Dermot Morgan
Encyclopedia
Dermot John Morgan was an Irish
comedian
, actor
and former schoolteacher, who achieved international renown for his roles as Father Ted Crilly in the Channel 4
sitcom Father Ted
and a strip club MC in Taffin
.
, Stillorgan
, and University College, Dublin (U.C.D.), Morgan first came to prominence as part of the team of the highly successful RTÉ
television show The Live Mike
, presented by Mike Murphy
. Between 1979 and 1984 Morgan, previously a full-time teacher at St. Michael's College
, Ailesbury Road
, played a range of comic characters, who would appear between segments, including Father Trendy, an unctuous trying-to-be-cool Catholic priest given to drawing ludicrous parallels with non-religious life in two minute 'chats' to camera. He also played (among other characters) an intolerant GAA
bigot, who would wave his hurley
around aggressively while verbally attacking his pet hates. He lampooned the Wolfe Tones
' song "A Nation Once Again
" by singing of a dog who saves his Irish Republican Army
(I.R.A.) master by eating a grenade
during a search by the Black and Tans
. When the dog farts and the grenade detonates, the British commented that, "It must have been something he ate." The song climaxed with the words, "I hope that I shall live to see Fido an Alsatian once again."
Morgan's success led him to quit teaching and become a full-time comedian.
, however, became difficult, as the station tried without success to find some way of making use of what it saw as Morgan's considerable but undisciplined talent; a number of attempts in the form of 'pilot' shows never aired. Morgan returned to the screen in the late 1980s playing his past roles and new ones - initially on Kenny Live
, a new Saturday chat show presented by Pat Kenny
which launched to fill the gap in the schedules left when The Late Late Show moved to a new Friday slot. However, the show axed its comedy slot when it changed its format in response to negative public responses to the show's structure.
, which 'featured' lines by McGuigan, Ronald Reagan
, Bob Geldof
and Ben Morgan.
, in which Morgan, co-scriptwriter Gerard Stembridge
, Owen Roe and Pauline McLynn
mocked Ireland's political, business
and media establishment. In particular the relationship between then Taoiseach
, the ever-controversial Charles Haughey
, and his press secretary, P. J. Mara
, became very popular, with Haughey's dismissive attitude towards the latter and Mara's adoring and grovelling attitude towards the "Boss . . . the greatest Leader, Man of Destiny, Statesman, Titan, a Colossus", winning critical praise.
Morgan pilloried Haughey's propensity for claiming a family connection to almost every part of Ireland he visited through the mocking use of a famous drinks advertisement for an Irish beer called Harp, which had played on the image of someone returning home and seeking friends, especially "Sally O'Brien, and the way she might look at you". In the Morgan skit version, Haughey's visits to somewhere in the world, from Dublin to Dubai
and elsewhere, would invariably cue after a few seconds the traditional music of the real advertisement, at which Haughey would begin "did I tell you, P.J., about my cousins in . . . " And he would begin discussing "my cousin François Haughey" (France), "Helmut Haughey" (Germany), "Yassar Haughey" (Palestine), "Yitzak Haughey" (Israel) or wherever, to the increasingly despairing Mara, who would groan "Ah now Jaysus, Boss. Come on now, Ah Jaysus (sigh)!"
The Haughey/Mara "double act" became the star turn in a series that mocked all sides, from Haughey and his advisors to opposition Fine Gael
TD Michael Noonan
as a Limerick disk jockey called "Morning Noon'an Night" and a host of other characters. When RTÉ axed the show in the early 1990s a national outcry ensued. Morgan lashed the decision, calling it "a shameless act of broadcasting cowardice and political subservience". An RTÉ spokesman famously said "The show is not being axed, it's just not being continued!"
In 1991, Morgan received a Jacob's Award for his contribution to Scrap Saturday from the Irish national newspaper radio critics.
, Morgan's big break came over in Britain
in the shape of the title-role in the Channel 4
sitcom Father Ted
, which ran for three series from 1995. Writers Arthur Mathews
and Graham Linehan
developed the series from a character featured in the former's stand-up comedy act. The writers saw many actors for the role of Father Ted, but Morgan's enthusiasm eventually won him the role.
