Fr Ted helped propel a cultural shift away from the reverence of the Catholic church

coinop · 10-01-2021 07:34PM #1

In a recent discussion about Father Ted some deep thinker comes out with the gem "It helped propel a big cultural shift away from the reverence of the Catholic church in Ireland." WTF? It was a funny TV show, nothing more. Some Irish people like to think mid 1990s Ireland was like Iran. The desire to feel oppressed is strong in these woke millennial types who were probably too young to even watch Father Ted during its original TV run. Luckily for them, RTE has churned out constant repeats for the past quarter century.

Would Father Ted be a hit if it was released today? Or would we roll our eyes at the paddywhackery of lazy stereotypes of drunken Irish and wife beaters? It gave us a laugh in the time of two TV stations but would struggle today imo.

Purple Mountain · 10-01-2021 07:35PM

Great PhD title...

coinop · 10-01-2021 07:40PM

Purple Mountain wrote: »

Great PhD title...

Don't give them ideas...
Students can study Harry Potter in some American colleges. How long before some gombeen decides a degree in Father Ted studies could be a great money spinner. "Analyze the difference between black and very, very, very dark blue."

Thelonious Monk · 10-01-2021 07:44PM

It was great when it came out, but it's been milked to death over and over since. Who's going to start the inevitable quote marathon then? You'll put my head through a wall or something I suppose.

timeToLive · 10-01-2021 07:48PM

That's mad, Ted.

coinop · 10-01-2021 07:49PM

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

It was great when it came out, but it's been milked to death over and over since. Who's going to start the inevitable quote marathon then? You'll put my head through a wall or something I suppose.

Very true and oh so predictable. Makes having an online discussion about the show next to impossible. It has therefore never been properly critiqued and so has maintained its flawless reputation in the national psyche.

The Inbetween is mine · 10-01-2021 07:51PM

Those churches are very far away... this church is very small

EmmetSpiceland · 10-01-2021 07:52PM

Certainly paved the way for being able to say “bollocks” without getting a clip round the ear off the auld pair.

silliussoddius · 10-01-2021 07:53PM

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

Usually someone calls you edgy at this stage.

That’s the hope. I’ll be in here every five minutes checking the thanks count.

The Inbetween is mine · 10-01-2021 07:54PM

silliussoddius wrote: »

That’s the hope. I’ll be in here every five minutes checking the thanks count.

Almost 1 so far

tdf7187 · 10-01-2021 07:58PM

I was reading this interesting piece about a very interesting doctor today and I couldn't help but think of Father Ted:

https://www.independent.ie/life/family/the-gunman-fired-at-me-six-or-seven-times-he-hit-me-in-the-right-hip-i-had-a-feeling-that-i-had-escaped-with-my-life-pioneering-doctor-andrew-rynne-on-the-day-he-nearly-died-39950793.html

"The bishop says I'll have to go ahead and excommunicate ya but sure we'll have a few whiskeys after the formal excommunication, 'twill be grand."
"I hear you're into the old vasectomies now. Down with that sort of thing!"

Plus the bit about when the fella who shot him was found in a park and someone offered him a smoke and a can of beer....it's honestly like something from a Father Ted episode but it all actually happened.

But of course it's the other way around...Father Ted was based on real Irish stereotypes...and the reason stereotypes become stereotypes is usually because there's usually more than a grain of truth in them.

.anon. · 10-01-2021 08:08PM

It propelled nothing, but it was reflective of a cultural shift away from the reverence of the Catholic Church that was happening already. And because of that cultural shift, I don't think Father Ted could really be a hit today - at least not in the way that it was, because most people aren't remotely familiar with priests. It came along at just the right time - when the Catholic Church was still fresh enough in people's minds to be relevant, but no longer unquestioningly revered.

