Dublin comedian Jason Byrne opened up to The Late Late Show presenter Patrick Kielty about his experience of recently playing his own father in a stage show.
Byrne was a guest alongside Brendan O’Carroll on this week’s programme, and while the two of them sparred with each while recalling acting memories, Jason was serious when he spoke about his dad.
Afte being prompted by Kielty, Byrne said: "My dad passed away in 2020 - Paddy Byrne. We used to call him the Paddy Lama, because he used to sit in the shed in the garden, smoking and whiskey and Perry Como. And we’d go down there for advice.
"People were saying, ‘You’re always doing your dad when you’re doing stand-up - so why don’t you do a play about him?’ So my mate Phelim Callan and me wrote a play about him and I just put it on in the Dublin Fringe Festival, where I play me dad."
Jason has often spoke fondly about his late father, so he seemed quite pleased to have the opportunity to talk about what’s clearly a very personal project.
"It was really cool to be him, because what happened was, I was used to making people laugh. But my dad never liked whinging, you know what I mean?
"And in the show there’s a few sad bits, and me dad in the play says, ‘We don’t need any whingin’ or cryin’ or moanin’, now don’t be doing that.’
"My mum and my sister are recorded, and they’re played in the play . . . and my dad listens to them. And he gives out to them.
"I had my stencils thrown into me heart, like me da did ," he added. "He was great craic."
The Late Late Show, Fridays at 9.35pm on RTÉ One
