AN POST HAS launched four stamps to celebrate 25 years since the much-loved Irish television comedy series Father Ted was launched.

The stamps feature iconic one-liners now linked to each of the four main characters:

• “That’s mad, Ted” by the clueless Father Dougal
• “That would be an ecumenical matter” by Father Jack (with more memorable catchphrases unprintable, you’d imagine)
• “Will you have a cup of tea Father?” by the dogged Mrs Doyle
• “That money was just resting in my account” by the embattled Father Ted

A ‘retro wallpaper’ pattern on the stamps matches the different rooms in the Craggy Island Parochial House.

The specially designed stamp booklet costs €5.70 and is designed by Dublin’s Detail Design Studio contains five stamps celebrating Father Ted characters and catchphrases.

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Four €1 ‘national’ rate stamps cover postage in Ireland (including Craggy Island), with a €1.70 ‘world’ rate stamp for postage worldwide.

Stamps, a souvenir envelope and other collectibles are available online and in selected post offices nationwide.

Top four favourite episodes

A survey carried out by An Post indicated that the best loved episodes included ‘Hell’ where they go on holiday in a caravan (21%); ’Speed 3’, featuring the promiscuous milkman (18%); ‘Kicking Bishop Brennan up the Arse’, which is self-evident (17%); and ‘A Song For Europe’ with that catchy sax solo (16%).

Respondents said that ‘Ted-isms’ most often pop up in direct conversations (88%), with over one third of respondents (37%) claiming Father-Ted speak creeps into their conversations on a weekly basis and one in five (20%) claiming to quote lines from the series on a daily basis.

Julie Gill, Marketing Director at An Post said that “Right now, the power of fun and of laughter is to be celebrated.

“A set of ‘lovely stamps’ for Father Ted is a good dose of humour and we want customers to join in the fun by sending laughs with these great new Irish stamps,” she added.