Ahead of this weekend’s BAFTAs, the best of Irish talent were over in Dublin on Friday night to celebrate the Irish Film and Television Academy (IFTA) Awards.

Nominees Saoirse Ronan, Nicola Coughlan and Cillian Murphy led the major stars walking the red carpet at the Dublin Royal Convention Centre.

Saoirse, who has received a best lead actress in a film nod for her performance in The Outrun, dazzled in a stand-out blue dress for Ireland’s big night at the movies.

The actress, who missed out on an Oscar nomination this year, looked gorgeous in her strapless gown, which showed off her trim figure.

She let the satin number do the talking, simply accessorising with a pair of drop earrings teamed with a sleek updo.

Meanwhile Bridgerton favourite Nicola Coughlan, who is competing in the lead actress in a drama category for her lead role in the Netflix smash hit, turned heads in her fashion-forward look.

Ahead of this weekend’s BAFTAs , the best of Irish talent were over in Dublin on Friday night to celebrate the Irish Film and Television Academy (IFTA) Awards

Nominees Saoirse Ronan , Nicola Coughlan  (pictured) and Cillian Murphy led the major stars walking the red carpet at the Dublin Royal Convention Centre

The actress stunned in her dramatic black ruffled dress with statement strap detail.

Lead actor in a film nominee Cillian Murphy was one of the big names to walk the Dublin red carpet, looking dapper in a suit and tie.

The 22nd-anniversary IFTA Awards Ceremony will be hosted for the first time by Kevin McGahern at the Dublin Royal Convention Centre.

A host of famous faces will be honoured for exceptional achievements in Film and Drama across 29 categories from the past year.

Among the major stories of the night is the success of rap group Kneecap, with the Irish-language film about the group nominated across a staggering 17 categories. 

The three members of the west Belfast rap group, Simone Kirby, Jessica Reynolds and Fionnuala Flaherty, will all compete against Cillian in the lead actor in a film category.

Also nominated in this category is Peter Coonan for his role in King Frankie and Paul Mescal for Gladiator II.

The nominees for best film are Kathleen Is Here, King Frankie, Kneecap, Small Things Like These, Spilt Milk, and The Apprentice.

Saoirse, who has received a best lead actress in a film nod for her performance in The Outrun, dazzled in a stand-out blue dress for Ireland’s big night at the movies

The actress, who missed out on an Oscar nomination this year, looked gorgeous in her strapless gown, which showed off her trim figure

Meanwhile Bridgerton favourite Nicola Coughlan, who is competing in the lead actress in a drama category for her role in the Netflix smash hit, turned heads in her fashion-forward look

Lead actor in a film nominee Cillian Murphy was one of the big names to walk the Dublin red carpet, looking dapper in a suit and tie

Andrew Scott was among the red carpet stars, looking suave in his floral shirt 

Bad Sisters’ Sharon Horgan wowed in a racy thigh-high split dress, whilst Belfast star Caitriona Balfe looked stunning her statement jacket 

Bad Sisters trio arah Greene, Eva Birthistle and Sharon Horgan looked excited to be at the event

Chris O’Dowd gave an animated thumbs up to the snappers

Ruth Negga wowed in her dramatic black dress as she worked her best poses

Saoirse is expected at London’s BAFTAs on Sunday night, to compete in the lead actor category. 

The actress faces stiff compeтιтion on Sunday from Cynthia Erivo for Wicked, Demi Moore for The Substance, Karla Sofía Gascón for Emilia Pérez, Marianne Jean-

