Where does one start this write up. Ever since I played a song "Sit Down for the raffle",by Pat Shortt and Jon Kenny, I wanted to have Pat on this show as a guest. When my sister working as assistant director on the film "Man about Dog" told me all about this fella called Pat Shortt, I knew we would one day cross paths. Then, one of the greatest hours on radio ever with Joe Rooney, who now appears in Killinaskully, followed by the legend Mike Hanrahan from Stocktons Wing who is The Chef, the main man and leading light in the kitchen in Pat Shortts bar in Castlemyrter. guested on my radio show. The signs were there, it was only a matter of getting the timing right.
I guess I should introduce Pat first with some facts taken from his own website. Pat Shortt started on stage when he left Art College. An accomplished musician he started touring with Jon Kenny as sound engineer and progressed rapidly to becoming part of the show, from acting, backing musician, sound engineer, lighting rigger and all that went with it. This madness ensued for a while and then the lads created 'D'Unbelievables', Ireland's most popular comedy duo. Together they performed their unique brand of comedy in theatres ,halls, and even on TV all over Ireland, Great Britain and The United States as well as various countries across Europe. They produced four critically acclaimed and sell-out shows as well as writing and producing chart-topping Videos/DVD's. But it was more then comedy it was a whole new way of looking at Irish life with larger then life characters with whom everyone could identify with no matter what part of the country you came from. These two lads brought about a change in Irish comedy from the once standard TV routines to live in your face comedy that you could understand no matter how much you pretended you couldnt.
This continued for several years when Pat had to branch out on his own. As a solo artist Pat's first show was a sell-out. Called simply Pat Shortt Live it played more than 250 dates around Ireland. It began at the Cats Laughs Festival in Kilkenny, where it sold out before the festival even opened, the first act ever to achieve this landmark. The undoubted hit of the Festival, Pat's work was hailed as "comic genius" by the Irish Times.His second show "You Won't Get Away With That Here" has achieved equal success selling out shows all over the country.
During his time with Jon the lads would do other projects from time to time, for Pat one of these projects was to open a whole new world from him, a slightly deranged character in the cult series Fr Ted. from this humble begining on our tv screens Pat went on to appear with the Druid Theatre Company in their production of Martin McDonagh's The Lonesome West, followed by roles in movies which included Angela Mooney Dies Again (with Mia Farrow), This Is My Father (with Brendan Gleeson, Aidan Quinn, Stephen Rae and James Caan) ,The Closer It Gets (with Ian Harte, Niamh Cusack and Sean McGinley), Man About Dog written by Belfast-born Pearse Eliot, and Wheeler McCoy in the movie "Strength & Honour". Most recently Pat played the lead role of "Josie" in the film Garage.
Garage was a huge success, and is the second feature film from director Lenny Abrahamson and writer Mark O'Halloran. It picked up the CICAE Art and Essai Cinema Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and Pat also won awards from IFTA (Best Actor), Evening Standard (Best Actor) and the Monte Carlo Festival (Best Actor). 'Garage' screened as part of the Directors' Fortnight sidebar at the prestigious French festival. Pat has also recently completed two films, 'Soulboy', directed by Shimmy Marcus and 'Guard', with Brendan Gleeson and directed by Ned Kelly.
Television credits include Tom the Character in Fr. Ted, (Channel 4) and Bobby in The Fitz (BBC). Killinaskully is a hit series created by Pat for RTE , and ran for five series, the last of which was screened on RTE during 2008. Killinaskully was nominated three times by IFTA for best Entertainment programme and was also nominated in the Best Entertainment category at the Monte Carlo Television Festival. 2009 was a busy year for Pat with two pilot programmes for RTE ('Mattie' and 'Inside the Crystal Ball'), filmed in the latter part of the year and screened over the Christmas period. Pat also starred at the National Concert Hall as Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar in October and is currently touring with his latest Live Show 'Pat Shortt in The Hall'
An accomplished musician Pat has recorded with many bands and toured extensively in the U.S. with the brass section of The Saw Doctors. In 2006, he scored the big hit in Ireland with the song "The Jumbo Breakfast Roll" under the guise of Showband singer Dicksie Walsh. The song was a number one hit in Ireland for six weeks with sales going 4 times platinum. This track was followed in 2008 by a further single 'Where Did My Money Go', a recession busting sony by Dixie Walsh (aka Pat Shortt).
Back to our interview I could sit here all day trying to find the right words to tell you what was said why dont you have a listen and enjoy it, Thanks to Pat for joining me on the show and for helping promote the local Kilta Trad festival now heading into its third year here in Castlemyrter.
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