Dermot Morgan’s son says he is still processing dad’s death 25 years later

Rob Morgan told Newstalk Breakfast he is still dealing with the death of his dad, best known for his role as 'Father Ted', who passed away in England on February 28, 1998, at the age of 45.

"25 years later I'm dealing with it, I'm still processing it," Rob said.

"I look back to 17-year-old me and I just have so much compassion for him because of what he had to deal with at that time in his life".

Rob said he takes comfort in the fact that people still remember his father.

"To see people still fondly talking about the Ted stuff or the live comedy stuff - or even I've heard Oliver Callan talk about what he credits Dermot for in terms of his own work - and that's massive," he said.

"The really harsh and cruel part about it is that Dermot didn't get to enjoy it, and didn't get to enjoy the things that he would have gone on to do.

"That's harder to deal with almost than losing him".

Rob said his father would have liked to be remembered for his own writing, too.

"Ted was the key that unlocked so much for him, and it's obviously what brought him to people's attention outside of Ireland.

"For that I think he'll always be grateful to have experienced the accord that came with it; but it's a shame that it wasn't the writing that he was so proud of his own work.

"It was as an actor, which was almost for him unexpected and not something he'd ever looked at for himself".

Rob said there is something nice about seeing his father on television.

"I kind of love that he'll never get older," he said.

"I love that I'll never see him stooped over, or struggling to come to terms with one's own mortality.

"I love that he'll always be 45 every time I look at him, that's a really nice thing.

"I'm 43 this year, it's kind of weird: the closer you get to the age he was, the more surreal it becomes," he added.