Ted Fest set to go on, go on, go on

Thomas Fortune, Kilkenny and Elvis Marc George from Wales during last year's Fr Ted Festival on the Aran Islands

Thomas Fortune, Kilkenny and Elvis Marc George from Wales during last year's Fr Ted Festival on the Aran Islands. Photograph: Brenda Fitzsimons

A festival celebrating the Father TedTV series has been expanded to a week-long event this year.

The 2008 event, which begins on February 25th and runs until March 2nd, is planning an anniversary ball in memory of Father Tedactor Dermot Morgan, who died 10 years ago after finishing the last episode of the Channel 4 comedy.

As well as the main Ted Fest events on the island of Inis Mor, the co-writers of the series will meet fans in Kilfenora village in Co Clare, one of the locations where the series was filmed between 1995 and 1998.

Graham Linehan and Arthur Matthews will be guests of honour in the local community hall which featured in the hit show. Father Tedwas set on the fictitious Craggy Island but was shot at various locations in Co Clare.

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Inis Mor hosted last year's inaugural Ted Fest, and organiser Peter Phillips said the Lovely Girls competition and Toilet Duck Comedy Award will feature again this year.

He said the Song For Europe contest will be running again.

"Other highlights of the festival include the World's Biggest Cup of Tea, the First All-Ireland Blondes-Only Snakes and Ladders Tournament, The Craggy World Cup and Buckaroo Speed Dating."

Tickets for this year's Ted Fest were sold out within 30 minutes.

Morgan died aged 45 after he suffered a heart attack at his home just 24 hours after finishing recording the last episode of Father Ted.

PA