Father Ted centred on three disparate characters. Father Ted Crilly, played by Morgan, was living a frustrated life trapped on the island. Irish TV comedy actor Frank Kelly
played the retired Father Jack Hackett, a foul-mouthed and apparently brain-damaged alcoholic, while child-minded Father Dougal McGuire was played by new Irish comedian Ardal O'Hanlon
. In addition to the three priests was their housekeeper, Mrs. Doyle, played by Pauline McLynn
, with whom Morgan had worked on Scrap Saturday.
award for Best Comedy, while Morgan won a BAFTA for Best Actor, and McLynn the Best Actress award. Apart from the main characters, many other successful side characters featured, including the camp hyperactive Father Noel Furlong, played by Irish comedian and talk show host Graham Norton
.
After recording of the third series of Father Ted had been completed, Morgan intended to work on a new comedy series, based around two retired football players living in a small flat together. However, 24 hours after finishing the recording of the last episode of Father Ted
, while hosting a dinner party at his south-west London home, Morgan had a heart attack
, he was rushed to hospital but died soon after in Hounslow
, London. In the commentary for the first series, writer Graham Linehan notes that Morgan was not a smoker
and was uncomfortable during the smoking scenes, of which there were many.
Morgan said in a Late Late Show interview in 1996 with Gay Byrne
that his forthcoming screenplay was to be called Miracle of the Magyars and based on real-life circumstances in the 1950s when the Archbishop of Dublin
forbade Catholics from attending a football match between Ireland and Yugoslavia
on religious and spiritual grounds. Yugoslavia won the match 4-1. Morgan, however, planned to use Hungary
as the opposing side to Ireland, hence the reason for the title.
Frank Kelly
said of his acting colleague: "Dermot's mind was mercurial. I think he was a kind of comedic meteor. He burned himself out."
Morgan's Requiem Mass
in St. Therese's Church in his native Mount Merrion
, South Dublin, was attended by, among others, Her Excellency Professor Mary McAleese
, the President of Ireland
, and her predecessor, Mary Robinson
, and by the leaders of Ireland's church and state, many of whom had been the victims of Morgan's humour in Scrap Saturday. His cremated remains are buried in the family plot in Deansgrange Cemetery, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown
, south County Dublin
.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
, actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and former schoolteacher, who achieved international renown for his roles as Father Ted Crilly in the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
sitcom Father Ted
Father Ted
Father Ted is a comedy series set in Ireland that was produced by Hat Trick Productions for British broadcaster Channel 4. Written jointly by Irish writers Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan and starring a predominantly Irish cast, it originally aired over three series from 21 April 1995 until 1 May...
and a strip club MC in Taffin
Taffin
Taffin is a 1988 Irish thriller film directed by Francis Megahy and starring Pierce Brosnan in the title role of Mark Taffin. It also featured Ray McAnally, Alison Doody and Jeremy Child...
.
Father Trendy and The Live Mike
Born in Dublin and educated at Oatlands CollegeOatlands College
Oatlands College is an all boys Christian Brothers school located in Mount Merrion and close to Stillorgan, Co. Dublin. It is situated along the Dublin Road which leads onto the Stillorgan Shopping Centre....
, Stillorgan
Stillorgan
Stillorgan , formerly a village in its own right, is now a suburban area of Dublin in Ireland. Stillorgan is located in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County, and contains many housing estates, shops and other facilities, with the old village centre still present...
, and University College, Dublin (U.C.D.), Morgan first came to prominence as part of the team of the highly successful RTÉ
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
television show The Live Mike
The Live Mike
The Live Mike was an Irish comedy variety and chat show presented by Mike Murphy. It was first broadcast on RTÉ 1 on 9 November 1979. The programme featured a candid camera piece by Murphy himself, parody songs and comedy sketches by Adele King, Dermot Morgan and Fran Dempsey, as well as a serious...
, presented by Mike Murphy
Mike Murphy (Ireland)
Mike Murphy is an Irish presenter. He is best known for presenting the television shows The Live Mike and Winning Streak.-Early life:...
