Two Dublin friends and neighbours will battle it out for comedy's biggest prize at the Edinburgh Festival. Jason Byrne from Ballinteer and Dublin-based Australian Adam Hills were both shortlisted yesterday for the Perrier prize.
Their nominations continue Ireland's record of success in the competition - past winners of the Perrier have included Tommy Tiernan, Dylan Moran and Sean Hughes.
Byrne and Hills are joined on the shortlist by English acts Garth Merengi, Daniel Kitson and Dan Antolposki. The Perrier award is the biggest prize in the comedy industry and invariably guarantees the winner his or her own prime-time British TV show.
The overall winner will be announced on Saturday.
Irish comedians who have previously been nominated for the award include Graham Norton and Ed Byrne.