FATHER TRENDY (Late Seventies / Early Eighties)

ermots' talents in drama and performing were markedly apparent during his College years, where he would head many students' artistic productions, shows and cabarets.

Stand-up routines at various venues would soon follow, while writing and performing became his vocational and professional ambition.

In a typical show, Dermot would have had in his repertory a number of impersonations and characters that he created, one of the most popular being that of Father Trendy.

This creation was a parody of a type of Catholic priest in vogue in Ireland at the time, involving sporting a non - intimidating, modern approach to young folk and those aspects of life relevant to them. Likewise, the Fr. Trendy character was a down to earth, "cool" priest, with a lighter and more rational approach to the usual topics of youth and religion. Needless to say, while preaching, he took the Mickey out of both.

In Fr. Trendy sermons, a variety of matters were addressed and analysed, and as he preached you could feel the seriousness draining out of religion each time it was being confronted with the most banal aspects and events of everyday life.

The Fr. Trendy routine was used by him for quite a long time and was a part of the Live Mike, a Tv show, run by Mike Murphy. To accompany it, Dermot wrote a book entitled "Trendy Sermons" which didn't go down very well with the Catholic Church and repercussions followed, resulting in him being virtually ostracised by the broadcasting media for a time.

At the time of Fr. Trendy the youthful Dermot Morgan was effectively treading a solo path as far as the religio-satirical aspect of his material went. Now, twenty years on, we can appreciate how immune Father Ted is to the sort of treatment Dermot and Father Trendy had to face up to in the past.

Link to Dermots' Songs