Ireland could produce countless amazing television shows in the next decade, but not one will eclipse the popularity and legacy of Father Ted. I could try to describe it to you, but doing it justice is an impossible task. Take my word for it – it’s fecking hilarious.
The show is that popular there’s an annual festival celebrating all things Father Ted. Ted Fest is held on Inis Oírr, part of the Aran Islands, which is used in aerial footage as the fictional Craggy Island. Most of the other filming locations are found in County Clare, including Father Ted’s Parochial House.
It was never an intended stop on our Stena Gathering tour. Rob from Beer Lens is a big fan and the first day of our trip was filled with quotes. On our drive from Galway to the Dingle Peninsula, just after we stopped for a photo at Leamaneh Castle, our Paddywagon guide and drive Mike announced he was going to try to find Father Ted’s House. It had been a while since he’d been there. “I can’t remember if it’s this road or the next one,” he said as we drove along. We turned down the most likely bet, driving past a small clutter of houses before entering the flat countryside near The Burren. Mike, not having seen the house in many years, asked a national park ranger coming the other way who told us to head straight down the road.
A few more trees and paddocks later and there it was.
The house is lived in and privately owned, so we just stood at the end of the driveway for photos. However, if you book ahead, you can call in for tea – a pastime that fans of the show will love! If I’d thought ahead and been paying better attention, I would have made detailed notes of how we got there. But the best I can do is provide the driving directions I put together after finding the location on Google Maps. There is no public transport out here, but there are tour companies that visit the house and pop inside for tea.
A BIG thank you to Mike for taking the time to get us here!
Father Ted’s House From Galway
Father Ted’s house is about one hour from Galway.
- Leaving Galway take Dublin Road and then the N18 in the direction of Limerick.
- After 8.5km on the N18, turn right onto the N67.
- Drive for 11km then turn left onto the L8587
- After 800m turn left and continue on that road for 11.3km.
- At the T-junction, turn left and then take the first road on the right,
- Father Ted’s House will be about 3.5km down the road on your right.
Latitude and Longitude 53.010316,-9.030211
Father Ted’s House From Limerick
Father Ted’s House is about 58km, or one hour’s drive from Limerick.
- When leaving the city, follow signs to Galway and the N18. Stay on the N18 for 13.5km.
- Continue onto the M18 for 18.5km.
- At junction 14 take the R458 exit to Inis/Ennis/Gort Lomán/Barefield
- At Barefield Roundabout, take the 2nd exit
- Continue straight in the direction of Toormore for 6.5km,
- At Ruan, turn right and drive for 500m. Turn right and then immediately left again. (You should be heading in the same direction you were before those turns.)
- 5.6km later turn right onto the R460, then take the first left.
- Drive for another 3km and at the junction turn right.
- Father Ted’s House will be about 1.6km up that road on your left.
I represented Travel With A Mate at the Stena Line Gathering 2013 hosted by Stena Line, Tourism Ireland and Paddywagon Tours. All opinions expressed on Pegs on the Line – and my friends will tell you I always have a lot – are my own.
9 Comments
I still can’t believe we made it there! 🙂
Next time we’re going in for tea!
Yes we found father teds house!!!! Difficult to find ask a local!
HI THERE HOW DO WE BOOK FOR TEA AT FR TEDS HOUSE WE ARE HOPING TO GO THIS WEEK TRAVELLING FROM GALWAY
The details for booking at the house can be found on its website http://www.fathertedshouse.com/
Is there a postcode for satnav that nearly gets your there or gets you there ?
Hi guys! I’m from cork and I don’t drive but I have wanted to visit forever and I am off for a few days next week and was looking to head down Thursday/Friday to clare and to try get to visit and book for tea with my boyfriend but neither of us can drive, was thinking of getting a bus to the nearest village and walking there or if there is a chance to rent bikes, is there any advice/ idea of how long it would take to walk or does anyone know someone living close that could give us a spin we could pay for it I just really would love to do it as I wanted to last year for my birthday when I was on inis oirr for the birthday and they never did go there!
trust me – anything in this show would prove to be true – when I was desperately needing the navigation system to work in the rental car, i reached int eh glovebox for the instruction manual – and it was missing; on return of the car to the shop, the mechanic explained that he had placed the manual under the spare wheel because children had previously tried to ruin it – i wasn’t happy, but seemed to keep my limited ‘sense of humour’ and restrained myself from hitting him as he was sitting down taking the odometer reading… the machine was asking me for directions and I kept talking to it, but gave up as I couldn’t drive and read the screen at the same time, which may have caused an accident – frequently…..
i was almost deported from the Dublin Airport because I didn’t have an advanced hotel booking – as I was to realise Dublin is booked out with ‘contract workers and Americans’ and eventually, I had to catch to 10.15 pm bus to Belfast to obtain a room – with help of a taxi driver who didn’t charge me for the fare after i informed him of my sorry tale of ‘room hunting’…. I certainly wasn’t ‘feeling the love of Ireland’ that night…. recently; October, 2019