[Archive 2009-03-17] The Simpsons episode to premiere on Sky1

Historical archive — originally published 2009-03-17. This report records what was known on that date. It is not current news; subsequent events may have changed the situation. Wikinews closed in May 2026.

In the episode, the Simpson family travels to Ireland so Grampa can visit a pub where he once had the best night of his life. Guest stars scheduled for the episode include Colm Meaney as Tom O’Flanagan, Kathy Ireland as herself, Glen Hansard as a street musician and Markéta Irglová as an Eastern European woman.

Executive producer Al Jean stated the episode is intended to be "an affectionate love letter to Ireland" because many of the writers have Irish roots. The episode will feature Irish landmarks including Giant's Causeway, the Blarney Castle and the Guinness Brewery.

Previous episodes of the show where the Simpson family visits other countries have been controversial. For example, the Simpsons visited Australia in "Bart vs. Australia" and Brazil in "Blame it on Lisa", and both episodes generated controversy and negative reaction in the visited countries.

The Rio de Janeiro tourist board claimed that the city was portrayed as having rampant street crime, kidnappings, slums, and monkey and rat infestations; and threatened FOX with legal action. When asked whether he thought this episode would generate similar controversies, Al Jean replied "I'm Irish American and I know Irish people have an excellent sense of humor so we weren’t very worried."

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