Dermot Morgan remembered - 5 classics from the archives

Irish comedy genius Dermot Morgan passed away on 28th February 1998, aged 45 - it's still shocking to think of a performer so full of life leaving us at such a tragically young age.

At the time of his death, Morgan was at the absolute height of his success, having just wrapped the third season of Father Ted. The phenomenal success of Ted came after two decades of hard graft on Dermot's part, writing and performing in such Irish comedy touchstones like The Live Mike and Scrap Saturday.

Here, we celebrate the man who was Ted with a selection of his finest moments.

RTÉ Archives has a fine selection of choice Morgan material - here he is at his funniest (and most dangerous) on the Live Mike in 1983, offering a clearly terrified audience a few handy hurling hints.

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In 1985, Dermot scored a Number One hit in the Irish charts with Thank You Very Much Mr. Eastwood, his own unique riff on the success of boxing sensation Barry McGuigan. The video showcases Morgan's brilliance as an impersonator - his Bob Geldof remains somewhat definitive - and features an appearance from Michael Redmond, later to achieve immortality as the world's most boring priest, Ted's mate Father Stone.

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It's impossible to pick our favourite moment from Father Ted, where Morgan often acted as a straight man to Ardal O'Hanlon, Frank Kelly and Pauline McLynn - it's his exasperation, however (coupled with Ted's frustration - the money was only resting in his account, after all), that makes the funny stuff work as brilliantly as it does. And then there's My Lovely Horse - it still cracks us up every time.

Sometimes, it's easy to forget how many Ted moments have entered the cultural lexicon. Where would Irish civil disorder be without The Passion of Saint Tibulus?

Years before Ted, Morgan donned the clerical collar as the Like Mike's Father Trendy - in an era when poking fun at the Irish Catholic Church was still strictly verboten, he was a revelation, and a game-changer.

Let's finish with a deep dive - Dermot's one-man show, recorded live from a packed Olympia Theatre on 16th April 1994, the year before Father Ted debuted on Channel 4. It's a vivid snapshot of an Ireland on the cusp of the Celtic Tiger - and, most importantly, a bit of a comedy masterclass.

Dermot Morgan remembered - 5 classics from the archives

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