Talented Josh is named Best Actor at Irish Musical Societies

YOUNG Clondalkin native Josh Winters is a talented actor, singer and dancer who has been working professionally since the age of 15.

He has been making strides towards a full-time career on the stage and screen while also balancing work as a personal trainer and representing Ireland in Taekwondo.

He was named ‘Best Actor’ at the 2025 Association of Irish Musical Societies for his portrayal of Chad in the jukebox musical ‘All Shook Up’, based on the songbook of Elvis Presley.

He has a huge passion for Elvis, one that drew him all the way from Clondalkin to Baldoyle Musical Society – two buses each way, three nights a week.

This week, we sat down with Josh to discuss this win.

What inspired you to take up acting?

I’ve always wanted to be an actor for as long as I can remember. Some of my earliest memories are of watching the old-school westerns with my granddad; he loved them.

I was hugely inspired by actors like Steve McQueen in my all-time favourite, ‘The Great Escape’, or Charles Bronson and Paul Newman as the hero – I knew I wanted to play parts like them someday.

As I got older, my mam introduced me to the classics like ‘Goodfellas’, ‘Heat’ and ‘Casino’, starring some more of the greats like De Niro and Pacino, as well as all the classic musicals.

I think this is where I got my love of singing and dancing – from watching the likes of ‘West Side Story’, ‘Seven Brides for Seven Brothers’, ‘Oliver’ and ‘The Sound of Music’.

So from there I watched movies as much as I could.

I and my brother Ben would watch our favourites over and over on our box tv with a built-in VHS player (that was the coolest thing in the world at the time).

This was back when you had to sit and wait for the tapes to rewind, so we must have really loved it if we were willing to go through that constantly!

Is there a preference between acting, singing, dancing and taekwondo? If so, why?

That’s a really tough one. I’ve always loved having loads of different hobbies, and I’m quite competitive, so when I do anything, I want to do it as best I can.

Right now, acting is definitely my focus and how I want to go forward in my career.

But singing and dancing will always be part of my life, and I will definitely fight again in the future.

I started taekwondo when I was 4 years old, with my uncle Chris McCabe as my coach.

I would train every single day, as hard as I could, to then compete in international competitions, the World Championships, as well as gradings.

I love competition and the levels you have to push yourself to in preparation for fights.

Walking out in front of thousands of people to fight for your country is an honour, and it both tests and builds your mental toughness.

I think this has definitely helped me in my acting career – you need the same levels of confidence and focus.

I always say I get my dancing ability from my mam and my nanny.

They’re amazing, both such natural movers.

When we all get together, we dance non-stop – good luck getting them and my five aunties off the dance floor at any party!

My Nanny is 87 now, and she can still dance better than most people I know in their 20s!

I also used to watch the music channels and try to copy the dancing in the videos – Ne-yo or Michael Jackson.

So when I was 8 or 9, my cousin Nicola brought me along with her to performance school in Clondalkin, and I was hooked.

This is where my love for singing and dancing really developed, but being the only lad amongst about 40 girls, I unfortunately stopped going and decided to focus on martial arts.

I understand you put much love and dedication into the role of Chad. Is it fair to say your love for Elvis is what gave you so much passion and drive for this role?

The late-night bus journeys were rough, but I would do it all over again to play this great part!

This is a role I’ve always wanted to do purely because of my love for Elvis and his music.

Throughout the years, my family would have Elvis nights, with sing-alongs until the all hours of the morning.

My uncles Chris and Dave raised me on his music, and I still listen to his songs almost every day, watched all the movies and documentaries, and have even gone to see Elvis impersonators.

It shows just how brilliant and influential both he and his music are that he’s still enjoyed by people to this day.

How do you usually prepare to perform or rehearse? Is there a routine or warm-up you go through?

I have pretty much been doing the same warm-up routine since my early days studying acting at the Liberties College.

I warm up my voice, then my body, and use techniques to get focused and in character.

I also went on to study at the Gaiety School of Acting, where I learnt the Meisner technique, which focuses on emotional preparation and repetition.

Having the opportunity to work with amazing Irish and International teachers there gave me so many helpful and interesting ways to prepare for a role.

Learning from them and collaborating with my fellow actors was invaluable to me.

What was it like to take home the award for Best Actor? Did you see it coming, or was it a shock?

I still can’t believe it, to be honest; it was a surreal moment up there on that stage to hear my name being called out.

I was confident I had a good chance when I heard I was nominated, but there are so many talented actors in this country; you just never know.

I’m also so grateful to everyone in Baldoyle Musical Society.

The people involved made this such a rewarding and enjoyable production to be a part of anyway, so to win the award is just the icing on the cake – and to see us take home the award for Best Ensemble on the same night was even better!

In the lead-up to the awards, I tried to just enjoy the whole experience and the hype, remembering what my mam always says – what’s meant for you won’t pass you by!

What is next for you?

Right now I’m focusing on developing some pieces I have written, along with continuing to audition for professional productions, TV and film.

I am so grateful to be represented by Kerry Golding at The Space Agency and really looking forward to working with them more.

I’m also getting in more training in the gym now that I have some extra free time, which I really enjoy.

In the future, the big career goal is to play a superhero, like Captain America or Batman.

I love Star Wars as well – with my martial arts background, I could play Darth Maul at some stage in my career.

And I’ve always wanted to play Gaston in Beauty and the Beast!

Who would you like to thank?

Firstly I have to thank my mam, Therese. She is the most amazing parent and person.

Everything I do is to make her proud. My brother Ben and my sister Amy too – they support me endlessly and even help me with auditions whenever I need them.

My nanny Marie, my aunties Annette, Marie, Michelle, Fra and Martina, my uncles Dave, Chris, Colin, Willie and James, and all of my cousins and friends.

Thank you for being my biggest supporters.

I also have to give special mention to my best friend Ellen Aherne. She was the one who got me the audition for the part of Chad, and to have her supporting me while also performing together in the show was amazing.

Everyone at Baldoyle Musical Society, my friends, and especially the production team – Yvette, Amy and Gay – I couldn’t have achieved this without you all!

And last but not least, my amazing girlfriend Karen McCourt, thank you for everything you do for me.