In the middle of nowhere Fran and Conal stumble on one of Ireland’s most recognisable houses. A humble home, known the world over, can be found in County Clare.
By Conal Healy
Thursday, October 12, 2023 (3.30pm): The backroads of County Clare are a tricky place to explore. The roads are narrow, twisty and seem to double back on themselves. Sometimes you ask yourself: “Have we been here before?” And invariably the answer is “Yes”.
The woman at the Burren Information Centre warned us the Google Maps doesn’t work around here … and handed us a tourist map of the area. How big could this small county in Ireland be?
We were looking for The Burren. After about 25 minutes driving along almost-empty roads we were getting frustrated.
We took a side road, which had no sign, and which didn’t seem to be on our new map … then the road started to get narrower.
The road became two tracks, with grass growing between them. There were green fields on either side.
This was not the otherworldly bleak landscape that had drawn us to the region in the Wild West Way in Ireland.
We rounded a corner, a sealed road lay before us. I was just about to hit the accelerator when I saw something out of the corner of my eye.
It was a house. I jammed on the brakes of the hire car and pulled it to the side of the road. It took me a few nanoseconds to confirm it was … THE HOUSE.
“What’s wrong?” asked Fran, worried.
“It’s the HOUSE!” I told her, excited.
In a green field beside us was a plain non-descript two-storey farm house. It looked like it was in need of a good clean and a fresh coat of paint.
“Look at the house” I urged Fran.
She was bewildered. What’s so special about this house, I could almost hear her think?
“You know this house …” I was teasing Fran now. “You’ve seen it many times ….”.
It has to be one of the most recognizable houses in Ireland, known across the globe.
She looked blankly at me.
“This is where Father Ted lived” I told her.
Fran looked more puzzled than overwhelmed.
“Are you sure?” Fran asked.
Father Ted was a sitcom created by Irish writers Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews. It aired over three series from 1995 until 1998, including a Christmas special, for a total of 25 episodes. It aired on Nine Network (series 1) and ABC Television (series 2 and 3) in Australia.
Set on the fictional Craggy Island, a remote location off Ireland’s west coast, Father Ted stars Dermot Morgan as Father Ted Crilly, alongside fellow priests Father Dougal McGuire (Ardal O’Hanlon) and Father Jack Hackett (Frank Kelly).
Dishonourably exiled, the priests live together in the parochial house with their housekeeper Mrs Doyle (Pauline McLynn).
The three priests were banish to Craggy Island as punishment for different incidents in their past: Ted for alleged financial impropriety (apparently involving some money “resting” in his account and a child being deprived of a visit to Lourdes so that Ted could go to Las Vegas), Dougal for an event only referred to as the “Blackrock Incident” (resulting in “many nuns’ lives [being] irreparably damaged”), and Jack for his alcoholism and womanizing.
According to Wikipedia: “The show subverts parodies of low-brow humour as it portrays nuanced themes of loneliness, agnosticism, existentialism and purgatory experienced by its title character; this deeper meaning of the show has been much acclaimed.
Father Ted won several British Academy Television Awards — including twice for Best Comedy Series, and remains a popular sitcom in Ireland and the UK. In 2019, Father Ted was named the second-greatest British sitcom (after Fawlty Towers) by a panel of comedy experts for the UK Radio Times.
And on this bright autumn afternoon, Fran and I were standing outside the house that was used as the parochial house in the TV series – Father Ted’s house.
No wonder this place didn’t look like The Burren – this is Craggy Island.
We took our photos, jumped back in the car and went looking for The Burren.
FAST FACTS
You’ll find Fr Ted’s House, officially known as Glanquin Farmhouse, in Lackareagh, County Clare.
The house is on private property, and this needs to be respected. Don’t climb over the stone wall for a closer look.
There’s no parking at Fr Ted’s House. Literally… none. You’ll be able to find room to safely pull up for a few minutes and see the house from afar. Never block gates and don’t just abandon your car in front of one of the houses next to Father Ted’s House.
on the road less travelled in Ireland and france 