Call it the power of good advertising, call it a wasted youth, but there's something about an ad that can take you right back to the person you were when it plagued your television screens all those years ago.

Also, those were the days before live TV so pausing and fast-forwarding were luxuries we knew nothing about. The ads simply came part and parcel of your TV viewing experience and we honestly know the words to some of them better than anything we ever learned in school.

For the love of God though, could somebody please tell us who is taking the horse to France?!

1. Kia Ora

"I'll be your dog!"

Who didn't imitate this around their sitting room at some point?

2. Softmints

British rock band Cockney Rebel's song Mr Soft went to good use in this classic ad for Softmints.

We still imitate this one around our sitting rooms.

3. ESB 

It's an ad for ESB for crying out loud, yet this somehow evokes so much nostalgia in us we want to drop everything and go visit our mammies straight away. Oh and it's TV3's Alan Hughes in the ad!

4. Guinness 

Long before Michael Fassbender was rubbing shoulder with the Hollywood elite, he was just the dude that swam across the Atlantic in the Guinness ad. Featuring the late Mic Christopher's hit Heyday, this one's a classic.

Honourable mention to this other unforgettable Guinness ad...

5. Homestead

Another one that brings us right back to a time when we were piled off to bed after Glenroe and tellies were made of wood.

Simpler times.

6. Pat the Baker

"So fresh it's famous!"

Good man, Pat.

7. Penneys

Nowadays Penneys don't even need ads on TV thanks to their enormous popularity, but back in the day they sure had a catchy way of telling us where to shop at Christmas.

8. Harp

"And Sally O'Brien and the way she might look at ya."

Actress Vicki Michelle became quite a star in Ireland in the eighties as the lovely Sally O'Brien from the Guinness ad. Although Charlie Haughey gave out at the time that Vicki Michelle wasn't even Irish, however she had a granny from Cork so all was well.

The actress went on to star as Yvette in 'Allo 'Allo!, but she'll always be Sally O'Brien to us.

 9. Galtee

We have scoured the interweb looking for this one to no avail, but you'll know it by just two sentences...

"Sean, it's 3 o' clock in the morning!"

"But it's breakfast time back home."

 10. Esat Digifone

"It's me, the guy from the bar!"

Poor Esat Digifone guy probably would have had better luck in Coppers.

11. Bord Na Mona

The Dubliners Marino Waltz may have been one of the most perfect music choices for an ad yet. If this doesn't make you want to curl up in front of a fire for the evening, nothing will.

12. Kerrygold

This one bothered us for many a year... who the hell is taking the horse to France?? Turns out it was Pete from Fair City. We were probably a little too young when we first saw this to understand the significance of all that was unsaid in this ad, we were just looking out for the horse.