An uncommunicative single father, with no understanding of the Irish language, wakes up one morning to find himself speaking perfect Irish... and with no recollection of English. Writer/director Daniel O'Hara's clever premise sets the stage for an ironic take on the question of language in contemporary Ireland.

In debt to a local mobster, a trio of Belfast ne'er-do-wells go in search of a greyhound which they unwisely sold to a family of gypsies. The greyhound, they hope, will make them a fortune at the races. But getting it back is a lot more difficult then they had originally imagined. Paddy Breathnach directs the proceedings in a breezy, freewheeling style that recalls his earlier caper-film I Went Down. The script, by Pearse Elliot, is by turns witty and profane and the cast takes to it with obvious aplomb. Fionnula Flanagan's brief turn as a vengeful widow and a wad of forged £20 notes emblazoned with the face of Gerry Adams add to the fun. A runaway hit in Ireland, Man About Dog is sure to find an audience overseas. See it here first.