The programme's director, Pat Comer, told the Sunday Tribune that by Friday afternoon, calls were already flooding in from people who wanted RT�? to rerun the documentary or put it on sale commercially.

"That is RT�?'s decision, and the �? hAilpíns' decision, not mine, " said Comer. "But if it's a good story, and people want to see it, then I don't see why not. Life shouldn't be that difficult."

However, an RT�? spokeswoman said there were currently no plans to issue a DVD edition of Tall, Dark and �? hAilpín, which will doubtless come as a disappointment to the hundreds of thousands of people who didn't sit in to watch it on Thursday night. It seems there is a national hunger for information about - or at least footage of - Seán �?g, Setanta and Aisake �? hAilpín.

Comer admitted to being completely taken aback by the interest in the programme, which netted the second largest viewership percentage on Thursday night, after the Six-One News.

"I find it quite remarkable, to be honest, " he said.

"I've never experienced anything like this before.

We were still editing aspects of the programme and people were coming in to us saying that Ray D'Arcy was talking about it, or there'd been an article in a newspaper about the documentary. It put us under a lot of pressure, actually, because if people were expecting x, y and z, we had to be sure not to produce a, b and c instead."

The programme, which began filming last year, followed the lives of the three �? hAilpín brothers - Setanta and Aisake, who are Australian Rules footballers, and Seán �?g, the lynchpin of Cork's hurling team. The siblings were born to a Fijian mother, Emeli, which accounts for their olive skin and dark eyes, and a Fermanagh-born father.

Nonetheless, they speak with a thick Cork accent, and have fluent Irish and Fijian. This, combined with their notable sporting talents, has endeared them to the Irish public.

"I think there is definitely an exoticness to them, because of the Fijian aspect, " said Comer.

"That, and the fact that they embrace Gaelic games, and love Ireland, and speak Irish, and have the accent; I think all of it means everybody just takes pride in them being Paddies. And, at the end of the day, they're just lovely guys too."

Comer admitted that the overt female interest in the brothers had almost certainly contributed to the success of the documentary. Viewership figures show that females over 15 years made up 39% of Thursday's audience, compared to 37% of males in the same age group - an unusual balance for what was essentially a sports documentary.

"Obviously, there is that factor, but at the same time you could have switched channel on Thursday and found any number of programmes with good-looking men in it, " said Comer. "I think there's more to the �? hAilpíns, and that's really why they're popular."

The documentary isn't the first time that the �? hAilpín good looks have sent female pulses racing.

Last August, the Sunday Tribune published a photograph of Seán �?g stretching during a workout with his physical therapist (reprinted above).

The public reaction was unprecedented for a Gaelic games player, and led to suggestions that some Gaelic stars should consider modelling.

"GAA has a huge following, so there's no reason why they shouldn't be treated just as the rugby stars are regarding endorsements, " Rebecca Morgan of the Morgan modelling agency, told the Sunday Tribune.

John Compton, owner of Compton Model Agency, agreed, saying that GAA players shouldn't hesitate to enter the modelling industry. "You can endorse a product that could be very manly, it is a manly industry, " he said. "There's plenty of scope there. They are becoming more celebritylike and more marketable."