Pat Shortt is one of Ireland's best loved comedians.
He is now starring in Martin McDonagh's black comedy A Skull in Connemara at Dublin's Olympia Theatre.
In the last decade Pat has also established himself as a serious actor, beginning with Lenny Abrahamson's Garage in 2007, which he describes as "a great opportunity."
He also says that it can sometimes be difficult for people to see beyond the stereotype of the 'culchie comedian'.
"People don't see beyond the daftness of the character, and they don't see that you're actually acting and performing."
"A lot of directors abroad look at me as a serious actor, which is quite funny. I won a lot of awards for Garage and it opened me up to a lot of casting directors."
It was Pat's performance in Garage that ultimately resulted in him working with Martin McDonagh on previous productions in the West End and Broadway. He is now taking on A Skull in Connemara.
The play is 20 years old, but Pat says it "hasn't dated really." He plays Mick Dowd, a gravedigger whose wife died seven years earlier, and who has to contend with rumours in the local community that he murdered her.
He is also returning to live comedy with a brand new show later this year.
"Live comedy is what I started doing. You develop and find your own niche and character and you've got to keep reinventing yourself and coming up with something new."
It's almost a decade since Pat's hugely successful RTE series Killinaskully came to an end, but he doesn't think we'll see a revival.
"It was a big production and I don't think those budgets are there anymore. Television has changed an awful lot since that time."
However, he can be seen in another RTE revival this autumn, as his family history is explored in Who Do You Think You Are?
"I can't talk about it, but what I can say is that it shocked me. I honestly thought they wouldn't find anything at all, but they found two or three different stories."
"The last two days knocked the socks off me completely and everybody in the family."
A Skull in Connemara runs at the Olympia until 3 September.
To catch the full chat press the play button on the image on the top of the screen
