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Father Ted stamps launched to mark the comedy show's 25th anniversary

Maxwells Dublin
Maxwells Dublin

To mark the 25th anniversary of Irish comedy Father Ted, the Irish post service, An Post, has released a collection of stamps.

Each of the four limited edition stamps is printed with a memorable line from the show.

Fans can choose from “That’s mad, Ted”, “Will you have a cup of tea, Father?”, “That money was just resting in my account” and “That would be an ecumenical matter”.

In the background is a retro wallpaper pattern which matches a room from the house where Father Ted, Father Dougal, Father Jack and Mrs Doyle lived in the show, set on the fictional Craggy Island.

The specially designed stamp booklet of five stamps costs €5.70 and has been designed by Dublin’s Detail Design Studio.

It is available at post offices nationwide in Ireland, along with other Father Ted collectables.

An Post's website jokes that four of the stamps cover postage in Ireland "including Craggy Island", while one high tarif stamp can be used for worldwide postage.

Speaking about the special edition stamps, Pauline McLynn, who played Mrs Doyle, told the Guardian: “I don’t think until today it has sunk in what a huge thing it is, what an honour. How many people do you know can say ‘I was once on a stamp’?”

Father Ted aired on Channel 4 for three years, between 1995 - 1998, but remains a cult favourite which is still popular today

In a survey commissioned by An Post, 20 per cent of respondents said they quoted lines from the show on a daily basis.

In an interview with RTÉ radio station McLynn said that with the increased popularity of letter writing over lockdown that “weirdly now is an excellent time to launch the stamps.”

Two of Father Ted's lead actors, Dermot Morgan who played Father Ted and Frank Kelly who played Father Jack, passed away in 1998 and 2016 respectively.

"They would've been very amused and very proud that the show has now been put on a set of stamps," McLynn told RTÉ of her co-stars.

Brendan Grace who played Father Fenton Stack also died earlier this month after battling lung cancer.

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