Castleconnell-based comedian, actor and musician Pat Shortt is not a man that needs much of an introduction. An all-rounder that has already enjoyed great success as one half of Ireland’s best comic duo ‘D’Unbelievables’, as well as for his hit TV series ‘Killinaskully’ and ahem, his chart-topping hit ‘The Jumbo Breakfast Roll’ – Pat is a household name in this country.

Known to every man, woman and dog in the land, he is now set to take that stardom to a world audience with his latest film ‘Garage’, arguably the best Irish film ever made – yeah it’s that good!

Pat Shortt (right) in a scene from Garage

Directed by Lenny Abrahamson of ‘Adam and Paul’ fame and written by Mark O’Halloran, Garage opens in Irish cinemas on October 5. A startling and hypnotic tragi-comedy from the sidelines of the Celtic Tiger, Shortt brilliantly plays the role of harmless misfit Josie, a loveable daw, who has spent all his adult life at the pumps of a rundown petrol station on the outskirts of a dismal midlands town. Limited, lonely, yet relentlessly optimistic, and in his own peculiar way, happy, Pat Shortt gives the performance of his life as the hapless Josie, a role he is justifiably proud of.

Speaking to the Pat after a special press screening of ‘Garage’ in the city this week, the actor told me that he felt the movie was his best work to date.

The critics at Cannes obviously agreed, as they raved about the movie hailing Shortt as the “great discovery” of the film festival, while director of the Sundance Film Festival – the biggest film festival in the world – said it was “the greatest movie he had ever seen”.

“Josie was a difficult character to play. There is very little dialogue and a lot of space in the film so I was constantly trying to pull it back. Josie was all about expressions and body language, there isn’t an awful lot of talk so bringing the character to life was the biggest challenge.”

“I’m going to blow my own trumpet a bit, but people think they know Pat Shortt and that I am the same as these characters that I play when in fact it is just acting, I’m just playing a part. I suppose that’s the greatest compliment for an actor that you can make people believe that you’re this other person. As a character Josie is like the ones I write myself, but the comedy is much, much quieter, and the tragedy louder,” he said.