Largo Foods pulled off a marketing coup at the recent Irish general elections by running Tayto crisps character Mister Tayto as an election candidate.

He attracted crowds, bribed voters with crisps and secured radio, TV and newspaper coverage for the brand. He even upset some of the real candidates, who complained he was hogging the best poster sites.

Mister Tayto opted to be a silent candidate "because he didn't want to be misquoted". But travelling with him was his official spokesman, the not-so-sober Father Jack Hackett from the Father Ted TV series, aka actor Frank Kelly. He expounded Mister Tayto's policy plans for tackling the issues of the day.

To resolve Dublin's transport problems, he proposed turning all the traffic lights green. He also favoured climate change, since "two weeks in the Canaries never did anyone any harm".

However, he sportingly withdrew from the race on the eve of poll "to give the other contenders a chance".