The Kilkenny Cream of Irish awards are now in their third year and are getting a bit of a reputation for themselves - both for their diversity, spanning fashion through to film, and for a good, fun awards ceremony. This year's took place on Thursday in the RHA Gallagher Gallery, and managed to pack a punch despite many of the winners not making it on the day.
The award for fashion went to Darryl Kerrigan, who could not make it back from New York and requested that her mother, Mary Cogan Daly, pick it up for her instead. Similarly director Neil Jordan, who beat Paddy Breathnach and Brendan Gleeson in the film category, sent his wife Brenda Rawn along as his envoy. Neil had hoped to be there but he is in the middle of filming his next psychological thriller - In Dreams with Annette Bening - and some hightech experts flown over from the US were available on one day only - Thursday.
Other absentees included Dylan Moran, who scooped the Dermot Morgan comedy award but is in the middle of filming a second series of How Do You Want Me? for BBC 2 and was represented by Mark Doherty. Donal McCann's special award for his contribution to the arts was picked up by his old friend and colleague from Juno and the Paycock days, Maureen Potter.
Those who did make it along to pick up their own awards included Kila, the ascending-star group of the music scene; photographer Vincent O'Byrne; Veronica Coburn and Raymond Keane of Barabbas, and artist James Hanley, who is soon to open an exhibition in Liverpool's Walker Gallery. Other guests included Denise Morgan, the sister of Dermot Morgan, who presented the comedy award; fashion designers Donald Brennan and Niall Tyrell of Oakes, Mel Bradley, who designs much of John Rocha's fabric, and Ciaran Sweeney, last year's winner and one of the judges; Irish Times photographer Matt Kavanagh, who was nominated in the photographic category; judging panel members Tony O'Dalaigh of the Dublin Theatre Festival Ciaran MacGonigal, director of the Hunt Museum, and comedian Patrick Kielty, who was the MC for the afternoon and was accompanied by his partner, model Amanda Byram.