A quarter of a century after it first aired, Ireland’s most beloved comedy has been immortalised on a set of stamps.

Iconic one-liners from Father Ted are featured on each of the four stamps, including the infamous “That money was just resting in my account”, and “That’s mad, Ted.”

Retro wallpaper in the background of each stamp matches the different rooms in the show’s Parochial House on the fictional Craggy Island in the west of Ireland.

Pauline McLynn, who portrayed the tea-addicted housekeeper Mrs Doyle, told Sky News she was “proud” that the Irish postal service An Post commissioned the stamps.

Her oft-repeated line “Will you have a cup of tea, Father?” is featured on one of the stamps in the set.

“They’re gorgeous stamps”, she said, “really comical and colourful, and capture the essence of the show. The legacy of the show and everyone involved with it lives on with Father Ted’s ongoing success and influence on language, on comedy writing and on generations of fans.”

The sitcom, which ran for three series and 25 episodes, followed the misadventures of three priests, Fathers Ted Crilly, Dougal McGuire and Jack Hackett, who are exiled to the remote Craggy Island, with their housekeeper Mrs Doyle.

It won several BAFTAs, and last year finished second to Fawlty Towers in a Radio Times list of the “greatest British sitcoms”.

Although written by and starring Irish talent, it was made by British production company Hat Trick Productions for Channel 4 and remains hugely popular on both sides of the Irish Sea.

The show, which first aired in 1995, holds an iconic place in Ireland’s recent cultural history.

In a survey conducted by An Post, 88% of Irish people said they used “Ted-isms” in direct conversation, while 20% quoted the series on a daily basis.

Two of the lead actors, Dermot Morgan (Father Ted) and Frank Kelly (Father Jack) have passed away.

“They would’ve been very amused and very proud that the show has now been put on a set of stamps,” McLynn said.

She added that if she could post her own stamp anywhere in the world, it would be to Co Clare, where most of the location work for Father Ted was shot.

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