Maureen O'Hara proves the star of the night at 84 when she receives lifetime achievement award, writes Michael Dwyer, Film Correspondent.
The extra hour that came with the arrival of Winter Time on Saturday night was a boon to the apparently tireless revellers attending the Irish Film and Television Awards (IFTA) ceremony in Dublin.
For the 700 guests, it was a long day's journey into night - and for some, into the next morning.
The tickets, at €250 a head, noted an unusually early start for such an event, with a champagne and cocktails reception commencing at 4.15 p.m. at the Burlington Hotel.
As is now de rigeur at show business ceremonies, each guest was given a goody bag on arrival - containing a new Lancome perfume for the women and "ultra-soothing after-shave balm" for the men.
Dinner was scheduled for 6 p.m., but the hotel had not bargained on all the kissing that had to be done in the lobby as guests greeted each other.
The food was served at a brisk pace by the staff, setting the tempo for the evening's compere, actor James Nesbitt, who won the best TV actor at the ceremony last year and was nominated in the same category this year.
He warmed up the audience with a series of gags about Luas ("It's taking one car off the road every day"), the rebranding of RTÉ 2, the Spire, Bono, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Farrell and Pat Kenny.
Ignoring the boring black tie dress code for men, a smartly dressed Gabriel Byrne presented the first award, best film actress, to a delighted Eva Birthistle for A Fond Kiss, one of her two nominations in that category.
Brendan Gleeson announced The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King as the winner of the best international film award, chosen in a public vote.
Departing from the autocue script, he joked: "Oddly enough, there's no one here from the film to collect this. So I'm having it. It's mine."
Later, when Johnny Depp and Keira Knightley were named best international actor and actress, neither they nor any of their fellow nominees was present, making these international awards seem pointless in the context and the object of derision from the audience.
When the award for best television actor went to Ciarán Hinds (who was not present either), his fellow nominee, James Nesbitt, his tongue firmly in his cheek, said, "Congratulations to Ciarán. Well done! I'm really thrilled for him."
The voluble Hector Ó hEochagáin took the stage and joked, "Bertie couldn't make it because he got locked with me in Navan last night", before presenting the best Irish language film award to the engaging short film, Yu Ming is Ainm Dom, in which a young Chinese men learns Irish before emigrating here, only to find that most Irish people don't speak the language.
Former Beirut hostages Brian Keenan and John McCarthy came on to present the best TV current affairs programme, for which Prime Time had three of the five nominations, and the award went to Keelin Shanley and Janet Traynor for that programme's report on intellectual disability.
They kept their acceptance speech brief and to the point, as did most, though not all, of the other winners.
However, the dramatic Mercury Rev music used to introduce each selection of film clips did become wearing on hearing it for the 30th time.
Those compilations of clips were snappily edited, although some seemed inappropriate for their categories.
The scene chosen to illustrate Alan Gilsenan's nomination as best production designer - for Timbuktu - featured the Sahara desert, which Mr Gilsenan did not design, and when Man About Dog was nominated for best costume design, the clip showed the film's three male protagonists wearing only boxer shorts.
Had there been an award for most glamorous presenter, it would have gone to Sky newscaster Gráinne Seoige, whose hairstyle was quite extraordinary - a conically shaped, tilted variation on the beehive.
She had been nominated in the public vote for most popular TV presenter, but that award went to her former colleague at TV3, Claire Byrne, who gave one of the most gracious acceptance speeches of the evening.
As the award for best TV drama was about to be presented to the powerful, factually based Holy Cross, the audience was startled to see the Taoiseach's face suddenly appearing on the giant screen at the back of the stage. All was explained in a few minutes when Mr Ahern appeared again, in a filmed tribute to Maureen O'Hara, the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement award and the most acclaimed winner of the whole night.
Slipping in another jibe at Pat Kenny, James Nesbitt brought on Gay Byrne to introduce the Dublin-born actress, who was given a long and genuinely warm standing ovation, which she vainly tried to halt.
"To be born in Ireland is to have the greatest gift that God could give," she began before recalling highlights from her long career and proudly and emphatically declaring, "I am 84 years of age."
She concluded by expressing her gratitude for the award - "A wonderful gift from Ireland to an Irishwoman, and she appreciates it."
Then there was yet another dig at Pat Kenny, this time from Gerry Anderson, before he presented the best supporting actress award, accepted by John Lynch on behalf of his sister, Susan Lynch.
There was keen competition in the categories of best Irish director, which went to Lenny Abrahamson for Adam & Paul, and best Irish feature film, given to Omagh, which also collected the best actor award for Gerard McSorley.
However, there was no award for the low-budget comedy, Man About Dog, which had 10 nominations, more than any other film, but it is getting its reward at the Irish box-office, where it is one of the biggest hits of the year.
The Hollywood epic Troy took a prize when Peter O'Toole was named best supporting actor, and the award was accepted by his daughter, Kate O'Toole, who read a message from him that began: "Should a whiff of the Paddy Oscars blow my way, thank the voters for remembering I'm still alive."
As the 165-minute IFTA ceremony wound to a close, there was one more special award to be presented, to Pierce Brosnan for his Outstanding Contribution to Irish Film.
The towering figure of John Cleese, who has appeared in several James Bond movies with the Irish actor, took to the stage and introduced the award.
Cleese mischievously noted his own predilection for composing anagrams of his fellow actors, offering No Brains Creep as one for Mr Brosnan, who was as suavely urbane as ever while making his pithy acceptance speech.
Edited highlights from the IFTA ceremony will be shown on RTÉ 1 at 9.30 p.m tonight.
And the winners are . . .
Television personality of the year: Claire Byrne (TV3)
Best Irish film: Song For a Raggy Boy
Best international film: Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King
Best international actor: Johnny Depp, Pirates of the Caribbean
Best international actress: Keira Knightley, Pirates of the Caribbean and King Arthur
Best Irish film: Omagh
Best actor: Gerard McSorley, Omagh
Best actress: Eva Birthistle, Ae Fond Kiss
Best film director: Lenny Abrahamson, Adam & Paul
Best editing: Emer Reynolds, Timbuktu
Best cinematography: Mark Garrett, Freeze Frame
Best production design: Ashleigh Jeffers, Freeze Frame
Best music: Ray Harman, Timbuktu
Best hair/make-up: Dee Corcoran/Ailbhe Lemass, King Arthur
Best costume design: Grania Preston, Cowboys & Angels
Best script: Jeffrey Caine, Inside I'm Dancing
Best short film: Undressing My Mother
Best animation: The Boy Who Had No Story
Best TV drama or drama series/soap: Holy Cross
Best current affairs/news programme: Prime Time: Intellectual Disability
Best entertainment programme: The Bronx Bunny Show
Best lifestyle programme: Show Me the Money
Best sports programme: Final Words: Hurling '03
Best documentary: Battle of the Bogside
Best children's/youth programme: The Boy Who Had No Story
Best actor in a TV drama: Ciarán Hinds, The Mayor of Casterbridge
Best actress in a TV drama: Anne Marie Duff, Shameless
Best supporting actor in film/TV: Peter O'Toole, Troy
Best supporting actress in film/TV: Susan Lunch, 16 Years of Alcohol
Best Irish language short/animated film/programme: Yu Ming Is Ainm Dom
Best new talent: John Simpson, Freeze Frame
Outstanding Irish contribution to cinema recipient: Pierce Brosnan
Lifetime achievement award recipient: Maureen O'Hara