They did show up, after all

Music
04 Mar 02

So Bono and the lads did appear at last night’s IRMA Meteor Music Awards in the end (you would, too, if you had eight of them to collect). Read on for the IRMA results in full

"We’re very proud to be Irish tonight," maintained Bono upon accepting the Meteors’ ultimate accolade, Best Irish Rock Band. It was one of eight awards the group scooped at last night’s ceremony in Dublin’s Point Depot.

In addition to Best Irish Rock Band, U2 nabbed Best Irish Rock Album (for All That You Can’t Leave Behind), Best Irish Live Performance (for their two-night stand last summer at Slane), Best Irish Rock Single (for ‘Walk On’) and Best Irish Video (for ‘Elevation’). Meanwhile, individuals in the U2 camp were also singled out: The Edge was awarded Best Musician, Bono Best Irish Songwriter and manager Paul McGuinness the Irish Industry Award.

After weeks of mounting controversy, Donegal rockers The Revs won the contentious Best Newcomer Award, beating the likes of David Kitt, Damien Rice and Gemma Hayes among others. The Best Newcomer award was based on votes cast by the public – and the Revs’ young, passionate and highly vocal fan base certainly came into their own in helping the band to land this honour. David Kitt, for his part, did not go away empty handed: he received the accolade of Best Solo Male (Rock), not surprising following his runaway success last year in Ireland and abroad.

In the world of Irish pop, Westlife predictably carried off several awards, scooping Best Irish Pop Album for World Of Our Own, Best Irish Pop Act and Best Irish Pop Single (the latter for their cover of Billy Joel’s Eighties hit, ‘Uptown Girl’). Ronan Keating meanwhile won Best Irish Solo Male (Pop) and Samantha Mumba Irish Female Artist (an award which seems to amalgamate both Irish Solo Female (Pop) and (Rock) categories).

Other award recipients of note included Kila, for Best Irish Traditional Act, Christy Moore for Best Irish Folk Artist and current Hot Press cover star Tom Dunne for Best Irish Radio DJ.

Also accepting an award last evening was Christina Noble, who was given the Humanitarian Award for her work on behalf of poor children worldwide and, in particular, in Vietnam. The Meteors ceremony, in fact, raised €100,000 for the Christina Noble Foundation, which has made education and medical facilities possible for over 100,000 children worldwide since its founding twelve years ago.