 But I can tell you that he's Patrick Keeney. You might have seen him on TV or in films for that matter. Patrick is from Meena Brock just outside Duncan Ailey, but he's now living in Connemara and is celebrating 21 years as a TV extra with TG Carr's Ross Neroon, which is actually now in his 28th season. But he's forged a career for himself as a TV extra on set and not just in Ross Neroon, but anyhow, I'm delighted to say that Patrick is joining us on the line from Connemara. Patrick, good afternoon. Hello, John. Hope you can hear me OK. Yeah, absolutely. Just to be on your programme. Yeah, I'm actually in Ross Neroon at the moment. OK. I just finished for the day and yeah, glad to be here and have the chat with you. Are you on set most days or are you just called in? Called in. Usually two days a week, usually around sometimes three days a week, depending. And the days are always around about four hours, so they're either a morning call or an afternoon call. So we've seen you in the background or maybe in sort of the smaller roles down through the years. And not even, in some cases, not noticed because it could have been passing by or it could have been just fleeting in and out of a scene. That's right, yes, yeah. And also, you probably could see me in the pub with somebody else, a colleague and that, having a conversation, but we're actually only mime and we're not talking. Right. We're not allowed to make a noise on the set except we're actually asked to, but it's all mime and so we're in the background mime in a way to whatever's happening in there. If you don't mind me saying so, Patrick, you have a very distinctive look with that beard and moustache. So how do the producers get around that? Because you can't be in the scene in the bar one minute and then somebody, you know, I don't know, sees you driving a taxi the next or do they work that in? You're like one of the characters in the village. Yeah, they work it in that way because being as I am in Rostroen for this length of time, I'd be classed as a villager living in the village. I mostly do taxi driving at the moment. The car gets a taxi sign put up and I mostly do that. I could be bringing somebody in or bringing somebody away or just driving on the street. So that's mostly what I do. But it could be in the bar or it could be in the cafe or it could be in Gaudi's. It depends. I guess. Wherever they put us like that sort of thing. So it's flexible. You're originally from, I mean, a Brock. Anywhere near the cast of these, anywhere near Ethel and Violet, we used to call in there on the bus on the way around to school. Yeah, the cast of these would be in Crow. I'd be quite near to them. I left Donnie Gall in 1970. Originally I worked for my picture framing factory in Donnie Gall Town, Timonies factory. To work there, I went off to Rotterdam and learned how to do gilding. We used to do... What's gilding? Yeah, well, if you were in an art gallery and you see those oil paintings and then you see those frames done in gold with ornate, I would do the gilding on them. And I would do the finishing as well to make them look old for the actual oil painting. So that's what we'd done. But then there was industrial action in the place. And I left in 1970 and went to London. And it was too specialized to work. So I went into retail management, supermarket management, and was a company called ABF. And worked at that for a number of years? I worked in the supermarket for about 15 years. And that's when I'd done a bit of extra work because the supermarket I was in was in Camden in London. It was near two TV stations. So they used to use the store for a lot of advertisements to do with food and such like. So I used to join in as an extra because they would need some people to be doing various things for the actual program. So then I thought, well, this is a nice thing to do. And maybe I'll do it when I retire and that sort of thing. So that was the thought in my mind. So they sort of said, would you ever stand there and look like you're enjoying that yogurt? That's right. Or something like that. And they used to do some, there was some drinks advertisements. And I took part in the advert and that sort of thing. So I got quite a bit of work to do and that sort of thing. So then I left a transfer then from the supermarket. So I went into bakery management all with the same company with ABF. They would be in Queensworth here in Ireland and Pennies. It's all the same. They're Canadian company. And I spent another 15 years with the bakery and then retired in 2000. And I had time when my hands-in when I retired. So I started doing the extra work in London. Yeah, because you've been involved in some other big shows as well. The Stenders, The Bill, Halby City. And as well as TV series, you've been in films as well. And recently, like last year, the film that was made and then Column Kill with Liam Neeson, you were an extra on that. Yes. I was Land of Saints and Sinners. Yeah, I spent some weeks in Glencombe Kill and we were in Ardran. We were in Kilkar as well. And that sort of thing. Yeah, so that was nice to work on. And also I done some work on Obituary and Balichannon. That was recently. So that was because I could go up home and stay up there while it was going round. So it was handy to do. That has been well received. Yes, it has, yeah. A quirky sort of program. Very well scripted and very well written. And hopefully a serious tool will come along. Yeah. So you can tell us to do some more work in it. Absolutely. Fingers crossed for it. And what about working with the big names? When you're on a set with the likes of Liam Neeson and you've worked with Gwyneth Paltrow and others. And big directors as well. I mean, are they as you would hope they would be? Like the stars themselves. You know, are they okay? Are they pleasant to extras? Or is it as a mixed bunch? Yeah, they're okay. Yeah. We sort of don't kind of, we wouldn't approach. I wouldn't approach any of those big actors. If they come up and said hello and then chat. And then, yeah, you would. And