. Between 1979 and 1984 Morgan, previously a full-time teacher at St. Michael's College
St. Michael's College, Dublin
St Michael's College is a Catholic boys' school, located on Ailesbury Road in Dublin 4, Ireland. It was founded in 1944 by the Holy Ghost Fathers....
, Ailesbury Road
Ailesbury Road
Ailesbury Road , Dublin 4, Ireland, is a tree-lined avenue linking Sydney Parade Station on Sydney Parade Avenue and the Church of the Sacred Heart, Donnybrook....
, played a range of comic characters, who would appear between segments, including Father Trendy, an unctuous trying-to-be-cool Catholic priest given to drawing ludicrous parallels with non-religious life in two minute 'chats' to camera. He also played (among other characters) an intolerant GAA
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...
bigot, who would wave his hurley
Hurley (stick)
A hurley is a wooden stick used to hit a sliotar in the Irish sport of hurling. It measures between 70 and 100 cm long with a flattened, curved end which provides the striking surface...
around aggressively while verbally attacking his pet hates. He lampooned the Wolfe Tones
Wolfe Tones
The Wolfe Tones are an Irish rebel music band who incorporate elements of Irish traditional music in their songs. They are named after the Irish rebel and patriot Theobald Wolfe Tone, one of the leaders of the Irish Rebellion of 1798, with the double entendre that a wolf tone is a spurious sound...
' song "A Nation Once Again
A Nation Once Again
"A Nation Once Again" is a song, written in the early to mid-1840s by Thomas Osborne Davis . Davis was a founder of an Irish movement whose aim was the independence of Ireland....
" by singing of a dog who saves his Irish Republican Army
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
(I.R.A.) master by eating a grenade
Grenade
A grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
during a search by the Black and Tans
Black and Tans
The Black and Tans was one of two newly recruited bodies, composed largely of British World War I veterans, employed by the Royal Irish Constabulary as Temporary Constables from 1920 to 1921 to suppress revolution in Ireland...
. When the dog farts and the grenade detonates, the British commented that, "It must have been something he ate." The song climaxed with the words, "I hope that I shall live to see Fido an Alsatian once again."
Morgan's success led him to quit teaching and become a full-time comedian.
Kenny Live
His relationship with RTÉRTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
, however, became difficult, as the station tried without success to find some way of making use of what it saw as Morgan's considerable but undisciplined talent; a number of attempts in the form of 'pilot' shows never aired. Morgan returned to the screen in the late 1980s playing his past roles and new ones - initially on Kenny Live
Kenny Live
Kenny Live is an Irish weekly chat show on RTÉ that was hosted by Pat Kenny. The show debuted in 1988 and aired every Saturday night, except during the summer months, directly after the main evening news...
, a new Saturday chat show presented by Pat Kenny
Pat Kenny
Patrick "Pat" Kenny is an Irish broadcaster and former disc jockey and continuity announcer. He is employed by Raidió Teilifís Éireann and is their highest paid presenter. He presents Today with Pat Kenny on RTÉ Radio 1 each weekday morning between 10:00 and midday...
which launched to fill the gap in the schedules left when The Late Late Show moved to a new Friday slot. However, the show axed its comedy slot when it changed its format in response to negative public responses to the show's structure.
Mr. Eastwood
Morgan moved into a new area when he released a comedy single in December 1985, called Thank you very very much, Mr. Eastwood, a take on the fawning praise of his manager given after bouts by internationally successful Irish boxer Barry McGuiganBarry McGuigan
Finbarr Patrick McGuigan MBE , known as Barry McGuigan and nicknamed The Clones Cyclone, is a former Irish and British professional boxer who became a world featherweight champion.-Background:...
, which 'featured' lines by McGuigan, Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
, Bob Geldof
Bob Geldof
Robert Frederick Zenon "Bob" Geldof, KBE is an Irish singer, songwriter, author, occasional actor and political activist. He rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Irish rock band The Boomtown Rats in the late 1970s and early 1980s alongside the punk rock movement. The band had hits with his...
and Ben Morgan.