The Catholic Church is now very small and increasingly far away from most people's lives.

silliussoddius · 10-01-2021 08:14PM

tdf7187 wrote: »

I was reading this interesting piece about a very interesting doctor today and I couldn't help but think of Father Ted:

https://www.independent.ie/life/family/the-gunman-fired-at-me-six-or-seven-times-he-hit-me-in-the-right-hip-i-had-a-feeling-that-i-had-escaped-with-my-life-pioneering-doctor-andrew-rynne-on-the-day-he-nearly-died-39950793.html

"The bishop says I'll have to go ahead and excommunicate ya but sure we'll have a few whiskeys after the formal excommunication, 'twill be grand."
"I hear you're into the old vasectomies now. Down with that sort of thing!"

Plus the bit about when the fella who shot him was found in a park and someone offered him a smoke and a can of beer....it's honestly like something from a Father Ted episode but it all actually happened.

But of course it's the other way around...Father Ted was based on real Irish stereotypes...and the reason stereotypes become stereotypes is usually because there's usually more than a grain of truth in them.

Wasn’t the idea behind the show based on one of the creators uncle being a priest and he had a fascination with priests? So they built a template around the priesthood setting, of course they make digs at the church but I think the funniest bits are the regular sit-com type humour which given the priesthood setting gives it a level of absurdism.

RobbingBandit · 10-01-2021 08:15PM

Except it was only ever a British media backed satire regardless of the vast majority being Irish based actors and it aired on RTE 2 it was made by a London based production company for Channel 4.

tdf7187 · 10-01-2021 08:25PM

RobbingBandit wrote: »

Except it was only ever a British media backed satire regardless of the vast majority being Irish based actors and it aired on RTE 2 it was made by a London based production company for Channel 4.

No sh** , Sherlock...I think everyone knows that.

Seemingly the claim that the creators originally went to RTE with it and were turned down is a myth. They already had top level media connections in the UK and lived in London so there wouldn't have been any point....why not shoot for the bigger audience...no point bothering with two-bit operators like RTE.

El_Duderino 09 · 10-01-2021 08:37PM

I think it would be wrong to say it has no influence. I remember it being part of opening the catholics to ridicule. There was a culture of ridiculing the catholics at the time because it hadn’t really been acceptable up until around that time.

The show wouldn’t make sense now because ridiculing then catholics isn’t novel anymore. It didn’t start the trend of irreverence, but it was a popular part of the trend.

Dermot Morgan was doing his Fr. Trendy character before Fr. Ted. So it wasn’t the start but it was significant.

10-01-2021 08:47PM

coinop wrote: »

In a recent discussion about Father Ted some deep thinker comes out with the gem "It helped propel a big cultural shift away from the reverence of the Catholic church in Ireland." WTF? It was a funny TV show, nothing more. Some Irish people like to think mid 1990s Ireland was like Iran. The desire to feel oppressed is strong in these woke millennial types who were probably too young to even watch Father Ted during its original TV run. Luckily for them, RTE has churned out constant repeats for the past quarter century.

Would Father Ted be a hit if it was released today? Or would we roll our eyes at the paddywhackery of lazy stereotypes of drunken Irish and wife beaters? It gave us a laugh in the time of two TV stations but would struggle today imo.

Divorce was only signed into law in 1996 following a referendum in which YES won by 0.5%, or less than 10,000 votes. DIVORCE!

We had only decriminalised 'buggery' in 1993.

Ireland was still very conservative.

Greyfox · 10-01-2021 09:02PM

coinop wrote: »

Don't give them ideas...
Students can study Harry Potter in some American colleges. How long before some gombeen decides a degree in Father Ted studies could be a great money spinner. "Analyze the difference between black and very, very, very dark blue."

Although it certainly wouldnt get you a job at least if you studied Harry Potter or Father Ted in college you'd be studying two of the best things ever written rather than overrarred stuff like Shakespere or Dickens.

EmmetSpiceland · 10-01-2021 09:05PM

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Divorce was only signed into law in 1996 following a referendum in which YES won by 0.5%, or less than 10,000 votes. DIVORCE!

