All credit to 'Gift Grub'

Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern has praised Today FM's Gift Grubprogramme which celebrates 10 years on air this week.

The programme was set up in May 1999 as a sketch which featured Mr Ahern hosting his own cookery programme, but expanded to include him and dozens of characters from politics, sport, music and television.

Mr Ahern went on Ian Dempsey's Breakfast Programmethis morning to praise Gift Gruband its versatile creator Mario Rosenstock.

He said in the beginning he didn’t listen to the show taking him off, but “never got further than the corridor” of Government Buildings before being apprised of the broadcast.

"I think it has been a tremendous programme. Not since Dermot Morgan and Scrap Saturdayhas there been a programme that has had such good satire, had such longevity. Ten years is a long time in business and it has been enjoyed by so many people," he said.

“There was something for everybody. It was not just about politics. It was about sport or football or rugby and the music business. It was originally supposed to be a cookery sketch, but it spanned every aspect of current affairs in a very funny way.

“It has been terrific fun. I enjoyed, not only the craic about myself, I think that was fun. It was never vindictive. It was real clever, it was enjoyable.

“I think people saw it as really funny, I enjoyed not only the craic, I think people love it. I enjoyed the Roy Keane and Ronan Keating, Michael D and Jose Mourinho who loved it himself.”

Mario Rosenstock’s Bertie attributed three phrases to the former taoiseach “infacta”, “Jaysus” and “spanner”. The real Mr Ahern confessed to using the former two phrases “though I shouldn’t be saying the Lord’s name”, but not the third.

This morning's programme featured contributions from Ronan Keating (who named his boat Fair Playfollowing Mario Rosenstock's impersonation of him) and Keith Duffy who were among Gift Grub's favourite targets.

Gift Grubis still going strong with 10 Christmas albums to date all of whom have gone to No1 and a Christmas No1 Christmas single with Leave Right Now, Rosenstock's take on Roy Keane's ignominious exit from Manchester United in December 2005.