most of them are like that. And then they make you feel comfortable if you're obviously close to them and you're doing something that they're involved in or whatever. They are nice and easy to get on with. Okay. Gwyneth Paltrow was one that I had to make a fish and chips. It was on a beach, Whitby Beach. And she was meant to have a fish and chips. And there was an actor with her called Aaron Eckhart. So I spent about three hours doing the one scene because of various, various takes. And she didn't need fish and chips. She would have one chip and a tiny piece of fish in it. She'd give it back to me. I had to chuck it in the bin and then make another lot. Starting again. So you were continually for three hours making... You were really good at fish and chips at the end of it, but... You thought the one plate would have done because you didn't. But that was the part of it. Liam Neeson film, Karen Hines had a dance and the pub and myself and the lady done the other dance with them. And Liam Neeson was nice to do. And nice chance to do something like that. And the others... It must be a bit daunting because, you know, there being an extra on some big films, it could be just you're part of a big action scene and you're very much in the background or you're just somebody passing on a bicycle. But then when you're called upon to do like that scene with Liam Neeson where, you know, you're one of two couples on screen and you're next to like Karen Hines, one of the big stars. You know, that must be fairly daunting because you don't want to make a mistake. Yeah, it is. But if... Like, I don't do much Irish dancing. The lady that I was was good at it. So we had a practice beforehand and then we just done it. You just kind of do it. The only main... One of the scenes I remember was the Channel 4 production of Bloody Sunday where I had to... I was one of the first citizens that was shot on that Sunday. And that scene took a bit of work because I had to learn how to fall on the street. So I had to have a stunt guy with me get padded up, do a couple of hours or more in a couple of hours away in a warehouse, practicing how to fall. So I didn't break any boats and that sort of thing. So that was a bit daunting. Then when we went for all the practice runs there was a mattress down where I was to fall. So I fell on the mattress. But then on the take then the mattress is gone. So you're walking down the street. No one, when them shots are going to be fired, they do have to go flying backwards and land on the... Yeah. But you're back on the street. And like every actor is different. Every director will be different as well. And, you know, some might be, you know, patient and understanding and more might be, you know, loud and shouty. So you've probably come across them all. Yes. Yes. Some of them and some take an awful long time to do one scene until they're happy and satisfied. Others it's fast and true. But the main director usually on the film is kind of at the monitor. The assistant director is one of them given all the instructions and that sort of thing. So that's how it works out. But they all make yourself, you know, comfortable enough on the set. And the actors do as well because it just helps to get the scene done and get it finished and get on to the next one, you know? It's a perfect life for somebody that's retired like yourself. You know, a day or two filming here and there. I mean, you have a steady gig pretty much at Ross and Arun. But aside from that, you know, you could be called to, you know, there might be a film down in Wicklow or here in Donegal or whatever and you never know where you would end up for a few days. Yes. Yeah, you're right there. The flexibility is the main part. And same when I was doing it in the UK, you would get called in the morning for somewhere in the afternoon. So, yeah, it suits people that are retired and have got the time that they can actually put to it. Like it is suitable for that. So not, not, and it's not, you couldn't make a living to just do an extra work. You just, you know, it just wouldn't, it wouldn't work out. Right. Except you got something big, like a commercial or something like that. And the, and your position at Ross and Arun, it's great because you don't even need the Koopla Foggle. No, that's right. No, only sometimes if I'm asked to say a word, then yeah, I will do that, yeah. But Ross and Arun is family orientated. It's a nice set to work on and nice people here and easygoing and everybody fits in and mingles in and it works really well. And we've had some, we've had, we've had Stephen Fry here. So I was lucky enough to be in the day that he was here and then the pub and he done his Koopla Foggle and that sort of thing and it was nice. And we had Daniel O'Donnell here as well to open up our shop, Excel shop. He done a cameo. Had a chat with him. He recognized the accent I think. So we had, we had a good chat. Country music because I play a bit of country music as well. And I also had a country music show on Connemara Radio for about 16 years. Okay. And live country music on a Wednesday night. So that went down really well. Multi-talented. And Nathan Carter was with us here as well in Ross Arun. So you never know who made pop-up. Yeah, that's true. Yeah. So it was nice to see him in Gaudi's playing wagon wheel on the guitar and my wife came in on the set with me that day. So we had a dance and Gaudi's. And it was nice. It got filmed as well. So yeah, you never know who's to come in. Well, continued success. And it sounds like an idyllic existence, I suppose, for somebody who's retired and just been called in or a couple of days a week doing a bit of acting. But a reminder to listeners that it's Ross Arun where we can see you while driving the taxi or in the background or whatever. Tuesdays and Thursdays. TG Carr Half Past Eight. And then Sunday evenings for the Omelie Bus at Half Past Seven. Paddy, thanks so much. Thank you, John. Yes, yeah. Thanks so much for having a wee chat with us. Look after yourself. Thank you, John. Yeah, thanks. Thanks.