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The Tea Lady
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Tea is a very popular drink in Ireland, but it seems that the ladies just can't keep their hands off it! Tea and friends seem to be the perfect combination.

The tradition of the 'tea lady' was first introduced in 1666 by one Mrs. Harris, who was the wife of the Housekeeper and Beadle of the East India Company. Mrs. Harris made tea for the Committee Meetings held by the company's board of directors, and in doing so, she started a tradition that lasted for more than 300 years.

The traditional Irish tea lady was personified infamously in the hugely popular cult Channel 4 comedy, Father Ted. The show, not without it's controversies, revolved around the lives of 3 distinctly different priests who all lived on Craggy Island, just off the coast of rural Ireland. Taking care of them was their very own tea lady Mrs. Doyle, who seemed to live for tea and sandwiches.

Mrs. Doyle was famed for her insatiable desire to see the fathers, and their friends, drink one cup of tea after another. If they didn't fancy another cup of her srong brew she shouted out in a deep Irish accent, "Ack go on! Go on, go on, go on, go on!" Soon everyone had a cup of tea and a sandwich!

Here is a little excerpt from Father Ted for your enjoyment!

"Father, I love the whole tea-making thing! You know, the playful 'splash!' of the tea as it hits the bottom of the cup; the thrill of adding the milk, and watching it settle for a moment before it filters slowly down through the cup, changing the colour from dark brown to ... a lighter brown. Perching an optional Jaffa cake on the saucer, like a proud soldier standing to attention beside a giant ... cup of tea!" Mrs. Doyle, taken from Channel 4's Father Tea.

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