A host of stars from the stage and screen turned out in style last night to celebrate the hottest talent in Ireland's film and television industry. Hollywood starlet Mischa Barton brought a touch of Californian glamour to the Irish Film and Television Awards, as some of the biggest names in the business were honoured.
Irish actor Liam Neeson scooped the Best Actor award for Kinsey, while Perry Ogden's film Pavee Lackeen, which portrays the life of a young traveller girl, scooped Best Film.
Mr Ogden said he hoped his film on the life of a young traveller girl made people more aware. Ogden's film Pavee Lackeen followed Winnie Maughan as she went about her daily life at home, in a caravan in Dublin city. "I hope it opens people's eyes and makes them think which is what cinema should do," Ogden said.
At the event in Dublin's RDS, award veterans Sinead Cusack and Oscar winning actress Vanessa Redgrave took to the red carpet alongside Gucci-wearing The OC star Barton, whose mother Nuala is Irish.
Some of the other stars at the event included Andrea Corr, Eva Birthistle, Renee Weldon, Grainne Seoige, former Miss World Rosanna Davison and Caprice.
The stars of television fashion programme Off The Rails, Caroline Morahan and Pamela Flood, also dazzled on-lookers as they strolled down the red carpet.
Cold Feet star James Nesbitt, who lost out in the Best Actor in Television Award, made it a hat trick tonight when he presented the award for the third successive year.
Aine Moriarty, chief executive of the Irish Film and Television Network, which organises the event, said: "The quality of the Irish Film and Television industries is evident in the success of these awards.
"The talent coming out of Ireland is incredibly strong and it is great to see that the support is there for it to get even stronger. Congratulations to all the winners."
The controversial television series Pure Mule, which was running on RTE 2, won a host of awards including Best Actor in Television for Tom Murphy, and other awards for actresses Dawn Bradfield and Eileen Walsh.
The director of Pure Mule, Declan Recks, won in the Best Director of a TV Drama category, and the programme won for Best Sound.
Terry George, who won the Best Director Award with Hotel Rwanda, said: "To come here and win prizes is excellent. You always like to be acknowledged in your own country."
He added: "People always say it must have been terrible and so stressful to make. It was a joy to make, there is a sort of correlation between how hard a film is and how much actors and crew put into it.
"With this film every one was so devoted to it so it was a blast to make." Veteran actor David Kelly was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award, which was presented to him by Colm Meaney, who starred alongside him in Into The West.
The performer, who played the comical builder Reilly in Fawlty Towers and recently starred as Grandpa Joe in Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, was honoured for a career spanning six decades.
After making his theatrical debut in 1959, Mr Kelly starred in a number of feature films including Waking Ned, Into The West, and Mean Machine and had parts in several small screen series.
The AIB Best Irish Film was won by Damien O'Donnell's heart-warming tale, Inside I'm Dancing, and the Jameson Best International Film was won by Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Mickey Rourke's eye-catching role in Sin City scooped him the Avica Best International Actor Awards, while Gillian Anderson won the Pantene Best International Actress Award with her role in The Mighty Celt.
Eddie Hobbs, who was the surprise hit of the summer on television, won the Best Lifestyle Programme Award. But it was not his controversial show, Rip-Off Republic, it was his first programme, Show Me The Money, that won him the honour.
One of the People's Choice categories saw TV3's Mark Cagney win the race for O2 TV Personality of the Year.
Photographer Perry Ogden's Pavee Lackeen, which followed the life of Winnie Maughan, an 11-year-old Traveller, won in the Breakthrough Talent Award. Acclaimed writer John McGahern won in the Best Documentary in the English Language Award Winner with A Private World.
Fintan Connolly's romantic Dublin drama Trouble with Sex won in the Best Actress in a Feature Film Award with Renee Weldon.
The Boys and Girls from County Clare, which also starred The Corrs' lead singer Andrea Corr, won in the Best Supporting Actress Film Award with Charlotte Bradley.
Bradley said: "I'm very nervous; I'd like to thank the IFTAs so much, the nominations mean a lot." The actress said the film had been a joy to make.
She added that the actors and crews who had worked on the film had made deep and lasting friendships on the set.
PA