Ardal O'Hanlon told how he abandoned Ireland for the UK as it was “uncomfortable” to pursue his career while his conservative dad was a top politician.
The comic’s dad Rory O’Hanlon served for Fianna Fail in various top ministerial roles for over two decades.
The Monaghan funnyman, best loved for his role as Father Dougal in Father Ted and more recently Di Jack Mooney in Death In Paradise, said it was best for everyone that he “scarpered”.
He said: “As I went to college my head was turned and you get involved with politics.
“But I went to England, I scarpered soon after.
“It was uncomfortable for him for me, it would have been very uncomfortable for a government minister to have a stand-up comedian son, shooting his mouth off and being incredibly stupid about a lot of things.”
The dad-of-three admitted it was a welcome bolt to London.
He added: “It was a relief to get away and not to have that constant association.
“My family are very conservative people and we get on well despite the heated debates over the last few years but we side- step these political issues when we meet.”
The well loved comedian told The Ryan Tubridy Show on RTE Radio One today he still can’t escape his dim witted Father Dougal character, 21 years later.
Ardal told Tubs: “It’s hard to escape the Dougal character, people think I’m genuinely stupid.
“I was in a taxi coming back from the airport and the driver asked me if I remembered being in Father Ted.
“I tried to change the subject talking about politics and using big words when I actually remembered I have a car, I Parked it at the airport three days ago.”
He quipped: “I was tired but I couldn’t tell him as I knew I’d never live it down so I actually let him take me home.
“I called another taxi and went back to the airport.”
Opening up on his Brexit fears, the comic told how he steers clear of politics in his new show The Showing Off Must Go On.
He said: “I’m interested in politics but I try to avoid it in my show, because your primary role as a comedian is to poke fun at everything, to stand back like a corner boy in the old days, sneering at everyone.
“I find comedians who are ideological a little bit po-faced.
“But you have to touch on things like Brexit when you’re over there.
“I’m not playing to a gallery of my constituency, but sometimes older people, sometimes younger people, certainly a lot of Brexiteers so you have to try to navigate that.”