Scrap Saturday
Morgan's biggest Irish broadcasting success occurred in the late 1980s in the Saturday morning radio comedy show, Scrap SaturdayScrap Saturday
Scrap Saturday was a satirical radio sketch show created by Dermot Morgan, who was also the main performer on the show, and Gerry Stembridge, which ran on RTÉ Radio 1 on Saturday mornings from 1989 until 1991. Pauline McLynn and Owen Roe participated as performers.The half-hour show lampooned...
, in which Morgan, co-scriptwriter Gerard Stembridge
Gerard Stembridge
Gerard "Gerry" Stembridge is an Irish writer, director and actor. He was educated at Castleknock College in Dublin. While attending University College Dublin, he was auditor of the Literary and Historical Society...
, Owen Roe and Pauline McLynn
Pauline McLynn
Pauline McLynn is an Irish actress, comedienne and author, best known for playing Mrs Doyle in the Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted, and Libby Croker in the Channel 4 comedy drama Shameless.- Early life :...
mocked Ireland's political, business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
and media establishment. In particular the relationship between then Taoiseach
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
, the ever-controversial Charles Haughey
Charles Haughey
Charles James "Charlie" Haughey was Taoiseach of Ireland, serving three terms in office . He was also the fourth leader of Fianna Fáil...
, and his press secretary, P. J. Mara
P. J. Mara
Patrick James "P.J." Mara is an Irish public affairs consultant and former senator. He was best known as a political adviser to former Taoiseach Charles Haughey. He served briefly in the Seanad on two separate occasions, in 1981 and 1982. On both occasions, he was nominated by the Taoiseach...
, became very popular, with Haughey's dismissive attitude towards the latter and Mara's adoring and grovelling attitude towards the "Boss . . . the greatest Leader, Man of Destiny, Statesman, Titan, a Colossus", winning critical praise.
Morgan pilloried Haughey's propensity for claiming a family connection to almost every part of Ireland he visited through the mocking use of a famous drinks advertisement for an Irish beer called Harp, which had played on the image of someone returning home and seeking friends, especially "Sally O'Brien, and the way she might look at you". In the Morgan skit version, Haughey's visits to somewhere in the world, from Dublin to Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
and elsewhere, would invariably cue after a few seconds the traditional music of the real advertisement, at which Haughey would begin "did I tell you, P.J., about my cousins in . . . " And he would begin discussing "my cousin François Haughey" (France), "Helmut Haughey" (Germany), "Yassar Haughey" (Palestine), "Yitzak Haughey" (Israel) or wherever, to the increasingly despairing Mara, who would groan "Ah now Jaysus, Boss. Come on now, Ah Jaysus (sigh)!"
The Haughey/Mara "double act" became the star turn in a series that mocked all sides, from Haughey and his advisors to opposition Fine Gael
Fine Gael
Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...
TD Michael Noonan
Michael Noonan
Michael Noonan is an Irish Fine Gael politician and has been the Minister for Finance since March 2011. He has been a Teachta Dála for the Limerick East and later Limerick City constituencies since 1981....
as a Limerick disk jockey called "Morning Noon'an Night" and a host of other characters. When RTÉ axed the show in the early 1990s a national outcry ensued. Morgan lashed the decision, calling it "a shameless act of broadcasting cowardice and political subservience". An RTÉ spokesman famously said "The show is not being axed, it's just not being continued!"
In 1991, Morgan received a Jacob's Award for his contribution to Scrap Saturday from the Irish national newspaper radio critics.
Father Ted
Although already a celebrity in IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Morgan's big break came over in Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
in the shape of the title-role in the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
sitcom Father Ted
Father Ted
Father Ted is a comedy series set in Ireland that was produced by Hat Trick Productions for British broadcaster Channel 4. Written jointly by Irish writers Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan and starring a predominantly Irish cast, it originally aired over three series from 21 April 1995 until 1 May...
