Of all the tours I literally never thought I would lead TedFest has to be right up there, but lead it and ended take part in it I did. So, what is TedFest, and what is it like to party there? Let me guide you…
What is TedFest?
TedFest is a portmanteau of Father Ted and Festival, so a festival about Father Ted. So what is Father Ted you might ask? It was a groundbreaking Irish TV that was actually produced by the English and poked fun at the Catholic Church through he titular lead Father Ted.
Ted, Dougal and Father Jack live on a cold wet miserable island in Ireland called Craggy Island, not that dissimilar to Mannion Island, which I almost purchased, but I digress as usual.
It ran for a few years during the 90’s where it gained cult like status before it ended when the actor playing Father Ted died. In the UK and Ireland we are good at calling it day when you should……
Some years ago plucky entrepreneur decided to find an island in Ireland where one could reenact the series and thus a “thing” was born.
Getting to TedFest
This involves getting to Ireland, particularly Galway. This is not a bad thing as this is a party town and has lots of cool bars. After this you are required to travel a bit down and then take a ferry to Innis Mor (link to YPT) – there is also a flight, but we will chat about that later.
On said ferry there are beers old and no smoking signs. People ignore the later and embrace the former. The ferry ride is a great example of what is TedFest….
You then arrive and transfer to The. Hotel, namely the Arun Island Hotel, a great place with rooms and chalets even. I stupidly asked at the bar if there was much drinking at TedFest, to which the bartender replied in a thick Irish accent “Its a fucking island in Ireland, what do you think”? True that….
What to do on Aran Island?
There’s exactly 4 pubs and one shop, and there’s a chip shop, but is closed in winter. That pretty much sums up the Aran Island Street food scene, although one pub did do toasties that were pretty good.
As for what to do on the island, did we mention the four pubs? Oh there’s walks and cycling to, but who got time for that?
But of course we come here for TedFest……
What do you do at TedFest?
I guess it is much like any festival that is held celebrating a TV show, you dress up, you do quizzes, you play games and you essentially pay homage to everything that is Father Ted! And all the whole surrounded by people equally as mental as you are. Is it a bit “in joke”, yes it is and some people come every year, but that does nor take anything away from it.
And of course people are drinking a lot! There is no firewater, but there is plenty of everything else, and while its not cheap, neither is Ireland, so dem be the rubs.
And overall to answer what is Tedfest like? It is really good and that is regardless of if you actually like Father Ted, or not (I do), but of course the more you are into Ted, well the better.
And as for getting out? We did my favorite thing and chartered our Owen flight in a seater plane to get us over sea and back to the Irish mainland! And now I was ready for my next adventure, The Isle of Man…..