 The character is a childlike, simple-minded Roman Catholic curate exiled to Craggy Island, a small island off the coast of Galway.Dougal originated as an unseen character in a short-lived stand-up routine performed by Mathews in the late 1980s.Portraying an early version of Father Ted Crilly on-stage, Mathews occasionally discussed Dougal as one of Ted's great friends.