmore, the largest of the Aran Islands, was chosen as Craggy Island in a manner befitting the plot of a Father Ted episode. None of the show was actually shot on the Aran Islands, but the opening credit sequence includes an aerial shot of Inisheer, the smallest of the three Arans. Inisheer objected to Inishmore’s claim to ‘the real Craggy Island’ title, so a football match was held in order to settle the matter. Inishmore won.

Every year, the festival programme includes the ‘Craggy Island World Cup’, sponsored by Paddy Power, the bookies. The event is open to all ‘islands off the coast of Ireland’, so, naturally, the Arans, Inishbofin, Clare Island, Rathlin Island, Tory Island and, um, Sicily have all participated.

As far as costumes go, men come frequently in various priestly vestments, while women often come dressed as Mrs Doyle, nuns or ‘lovely girls’. The latter is a reference to the “Rock-a-Hula Ted” episode in which Father Ted is asked to be a judge in the local Lovely Girls competition, a contest in which young ladies – fine examples of Irish womanhood – compete for the top prize by completing banal tasks such as simply walking and making sandwiches. Just as the episode shamelessly parodies the Rose of Tralee competition, as does the festival by holding its very own such contest every year. It’s the highlight of the weekend.

Events are hosted mostly on the island, with a few others talking place on the mainland at Massimos and The Roisin Dubh. In addition to the ‘Lovely Girls Contest’, events on this year’s programme include ‘Adult Bingo’, ‘A Local Man Singing’, ‘Matchmaking with Nelly’, ‘Ted’s Got Talent’, ‘Dancing for Peace – the Priest’s Dance Off’, ‘More Local Men Singing’, ‘The Adult Pyjama Party and Ireland’s Smallest Lingerie Department with DJ Sister Snoozy’ and ‘The Prizeless Quiz’.

All accommodation on Craggy Island has been set aside for TedFest ticket holders. Tickets are €150 per person. The price includes access to the three main venues – Watty’s, Shebangos and the Crack Den – entry to compete ‘in the sporty events’ and a cup of tea on arrival. Accommodation and ferries are not included.

VIP camping is also now available at TedFest. Various packages offer ready-built tents for rent and use of private toilets, showers and lockers. VIP packages include airbeds and sleeping bags.

For more information on TedFestVI – including a full programme of events taking place on both Inishmore and the mainland – and to purchase tickets, visit www.tedfest.org.

And be warned, the programme comes with a disclaimer: “Programme subject to divine intervention, or change without notice, with no comeback or penance”.

Ah, no bother.