We had only decriminalised 'buggery' in 1993.

Ireland was still very conservative.

Paedophilia, in Ireland, had only become socially unacceptable in ‘94. Must have been such a chaotic time to be part of The Church. Like a massive #MeToo movement hitting almost overnight.

10-01-2021 09:12PM

I have to open my post by saying that I know very little about Catholicism. I grew and was a devout member of another church, a church that has a very small presence here in Ireland. I left that church (formally) two years ago. I'm really struggling to understand the points people are making regarding the irrelevance of the Catholic church in Ireland.

75% of the population here are Catholic, according to the 2016 census, which is very high. Every christening, marriage and funeral I've heard about since we moved here has been held in a Catholic church. Two women I work with have daughters who made their communion last year, and I got the impression that it is a very big day for families, and most, if not all, children partake in that ordinance. Our next door neighbour is a big GAA man, your national sport, and his local club and every GAA club on the island, according to him, has an annual mass in a Catholic church. I'm just not seeing this massive shift away from the church in everyday life.

Can someone join the dots between the apparent shift away from the Catholic church, my experience and the stats (census)? We've been looking at Christian churches to attend since we moved here, and a ridiculously high number are Catholic. They have multiple masses listed for every weekend. The other Christian churches we've found only have one or two.

Thelonious Monk · 10-01-2021 09:17PM

It's called a la carte catholicism, usually done by people to appease their old school parents, or because schools are run by the church

KaneToad · 10-01-2021 09:19PM

tara2k wrote: »

I have to open my post by saying that I know very little about Catholicism. I grew and was a devout member of another church, a church that has a very small presence here in Ireland. I left that church (formally) two years ago. I'm really struggling to understand the points people are making regarding the irrelevance of the Catholic church in Ireland.

75% of the population here are Catholic, according to the 2016 census, which is very high. Every christening, marriage and funeral I've heard about since we moved here has been held in a Catholic church. Two women I work with have daughters who made their communion last year, and I got the impression that it is a very big day for families, and most, if not all, children partake in that ordinance. Our next door neighbour is a big GAA man, your national sport, and his local club and every GAA club on the island, according to him, has an annual mass in a Catholic church. I'm just not seeing this massive shift away from the church in everyday life.

Can someone join the dots between the apparent shift away from the Catholic church, my experience and the stats (census)? We've been looking at Christian churches to attend since we moved here, and a ridiculously high number are Catholic. They have multiple masses listed for every weekend. The other Christian churches we've found only have one or two.

Dara O Briain puts it well...he's is an atheist, doesnt believe in any higher power but is, obviously, still a Catholic.

It's a tradition in this country rather than a religious belief.

Fritzbox · 10-01-2021 09:22PM

tara2k wrote: »

I have to open my post by saying that I know very little about Catholicism. I grew and was a devout member of another church, a church that has a very small presence here in Ireland. I left that church (formally) two years ago. I'm really struggling to understand the points people are making regarding the irrelevance of the Catholic church in Ireland.

75% of the population here are Catholic, according to the 2016 census, which is very high. Every christening, marriage and funeral I've heard about since we moved here has been held in a Catholic church. Two women I work with have daughters who made their communion last year, and I got the impression that it is a very big day for families, and most, if not all, children partake in that ordinance. Our next door neighbour is a big GAA man, your national sport, and his local club and every GAA club on the island, according to him, has an annual mass in a Catholic church. I'm just not seeing this massive shift away from the church in everyday life.

Can someone join the dots between the apparent shift away from the Catholic church, my experience and the stats (census)? We've been looking at Christian churches to attend since we moved here, and a ridiculously high number are Catholic. They have multiple masses listed for every weekend. The other Christian churches we've found only have one or two.

