Craggy Island is a fictional island, supposedly off the west coast of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, which serves as the primary setting for the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

Father Ted ''Father Ted'' is a sitcom created by Irish writers Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews (writer), Arthur Mathews and produced by British production company Hat Trick Productions for Channel 4. It aired over three series from 21 April 1995 until ...

''. Craggy Island Parochial House is located on the island, which is the home of three

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

priests –

Father Ted Crilly Father Ted Crilly is the Title character, eponymous main character of the British Channel 4 situation comedy ''Father Ted''. Created by Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews (writer), Arthur Mathews, Ted was portrayed by comedian Dermot Morgan for th ...

Father Dougal McGuire Father Dougal McGuire is a character in the Channel 4 sitcom ''Father Ted''. Created by Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan, Dougal was portrayed by comedian Ardal O'Hanlon for the programme's three series. The character is a childlike, simple-mi ...

and Father Jack Hackett – as well as their housekeeper

Mrs Doyle Mrs. (American English American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the most widely spoken language in the United States ...

. It is mentioned the Irish state have given the British government permission to use the island's coast as a dumping ground for nuclear waste.

Development

County Clare County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,817 ...

, in the province of

Munster Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...

, Ireland, was chosen as the primary filming location for ''Father Ted'' in 1993. Location manager Joe Mardis was at a pub in the village of

Kilfenora Kilfenora ( ga, Cill Fhionnúrach , meaning 'Church of the Fertile Hillside' or 'Church of the White Brow') is a village and a civil parish in County Clare, Ireland. It is situated south of the karst limestone region known as the Burren. Si ...

when he realised that the exposed

karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

landscapes of northern County Clare, such as

the Burren The Burren (; ) is a karst/glaciokarst landscape centred in County Clare, on the west coast of Ireland.
Burren ...

, could easily be portrayed as an island. Mardis looked at a number of older houses in Clare, photographed them and brought them for writers

Graham Linehan Graham Linehan () (born 22 May 1968) is an Irish television writer and anti-transgender activist. He created or co-created the sitcoms ''Father Ted'' (1995–1998), ''Black Books'' (2000–2004) and '' The IT Crowd'' (2006–2013). He has also ...

and Arthur Mathews. Glenquin House was chosen for the exterior shots of the parochial house.

Information

Craggy Island is a remote, desolate place, supposedly located off the west coast of

. The island is inhabited by

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

locals, a

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community and one

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. The island's weather is often bleak and harsh storms are very common. The landscape consists of mainly rocky cliffs and grass fields, and many stone walls and fences divide the island. The island's buildings are very old and run down. There is a one-way road connecting the whole island but there are few vehicles. There is a church and parochial house - in which the three priests and Mrs Doyle live. In terms of shops and establishments, the island features a cinema, an

internet café An Internet café, also known as a cybercafé, is a café (or a convenience store or a fully dedicated Internet access business) that provides the use of computers with high bandwidth Internet access on the payment of a fee. Usage is generally ...

, an

isolation tank An isolation tank, sensory deprivation tank, float tank, float pod, float cabin, flotation tank, or sensory attenuation tank is a water filled, pitch-black, light-proof, soundproof environment heated to the same temperature as the skin, developed ...

, a post office, a greyhound racing track, a very small golf course and a pub. There is also a

Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...

and a few large buildings in the town centre.

Locations

Craggy Island Parochial House

The parochial house is a

Georgian style Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four Monarchy of the United Kingdom, British monarchs of the House of Hano ...

period property, and the main location for the series, situated in isolation on Craggy Island. The three priests ended up there as punishments for different reasons.

Points of interest

* The Field - '' Good Luck, Father Ted'' * Holy Stone of Clonrichert - ''

Tentacles of Doom "Tentacles of Doom" is the third episode of the second series of Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted and the ninth episode overall. Synopsis While Ted is trying to fix the plumbing in the Craggy Island parochial house, he receives news that the nearby ...

'' * The Magic Road - ''

Hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location in the afterlife in which evil souls are subjected to punitive suffering, most often through torture, as eternal punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hell ...

'' * St. Kevin's Stump - ''

Neighbouring island

Rugged Island is the home of Father Dick Byrne, Father Cyril MacDuff and Father Jim Johnson. The three inhabitant priests are warped versions of Ted, Dougal and Jack, and the two islands are constantly competing against each other.

"The real Craggy Island"

A dispute between the three constituent

Aran Islands The Aran Islands ( ; gle, Oileáin Árann, ) or The Arans (''na hÁrainneacha'' ) are a group of three islands at the mouth of Galway Bay, off the west coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, with a total area around . They constitute the histo ...

Galway Bay Galway Bay (Irish: ''Loch Lurgain'' or ''Cuan na Gaillimhe'') is a bay on the west coast of Ireland, between County Galway in the province of Connacht to the north and the Burren in County Clare in the province of Munster to the south; Galwa ...

, off the west coast of Ireland, began in early 2007.

Inishmore Inishmore ( ga, Árainn , or ) is the largest of the Aran Islands in Galway Bay, off the west coast of Ireland. With an area of and a population of 762 (as of 2016), it is the second-largest island off the Irish coast (after Achill) and ...

Inishmaan Inishmaan ( ; ga, Inis Meáin , the official name, formerly spelled , meaning "middle island") is the middle of the three main Aran Islands in Galway Bay, off the west coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is part of County Galway in the p ...

and

Inisheer Inisheer ( ga, Inis Oírr , or ) is the smallest and most easterly of the three Aran Islands in Galway Bay, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. With 281 residents as of the 2016 census, it is second-most populous of the Arans. Caomhán of Inishe ...

engaged in a battle, aiming to be labelled as 'the real Craggy Island'. The battle for tourist revenues and a quest for authenticity has been pursued by fans through ''Father Ted'' film clips since. A three-day ''Father Ted'' festival, staged on Inishmore, prompted inhabitants of the island to claim kinship with the genuine Craggy Island. The event, known as Ted Fest, or The Friends of Father Ted Festival, has since taken place on the island every year since, and events include Priest’s Dance Off, The Lovely Girls competition and Ted’s Got Talent.

References

External links

* {{Father Ted Father Ted Fictional islands