A transition year student at Ballinrobe Community School
Having been near-universally tipped for the Academy Award for Best Actor, it perhaps came as no surprise on Sunday when Daniel Day-Lewis won the prestigious award for his powerhouse performance in the Steven Spielberg biopic Lincoln, concurrently setting a record for most wins for a leading actor at three (the previous two being My Left Foot in 1990 and There Will Be Blood in 2008 ). That is not to say that such an achievement has not been landed by an Irishman before; John Ford - of The Quiet Man fame - has the distinction of four Best Director awards under his belt.
But Day-Lewis's win could be considered the capstone to a rather remarkable 2012 for the Irish film and television industry. Having celebrated its 10th anniversary, the Irish Film and Television Awards was spoilt for choice this year. The highlight was most likely the critically beloved What Richard Did, Lenny Abrahamson's depiction of a tragic accident and its consequences in an idyllic offshoot of south Dublin during the Celtic Tiger, which won over those at the IFTAs, and ended up sweeping awards from Best Film to Best Director.
More light-hearted fare, such as the horror/comedy Grabbers, also received positive recognition from both critics and audiences.
But with the move from the silver screen to the smaller screen comes Love/Hate, the gripping drama set in Dublin's criminal underworld. Similarly to its big screen counterpart What Richard Did, Love/Hate took home a whole host of awards from the IFTAs, up to and including Best Drama. But one should not disregard its more upbeat compatriots; Moone Boy would be an example, and one that bagged the award for Best Entertainment.
The Irish Academy's stated aim is “the stimulation of original and creative production work, and the encouragement of excellence through recognition, education and leadership in film and television.” Ireland's reputation as a producer of fine art, such as poetry and literature, may soon encompass the art of film-making, too.
