IRISH DIRECTOR Benjamin Cleary has just bagged an Oscar for his short film Stutterer.

Doug Peters / EMPICS Entertainment Doug Peters / EMPICS Entertainment / EMPICS Entertainment

Stutterer, which was the favourite to win the award, tells the story of a man using an online relationship to mask his debilitating speech impediment.

Dubliner Cleary thanked the people who ‘took a risk’ on an unknown filmmaker, and said: ”Every day is a proud day to be Irish, but today more than usual. SLÁINTE!”

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This morning the team got a congratulatory message from President Michael D Higgins, who said in a statement:

I send my warmest congratulations to Ben Cleary and the team behind Stutterer and to all the Irish nominees and those who are travelling with them. And I would like to wish them every success, not just tonight but in the years to come.

He added: “The nominations in a number of categories are a recognition of the talent that now exists in Ireland’s film community.”

More importantly (we kid) Cleary and the Stutterer gang were deemed to have the Best Beards of the ceremony:

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Watch the trailer for the short below – and the full film over on RTÉ Player Congratulations Benjamin and the Stutterer crew!

More: This sign in an Irish Oscar nominee’s first school shows teachers never forget>