From a modest start to a household name for Jimeoin

Funnyman Jimeoin certainly brought the luck of the Irish with him when he moved Down Under as a freshfaced 22-year-old.

Jimeoin left his homeland and got his first job in Australia as a builder, with comedy far from a reality.

But a series of fateful events gave him his first crack as a standup comedian.

‘‘Somebody put my name down to get up on stage and tell some jokes at a comedy club in Sydney and after that it all took off really quickly,’’ Jimeoin said.

From his humble beginnings, Jimeoin quickly established himself as a household name in the comedy world, with a number of sold-out shows around Australia, New Zealand and Britain.

But the Irishman stays modest and takes the good times with the bad.

‘‘There has been loads of bad moments up on stage but you pick yourself up and you do it again,’’ he said.

‘‘You don’t really dwell on it for being good and you don’t really dwell on it for being bad.’’

Jimeoin recalled the strangest moment he had experienced while performing stand-up comedy.

‘‘There was one show where a guy crawled on stage,’’ he said.

‘‘It was really strange because he was hiding underneath the stage for about 20 minutes and I saw this body come from underthe floorboards while I was trying to tell a joke and it really threw me out.’’

From stand-up comedy, Jimeoin tried his luck on the big screen withThe Craic, a comedy about two Irish immigrants fleeing to Australia.

The movie, which he wrote and starred in, was the second highest-grossing box office movie in Australian-produced film history.

‘‘It was a great experience just to see something right through,’’ Jimeoin said.

‘‘To have an idea, write it, produce it and get it made was just fantastic.

‘‘The movie turned out really well and I remember it being a really fun part of my life.’’

He has also appeared on all the nation’s top variety and comedy programs including GMA,Rove, The Panel,Thank God You’re Here,Full Frontal,Bligh, The Midday ShowandTonight Live. But stand-up is where Jimeoin’s heart is.

‘‘I really like stand-up, creatively it is very enjoyable and financially it’s rewarding,’’ he said.

Tickets are still available to see the Irish funnyman, who will perform his unique stand-up comedy at Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre on July 1.

To book tickets for Jimeoin’s show, contact the BREC ticket office on 1300 661 272 or visit www.bunburyentertainment.com.au