Sharon Horgan, Bob Geldof, The Rubberbandits and Brendan O’Carroll Lead IFTA TV Awards Charge

Comedy is well represented this year with Mrs. Brown's Boys, Bridget and Eamon and The Rubberbandits Guide to the 1916 Rising all in contention (Brendan O'Carroll and the Rubberbandits feature several times throughout the nominations, as we'd expect them too).

Meanwhile Red Rock has more nominations than any other programme, hoovering up eight in all, notably the soap/drama award and the award for best writing.

Other programmes that have attracted support include programmes which document the 1916 Rising, and we can expect to see a big showing from 1916: The Irish Rebellion in the Documentary Series and Sound TV sections. The huge number of 1916 programmes gaining nominations for awards is a clear reflection of the extent to which the commemorations resonated with audiences and inspired programme-makers.

The full IFTA press release reads:

"From entertainment to reality and from comedy to poignant and informative documentaries along with insightful news and current affairs, the nominated programmes this year show that Irish audiences have had a diverse choice of top-notch Telly to watch.

"In Entertainment, Baz Ashmawy is trying new ways to kill Nancy in 50 Ways to Kill Your Mammy which is shortlisted alongside the unique musical talent that is The Imelda May Show, Brendan O’Connor’s Cutting Edge has cut its way into the shortlist and TV3’s flagship evening programme The Seven O’Clock Show has earned its nod for its eclectic mix and style of entertainment.

"IFTA’s Comedy Award is now in its second year and has a very funny bunch of Irish talents in the mix who have delivered the best of comedy this year and made the nation ‘laugh out loud’ on their sofas and they include the renowned Mrs Brown’s Boys nominated alongside the hilarious Bridget and Eamon which is the Republic of Telly’s spin-off run-away success; also nominated in this category is, Apres Match Election ’82 (the Apres Match team are also nominated in Sports) and The Rubberbandits’ Guide to 1916 which see the grocery-shop bag heads give their riveting take on 1916.

"Reality programmes have strong contenders keeping it real this year with Coco’s First Dates Ireland and VIP’s Operation Transformation who between them got the nation out dating, walking and eating healthy; Loosehorse’s Rugby’s Wheelchair Challenge follows four Irish rugby internationals travelling from Dublin to Limerick – in wheelchairs, and Motive Television’s Toughest Place to Be which follows Irish workers re-locating to some of the toughest work environments in the world.

"Programmes commemorating the 1916 centenary are well represented, with The State Commemoration, 1916 The Irish Rebellion, Centenary, Children of the Revolution, Rubberbandits, and 1916 Challenge all nominated across various award categories.

"In the Soap & Continuing Drama Award category RTE’s Fair City, which recently celebrated its 4000 episode is nominated alongside TG4’s Ros na Run which celebrated its 21st birthday this year bringing the Irish language soap to audiences for the past 21 years. TV3’s new kid on the block Red Rock now in its second year, completes the trio of Irish Soap all vying for the accolade of Ireland’s Best TV Soap. Each of the soaps havs multiple contenders across all of the craft and performance categories also.

"The stand-out Female Performance in a Soap or Comedy sees Aisling O’Neill (Fair City) deliver a stellar performance as her character Carol in Fair City and also Jane McGrath as rule abiding Garda Officer Sharon Cleere in TV3’s Red Rock alongside Andrea Irvine who plays the hard working Garda Sargent Angela Tyrell; and Sharon Horgan receives a nomination for her comedic performance in Catastrophe airing on Channel 4 and Jennifer Zamparelli as the chain-smoking and mischievous 80’s mammy in RTE’s comedy hit Bridget and Eamon.

"Male Performance in a Soap or Comedy sees the hilariously funny Brendan O Carroll as everyone’s favourite mammy in Mrs. Brown’s Boys; Sean Mahon’s villainous performance as Garda Brian McGonigle in Red Rock alongside Patrick Ryan’s performance as the constantly trouble-entangled Garda Paudge Brennan, who are all nominated with Karl Shiels who delivers a poignant performance as Robbie Quinn in Ireland’s longest running soap Fair City. This category also sees The Hardy Buck’s Chris Tordoff receive his first nomination for his performance as Francis ‘The Viper’ Higgins in the mockumentary small-town comedy.

"Among the very competitive categories is Documentary Series which sees Coco Television deliver its landmark series,1916 The Irish Rebellion which was narrated by Liam Neeson, examines the Rising and subsequent events that led to an independent Irish State; Tile Films’ Bas na Saoirse explores Irish patriots who were banished to Australia as punishment for their crimes; Independent Pictures’ Crumlin and TV3’s The Joy are observational documentaries with unprecedented access following the daily lives at these Irish institutions.

