Trivia

During her early career, McGirr became an ongoing participant in the National Film and Sound Archive's project documenting the experiences of young Australian artists.

She auditioned for Ladies in Black while she was in Los Angeles. Rather than auditioning in Australia, McGirr submitted her audition remotely from Los Angeles.

She had extensive theatre experience before becoming widely known on screen. At QUT, she performed in productions including Much Ado About Nothing, Jane Eyre, Summer and Smoke, Festen and A Month in the Country.

She was involved in writing and producing theatre. Before her film breakthrough, McGirr co-wrote Abby of Love in a Bio Box and co-produced The Interview, demonstrating that her work has never been limited to acting.

McGirr said she had read The Women in Black and finished it in just two sittings. She particularly appreciated how the story could feel distinctly Australian while still dealing with universal themes.

She spent part of her childhood in Ireland. Her family moved back to Ireland when she was young, and she attended school there before eventually returning to Australia. This gave her a childhood split between Australian and Irish cultures.

Her breakthrough in Ladies in Black almost came through a last-minute audition. Director Bruce Beresford had auditioned a large number of actresses for Patty but wasn't satisfied. McGirr sent in a self-taped audition, and Beresford immediately felt she had found the right actress.

She was born in Australia to Irish parents. Her parents had emigrated from Ireland to Australia in the 1970s, during the period known as The Troubles. McGirr has spoken about how her family's experience of migration and integration gave her a personal connection to the themes explored in Ladies in Black.