 Riley also suggests that this passage is inspired by the early Irish myth "Togail Bruidne Dá Derga", where the hero Conair asks for a woman's name, only for her to list dozens.Noting that other O'Brien works contained elements of Irish mythology, Riley concluded, "I contend that Mrs Doyle's bit in "A Christmassy Ted" has a comic lineage stretching back more than 1000 years into the misty beginnings of Irish history.If anyone knows a comic riff which has been around longer, I'd love to know."