28 February marks the 25th anniversary of Dermot Morgan’s death, and his son Rob has spoken of the devastation he feels that his father didn’t get to see the long-lasting success of the hit comedy.
On 28 February 1998, Dermot Morgan passed away suddenly from a heart attack just one day before his 46th birthday.
Father Ted, while only running for three seasons, is one of Ireland’s most-loved comedy shows to this day.
Rob, Morgan’s son, spoke recently on his grief about his father’s passing and how he missed out on seeing the long-lasting success of the show.
Dermot Morgan’s son speaks 25 years on – remembering his father and his legacy
Rob said, “25 years later I’m dealing with it, I’m still processing it. I look back to 17-year-old me and I just have so much compassion for him because of what he had to deal with at that time in his life”.
He told Newstalk that he finds comfort in the legacy left behind of his father by fans that still remember him.
“To see people still fondly talking about the Ted stuff or the live comedy stuff – or even I’ve heard Oliver Callan talk about what he credits Dermot for in terms of his own work – and that’s massive”.
He continues, “The really harsh and cruel part about it is that Dermot didn’t get to enjoy it, and didn’t get to enjoy the things that he would have gone on to do”.
A positive outlook – he’ll always be the same age
Credit: Flickr/ William Murphy
However, while he speaks of the heartbreak of his dad never getting to enjoy the spoils brought on by the show, he also speaks with a positive outlook of not having to watch his father struggle with old age.
He said, “I kind of love that he’ll never get older, I love that I’ll never see him stooped over, or struggling to come to terms with one’s own mortality. I love that he’ll always be 45 every time I look at him, that’s a really nice thing.
“I’m 43 this year, it’s kind of weird: the closer you get to the age he was, the more surreal it becomes”.
Father Ted – a cult classic
Father Ted ran for three glorious seasons between 1995 and 1998 with a total of 25 episodes.
The show starred Dermot Morgan, Ardal O’Hanlon, Pauline McLynn, and Frank Kelly, with several appearances from class acts in Irish talents like Pat Shortt and Graham Norton.
The show became an instant cult classic and is still celebrated in Ireland almost thirty years after it first aired with the annual Ted Fest celebration.
The show’s final episode was set to air just after Morgan’s untimely death and was delayed by two weeks as a mark of respect.
Morgan had set out to pursue solo endeavours and had just finished writing a script about a football match between Ireland and Yugoslavia in 1950s Dublin. Sadly, this would be his last project.
At the time of his death, tributes were led by the Irish president at the time, Mary McAleese, then prime minister Bertie Ahern, and many other politicians, many of whom were the butt of Morgan’s jokes.
Dermot Morgan has had a lasting impact on Irish comedy and TV and certainly won’t soon be forgotten.