, which ran for three series from 1995. Writers Arthur Mathews
Arthur Mathews (writer)
Arthur Mathews is an Irish comedy writer and actor who, often with writing partner Graham Linehan, has either written or contributed to a number of popular television comedies, most notably Father Ted. He is a graduate of the Dublin Institute of Technology...
and Graham Linehan
Graham Linehan
Graham Linehan is an Irish television writer, actor, comedian and director who, often in partnership with Arthur Mathews, has written or co-written a number of popular television comedies...
developed the series from a character featured in the former's stand-up comedy act. The writers saw many actors for the role of Father Ted, but Morgan's enthusiasm eventually won him the role.
Father Ted centred on three disparate characters. Father Ted Crilly, played by Morgan, was living a frustrated life trapped on the island. Irish TV comedy actor Frank Kelly
Frank Kelly
Frank Kelly is an Irish actor, singer and writer, whose career has covered television, radio, theatre, music, screenwriting and film. He is best known for his role as Father Jack Hackett in the comedy Father Ted. He is the son of the cartoonist Charles E...
played the retired Father Jack Hackett, a foul-mouthed and apparently brain-damaged alcoholic, while child-minded Father Dougal McGuire was played by new Irish comedian Ardal O'Hanlon
Ardal O'Hanlon
Ardal O'Hanlon is an Irish comedian and actor, best known for his roles in television sitcoms as Father Dougal McGuire in Father Ted and George Sunday in My Hero.-Early life:...
. In addition to the three priests was their housekeeper, Mrs. Doyle, played by Pauline McLynn
Pauline McLynn
Pauline McLynn is an Irish actress, comedienne and author, best known for playing Mrs Doyle in the Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted, and Libby Croker in the Channel 4 comedy drama Shameless.- Early life :...
, with whom Morgan had worked on Scrap Saturday.
BAFTA Award
Father Ted's comic depiction of Irish Catholicism earned it wide popularity and critical acclaim. In 1998 the show won a BAFTABritish Academy of Film and Television Arts
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is a charity in the United Kingdom that hosts annual awards shows for excellence in film, television, television craft, video games and forms of animation.-Introduction:...
award for Best Comedy, while Morgan won a BAFTA for Best Actor, and McLynn the Best Actress award. Apart from the main characters, many other successful side characters featured, including the camp hyperactive Father Noel Furlong, played by Irish comedian and talk show host Graham Norton
Graham Norton
Graham William Walker, known by his stage name Graham Norton , is an Irish actor, comedian, television presenter and columnist...
.
Death and legacy
Father Ted
Father Ted is a comedy series set in Ireland that was produced by Hat Trick Productions for British broadcaster Channel 4. Written jointly by Irish writers Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan and starring a predominantly Irish cast, it originally aired over three series from 21 April 1995 until 1 May...
, while hosting a dinner party at his south-west London home, Morgan had a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
, he was rushed to hospital but died soon after in Hounslow
London Borough of Hounslow
-Political composition:Since the borough was formed it has been controlled by the Labour Party on all but two occasions. In 1968 the Conservatives formed a majority for the first and last time to date until they lost control to Labour in 1971. Labour subsequently lost control of the council in the...
, London. In the commentary for the first series, writer Graham Linehan notes that Morgan was not a smoker
Tobacco smoking
Tobacco smoking is the practice where tobacco is burned and the resulting smoke is inhaled. The practice may have begun as early as 5000–3000 BCE. Tobacco was introduced to Eurasia in the late 16th century where it followed common trade routes...
and was uncomfortable during the smoking scenes, of which there were many.
Morgan said in a Late Late Show interview in 1996 with Gay Byrne
Gay Byrne
Gabriel Mary "Gay" Byrne is a veteran Irish presenter of radio and television. His most notable role was first host of The Late Late Show over a 37-year period spanning 1962 until 1999...
that his forthcoming screenplay was to be called Miracle of the Magyars and based on real-life circumstances in the 1950s when the Archbishop of Dublin
Archbishop of Dublin (Roman Catholic)
The Archbishop of Dublin is the title of the senior cleric who presides over the Archdiocese of Dublin. The Church of Ireland has a similar role, heading the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough. In both cases, the Archbishop is also Primate of Ireland...
forbade Catholics from attending a football match between Ireland and Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia national football team
The Yugoslavia national football team represented the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in association football. It enjoyed a modicum of success in international competition. In 1992, during the Yugoslav wars, the team was suspended from international...
on religious and spiritual grounds. Yugoslavia won the match 4-1. Morgan, however, planned to use Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
as the opposing side to Ireland, hence the reason for the title.
