PAT KENNY PICKED up a Lifetime Achievement award and TV3′s Red Rock was among the big winners as the IFTA TV awards took place last night at the DoubleTree Hotel on Dublin’s Upper Leeson Street.
In what was perhaps an unexpected move, the video package played in advance of Kenny’s acceptance speech included a greeting from singer Celine Dion.
The Canadian star’s inclusion makes a little more sense if you take into account that Dion won the Eurovision back in 1988 (for Switzerland), when Kenny co-presented the contest from the RDS.
Enda Kenny (no relation, we assume) and his former RTÉ colleagues Ryan Tubridy and Dave Fanning also sent tributes to the broadcaster, who now helms a weekday show on Newstalk, and began a new weekly current affairs programme on TV3 this week.
Last evening’s ceremony will be shown on TV3 tomorrow night.
Who else won?
Other big winners on the night were Brendan O’Carroll, for his role in Mrs Brown’s Boys; Sharon Horgan, who picked up two awards including a Best Writer nod for Channel 4′s Catastrophe and comedian Al Porter, who was named as the ‘Rising Star’.
The Liam Neeson-narrated 1916: The Irish Rebellion was the big winner in the documentary category.
Here is a list of the winners:
MALE PERFORMANCE Brendan O’Carroll – Mrs Browns Boys
REALITY AND CONSTRUCTED FACTUAL First Dates Ireland – COCO Television
DOCUMENTARY SINGLE I Am Immigrant – Motive Television
FEMALE PERFORMANCE Sharon Horgan – Catastrophe
ENTERTAINMENT Brendan O’Connor’s Cutting Edge
FACTUAL Daniel & Majella’s B&B Road Trip
CURRENT AFFAIRS RTÉ Investigates – Standards in Public Office – RTÉ
CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE’S My Life Champion of the World – Tyrone Productions
ANIMATION The Day Henry Met – Wiggleywoo
COMEDY Bridget & Eamon
IRISH LANGUAGE An Klondike – Abú Media
WRITER – SOAP AND COMEDY Sharon Horgan – Catastrophe
EDITING – TELEVISION Úna Ní Dhonghaile – An Innocent Man
SOUND – TELEVISION Deoch an Dorais – Dean Jones, Colm O’Rourke and John Brennan
CAMERA – TELEVISION Michael O’Donovan – These Walls Can Talk
DIRECTOR – SOAP AND COMEDY Jason Butler – Bridget & Eamon
DIRECTOR TELEVISION Gerry Nelson – Wild Cities
DOCUMENTARY SERIES 1916: The Irish Rebellion – COCO Television
GALA TV RISING STAR WINNER Al Porter
SPORTS Hidden Impact: Rugby and Concussion – Wildfire Films
NEWS Ireland Live News @ 5:30 – Brexit Special – UTV
SPECIALIST FACTUAL A Fanatic Heart: Bob Geldof on WB Yeats
LIVE EVENT Centenary – RTÉ
SOAP AND CONTINUING DRAMA Red Rock
Here are some of the sights of the night:
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