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St Patrick's Day treat for Simpsons fans

The Simpsons are on their way to Dublin for a St Patrick's Day special

Fans of The Simpsons are in for a special St Patrick's Day treat on Tuesday when an episode of the hit cartoon series will be premiered on this side of the Atlantic.

It will be shown on Sky1 ahead of its broadcast on US network Fox for the first time in the show's 20-year history.

The episode, called In the Name of the Grandfather, will show the cartoon family travelling to Ireland and visiting famous landmarks including the Guinness brewery, with Homer and his father eventually buying a pub.

It has been reported that the landlord of the pub will be played by Belfast-born actor Kenneth Branagh.

Also said to be making an appearance - as buskers on Grafton Street in Dublin - are Oscar winners Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, who appeared in the surprise hit Irish film Once.

The Simpsons' executive producers, Al Jean and James L Brooks, and Nancy Cartwright, who voices Bart and other characters, will travel to Ireland for an exclusive screening of the episode.

"Homer and Grandpa get drunk," said Al Jean.

"They buy the bar and then they find, as it turns out, in Ireland, pubs aren't so popular anymore because you can't smoke in them. So they're really up a creek."

Irish characters have regularly featured in The Simpsons.

A whole episode was devoted to U2, but the most controversial was an episode set on St Patrick's Day when celebrations in Springfield turned nasty as an Irish parade encountered an Orange march.