"In the Best Single Documentary category, which is presented in association with BAI, the nominees are Joe Duffy’s Children of the Revolution, a very moving and informative doc based on his best-selling book; also nominated this year is David McWilliams’ Ireland’s Great Wealth Divide which graphically reveals to the nation just who owns the bulk of Ireland’s wealth; I Am Immigrant which explores what it means to be Irish, John Connor’s honest and heart-felt I Am Traveller, and The Story of Yes, marking the first anniversary of the same sex referendum.

"In a year of terror attacks, Brexit, a General Election, Apple and NAMA, Irish news and current affairs broadcasting is excelling - the News category sees the best of News coverage in the running for and Award including BBC Newsline: Brexit Special; RTE Six One News: Paris Terror Attacks; Nuacht TG4 Vóta 2016; TV3 News: Brexit along with UTV Ireland Live Brexit Special are in contention.

"Current Affairs nominees include BBC NI’s Spotlight: Selling Northern Ireland; Claire Byrne Live – Leaders Debate, along with Vincent Browne’s The People’s Debate; and RTE’s Investigates Standards in Public Office.

"In the Factual category, broadcaster John Creedon explores the west coast in Creedon’s Wild Atlantic Way; VIP’s Daniell and Majella’s B&B Road Trip follows Daniel O’Donnell and his wife Majella on their road trip through Ireland; Ear to the Ground, now in it’s 16th season, explores rural, countryside and environmental issues, and The Guards takes a frontline look at policing in Dublin city centre.

"The nominees in the Specialist Factual category newly introduced last year specifically for arts, religion, history, natural history and science, are A Fanatic Heart: Bob Geldof on WB Yeats, Bypassed, Crainn na hEireann, andWild Cities – Galway.

"Nominated in the Animation category this year is Boulder’s Danger Mouse, Wigglywoo’s The Day Henry Met, Sixteen South’s Lily’s Driftwood Bay, and Brown Bag Films series Peter Rabbit; the Irish animation industry is going through a golden age – currently employing over 1600 people, with Irish studios producing award-winning shows that are broadcast all over the world.

"In the Children’s category, RTE’s 1916 Challenge is nominated alongside Tyrone’s My Life Champion of the Worldfor CBBC, GMarsh’s Out and About, and Magamedia’s teen drama Eipic.

"It wasn’t all World Cup this year, as Ireland’s love of sports is well reflected in this year’s Sport nominees which include Looshorse’s All Day Ireland; along with Apres Match of the Day; Wildfire’s Hidden Ireland: Rugby and Concussion and Strike Films Road to Rio.

"The Live Event nominees this year predominantly focus on the centenary celebrations, with RTE’s coverage of the State Commemoration of the 1916 Rising nominated alongside Centenary; Tyrone’s Laochra 1916 GAA Commemoration and Independent’s Big Week on the Farm for RTE.

"TG4 celebrates 20 years in October, and Irish Language programming is well represented especially across Irish drama Abu’s An Klondike, Eipic, and Ros Na Run are all nominated alongside Gifted Empire’s Fleadh TV.

"Documentaries chronicling Irish life are a theme in the Director Television category. Darragh Byrne’s My Homeless Family, Gerry Hogan’s Ireland’s Great Wealth Divide, Máire Kearney’s Life Before the Rising, and Gerry Nelson’s Wild Cities – Dublin.

"The Nominees of the Writing for Soaps and Comedy shows are Sharon Horgan (Catastrophe), Brendan O’Carroll(Mrs Brown’s Boys) Jason Butler, Jennifer Zamparelli and Bernard O’Shea (Bridget and Eamon) and Paul Walker (Red Rock); In Directing for Soap or Comedy - Lisa Mulcahy and Diarmuid Goggins are both nominated for their work directing Red Rock, Jason Butler is nominated for Bridget and Eamon and Louise Ní Fhiannachta for Eipic.

"For Camera Television, Colm Hogan (1916 The Irish Rebellion), Paddy Jordan (Death of a Son – The Killing of Michael Dwyer), Alistair Neely (Voices ’16) and Michael O’Donovan These Walls can Talk; Editing Television – Jamie Fitzpatrick (Wild Cities – Galway), Derek Holland (A Fanatic Heart: Geldof on Yeats), Iseult Howlett (I Am Immigrant) and Una Ní Dhonghaile (Invisible Man); For Sound Television – 1916 The Irish Rebellion (John Brenna, Garret Farrell and Michelle Fingleton), Danger Mouse (Sol O’Carroll, Dominic Lawrence and Andrew Kirwan), Deoch an Dorais (John Brennan, Dean Jones and Colm O’Rourke) and Hup (Stephen McLoughlin).