Cillian Murphy wins best lead actor at Irish Film awards

Cillian Murphy has won best lead actor in the film category at the Irish Film and Television Awards (IFTA).

Murphy, who last year also picked up the IFTA, and the Oscar, for his role in Oppenheimer, won the accolade for his starring role in the adaption of Claire Keegan’s novella, Small Things Like These.

The Cork-born actor fended off fierce competition, including three members of the west Belfast rap group Kneecap, to pick up the award for best male lead during a star-studded ceremony in Dublin on Friday.

Saoirse Ronan was another big winner on the night, earning both best lead actress for The Outrun and best supporting actress in the Blitz.

Small Things Like These took home the evening’s top prize, winning best film.

IFTA said this year’s nominees “reflect Ireland’s unparalleled storytelling on the global stage”.

An Irish-language film about Belfast rap group Kneecap was nominated in 17 award categories.

The film’s director Rich Peppiatt won best director in the film category and the movie also picked up an award for casting and costume design.

Lola Petticrew, who is from west Belfast, and Dublin-born co-star Hazel Doupe picked up awards in the TV category for their roles in the Disney Plus TV series Say Nothing.

Say Nothing, which is based on a book by Patrick Radden Keefe of the same title, tells the stories of several people living in Northern Ireland during the Troubles.

The series stars Petticrew as Dolours Price and Doupe as Marian Price, young sisters who were prominent members of the IRA.

Among the stories featured in the series is that of Jean McConville, who was among those murdered and “disappeared” by the IRA during the conflict.

During their acceptance speech, Lola Petticrew called for better mental health services in Northern Ireland.

Petticrew said the series “asks big questions” about how people in Northern Ireland “move on” and said that working class families from right across the community deserve “a decent standard of living”.

Speaking afterwards to BBC News NI, Petticrew, who is from the Ballymurphy area of west Belfast, said they wanted to raise awareness about the level of suicide among their peers as well as other challenges facing working class communities.

Anthony Boyle, also from west Belfast, was named the Fís Éireann (Screen Ireland) IFTA Rising Star for his work in Say Nothing and Masters of the Air.

An IFTA Lifetime Achievement Award was also presented to the actor Colm Meaney during proceedings on Friday evening.

Addressing the crowd, Meaney said: “It’s a joy to receive this award in my hometown”.

Recognised for his five-decade contribution to film and TV, Meaney is best known for roles in The Commitments, Under Siege, The Damned United, and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.