Frank Kelly
Frank Kelly
Frank Kelly is an Irish actor, singer and writer, whose career has covered television, radio, theatre, music, screenwriting and film. He is best known for his role as Father Jack Hackett in the comedy Father Ted. He is the son of the cartoonist Charles E...
said of his acting colleague: "Dermot's mind was mercurial. I think he was a kind of comedic meteor. He burned himself out."
Morgan's Requiem Mass
Requiem
A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead or Mass of the dead , is a Mass celebrated for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, using a particular form of the Roman Missal...
in St. Therese's Church in his native Mount Merrion
Mount Merrion
Mount Merrion is an area of Dublin, Ireland. It is roughly 7 kilometres south of the city centre. It is situated on and around a hill of the same name.-Location and access:...
, South Dublin, was attended by, among others, Her Excellency Professor Mary McAleese
Mary McAleese
Mary Patricia McAleese served as the eighth President of Ireland from 1997 to 2011. She was the second female president and was first elected in 1997 succeeding Mary Robinson, making McAleese the world's first woman to succeed another as president. She was re-elected unopposed for a second term in...
, the President of Ireland
President of Ireland
The President of Ireland is the head of state of Ireland. The President is usually directly elected by the people for seven years, and can be elected for a maximum of two terms. The presidency is largely a ceremonial office, but the President does exercise certain limited powers with absolute...
, and her predecessor, Mary Robinson
Mary Robinson
Mary Therese Winifred Robinson served as the seventh, and first female, President of Ireland from 1990 to 1997, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, from 1997 to 2002. She first rose to prominence as an academic, barrister, campaigner and member of the Irish Senate...
, and by the leaders of Ireland's church and state, many of whom had been the victims of Morgan's humour in Scrap Saturday. His cremated remains are buried in the family plot in Deansgrange Cemetery, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown
Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown
Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown is a county in Ireland. It is one of three smaller counties into which County Dublin was divided in 1994. Located to the south-east of Dublin city, its county seat is the town of Dún Laoghaire. It is one of the four constituent parts of the Dublin Region...
, south County Dublin
County Dublin
County Dublin is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Dublin Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Dublin which is the capital of Ireland. County Dublin was one of the first of the parts of Ireland to be shired by King John of England following the...
.
Television
- The Live MikeThe Live MikeThe Live Mike was an Irish comedy variety and chat show presented by Mike Murphy. It was first broadcast on RTÉ 1 on 9 November 1979. The programme featured a candid camera piece by Murphy himself, parody songs and comedy sketches by Adele King, Dermot Morgan and Fran Dempsey, as well as a serious...
(1979–84) - Father TedFather TedFather Ted is a comedy series set in Ireland that was produced by Hat Trick Productions for British broadcaster Channel 4. Written jointly by Irish writers Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan and starring a predominantly Irish cast, it originally aired over three series from 21 April 1995 until 1 May...
(1995–98) - Have I Got News for YouHave I Got News for YouHave I Got News for You is a British television panel show produced by Hat Trick Productions for the BBC. It is based loosely on the BBC Radio 4 show The News Quiz, and has been broadcast since 1990, currently the BBC's longest-ever running television panel show...
(1996–97; episodes 11.02 and 14.03) - Shooting StarsShooting StarsShooting Stars is a British television comedy panel game broadcast on BBC Two as a pilot in 1993, then as 3 full series from 1995 to 1997, then on BBC Choice from January to December 2002 with 2 series before returning to BBC Two for another 3 series from 2008 until its axing in 2011...
(1 episode, 1996) - That's ShowbusinessThat's ShowbusinessThat's Showbusiness is a television quiz show with celebrity teams answering questions about the entertainment industry. It aired on Monday nights on BBC1 between 1989 and 1996. It was presented by Mike Smith...
(1 episode, 1996)