People still enjoy the various rites and ceremonies of the Church, even if they are that particularly devout. First Holy Communion, for instance, for most families it's just a a big day out, the children get to wear unusual clothes and the relatives call around and there's a big meal somewhere and hopefully they all have fun.
Weddings and funerals are the same. Even if the people involved are not so devout, it just seems a bit strange for many people to not hold these events in a church.

KaneToad · 10-01-2021 09:22PM

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

It's called a la carte catholicism, usually done by people to appease their old school parents, or because schools are run by the church

I think it's more than that. I think people actually like the pageantry of the ceremonies. They couldn't be arsed sitting through a weekly mass but would gladly participate in the occasional christening, wedding or funeral.

whisky_galore · 10-01-2021 09:23PM

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

It's called a la carte catholicism, usually done by people to appease their old school parents, or because schools are run by the church

Bouncy castle Catholics.

alchemist33 · 10-01-2021 09:23PM

.anon. wrote: »

The Catholic Church is now very small and increasingly far away from most people's lives.

I see what you did there. Well played!

endacl · 10-01-2021 09:28PM

coinop wrote: »

Students can study Harry Potter in some American colleges.

Any Phd thesis title can be improved by adding 'Harry Potter and the...'

Harry Potter and the Disappearance of traditional (especially courtyard) architecture in the Middle East and adaptation of Western styles of city planning in the second part of the 20th century.

Harry Potter and the Morbidity/complications associated with autogenous bone graft harvesting from the chin to augment resorbed/deficient alveolar bone defects prior to dental implant placement.

Harry Potter and the Insurgent Butterflies: Gender and Revolution in El Salvador, 1965-2015.

Harry Potter and the Alpha Alpha Alpha Male: Relations Among Fraternity Membership, Traditional Masculine Gender Roles, and Sexual Violence.

91wx763 · 10-01-2021 09:30PM

I remember me mother turning it off on it's first run. "Disgusting programme". "Pure filt". Subject of the sunday sermon from the pulpit.

Roll the years on and great hilarity in the armchair when I got home from the pub one night.

"Would ya look at yer man drunk in the chair, and the other fellas dressed up as priests". "Mother that's Father Ted, the yoke you used to turn off". "Ah but shur you couldn't help laughing......".

Thelonious Monk · 10-01-2021 09:40PM

KaneToad wrote: »

I think it's more than that. I think people actually like the pageantry of the ceremonies. They couldn't be arsed sitting through a weekly mass but would gladly participate in the occasional christening, wedding or funeral.

Maybe, the whole thing gives me the creeps I don't know how people do it.

10-01-2021 09:44PM

KaneToad wrote: »

Dara O Briain puts it well...he's is an atheist, doesnt believe in any higher power but is, obviously, still a Catholic.

It's a tradition in this country rather than a religious belief.

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

It's called a la carte catholicism, usually done by people to appease their old school parents, or because schools are run by the church

KaneToad wrote: »

I think it's more than that. I think people actually like the pageantry of the ceremonies. They couldn't be arsed sitting through a weekly mass but would gladly participate in the occasional christening, wedding or funeral.

Thank you for your replies. So, it's primarily to do with tradition and pageantry. Why do the religious leaders go along with this? Surely the church would be better off with a smaller number of people who believe that the church is true.

An Ri rua · 10-01-2021 09:47PM

whisky_galore wrote: »

Bouncy castle Catholics.

In fairness, though I hate sunshine footballers and sunshine anything, it's still better than Frank Castle Catholics. Whose solution was to beat the living sh1t out of anyone (weaker than them).

That might be a good PhD. How the Frank Castle Catholics got emasculated and gentrified out of existence by the Bouncy Castle Catholics.
Or maybe just a David McWilliams daydream.... And then he could throw in the East Belfast Prod for good measure, to satisfy his in-laws and make his article appear exotic, historically grounded and, oh yeh, woke.

Fr Ted helped propel a cultural shift away from the reverence of the Catholic church

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