IFTA nominations

BEST FILM

Kathleen Is Here

King Frankie

Kneecap

Small Things Like These

Spilt Milk

The Apprentice

DIRECTOR – FILM

Eva Birthistle – Kathleen Is Here

John Crowley – We Live in Time

Brian Durnin – Spilt Milk

Damian McCarthy – Oddity

Christine Molloy, Joe Lawlor – Baltimore

Rich Peppiatt- Kneecap

SCRIPT – FILM

Eva Birthistle – Kathleen Is Here

Cara Loftus – Spilt Milk

Christine Molloy, Joe Lawlor – Baltimore

Rich Peppiatt – Kneecap

Stephen Shields – Abigail

Enda Walsh – Small Things Like These

LEAD ACTOR – FILM

Peter Coonan – King Frankie

Paul Mescal – Gladiator II

Cillian Murphy – Small Things Like These

Naoise Ó Cairealláin – Kneecap

J.J. Ó Dochartaigh – Kneecap

Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh – Kneecap

LEAD ACTRESS – FILM

Carolyn Bracken – Oddity

Jessie Buckley – Wicked Little Letters

Hazel Doupe – Kathleen Is Here

Saoirse Ronan – The Outrun

Eileen Walsh – Small Things Like These

Alisha Weir – Abigail

SUPPORTING ACTOR – FILM

Peter Coonan – Kathleen Is Here

Michael Fᴀssbender – Kneecap

Barry Keoghan – Bird

Brían F. O’Byrne – Conclave

Tom Vaughan-Lawlor – Baltimore

Steve Wall – Oddity

SUPPORTING ACTRESS – FILM

Zara Devlin – Small Things Like These

Clare Dunne – Kathleen Is Here

Fionnuala Flaherty – Kneecap

Simone Kirby – Kneecap

Saoirse Ronan – Blitz

Jessica Reynolds – Kneecap

COIMISIÚN NA MEÁN BEST DRAMA

Bad Sisters

Blue Lights

Bodkin

Crá

Say Nothing

The Dry

DIRECTOR – DRAMA

Paddy Breathnach – The Dry

Brian Kirk – The Day of the Jackal

Michael Lennox – Say Nothing

Lisa Mulcahy – Sanctuary

Hannah Quinn – The Boy That Never Was

Dearbhla Walsh – Bad Sisters

SCRIPT – DRAMA

Baz Ashmawy – Faithless

Ronan Bennett – The Day of the Jackal

Nancy Harris – The Dry

Sharon Horgan – Bad Sisters

Adam Patterson, Declan Lawn – Blue Lights

Kirsten Sheridan, Joshua Zetumer – Say Nothing

LEAD ACTOR – DRAMA

Anthony Boyle – Say Nothing

Colin Farrell – The Penguin

Michael Fᴀssbender – The Agency

Ciarán Hinds – The Dry

Andrew Scott – Ripley

Aidan Turner – Rivals

LEAD ACTRESS – DRAMA

Elaine Cᴀssidy – Sanctuary

Nicola Coughlan – Bridgerton

Siobhán Cullen – Bodkin

Roisin Gallagher- The Dry

Sharon Horgan – Bad Sisters

Lola Petticrew – Say Nothing

SUPPORTING ACTOR – DRAMA

Anthony Boyle – Masters of the Air

Liam Cunningham – 3 Body Problem

Michael Smiley – Bad Sisters

Tom Vaughan-Lawlor – Say Nothing

Chris Walley – Bodkin

David Wilmot – Bodkin

SUPPORTING ACTRESS – DRAMA

Siobhán Cullen – The Dry

Hazel Doupe – Say Nothing

Eve Hewson – Bad Sisters

Ruth Negga – Presumed Innocent

Fiona Shaw – Bad Sisters

Victoria Smurfit – Rivals

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM

Anora

Conclave

Dune Part Two

The Brutalist

The Outrun

The Substance

BEST INTERNATIONAL ACTOR

Adrien Brody – The Brutalist

Timothee Chalamet – A Complete Unknown

Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain

Ralph Fiennes – Conclave

Sebastian Stan – The Apprentice

Denzel Washington – Gladiator II

BEST INTERNATIONAL ACTRESS

Cynthia Erivo – Wicked

Angelina Jolie – Maria

Mikey Madison – Anora

Demi Moore – The Substance

Florence Pugh – We Live in Time

Emily Watson – Small Things Like These

GEORGE MORRISON FEATURE DOCUMENTARY

Face Down: The Disappearance of Thomas Niedermayer

Don’t Forget to Remember

Blue Road: The Edna O’Brien Story

The Flats

Mrs Robinson

Brendan Gleeson’s Farewell to Hughes’s

LIVE-ACTION SHORT FILM

Clodagh

Farmers!?

Room Taken

Turnaround

Two Mothers

We Beg to Differ

Wife of the Future

Wrecker

ANIMATED SHORT FILM

Dembaya

Every Other Weekend

Homebird

Nightpay

CASTING

Baltimore – Emma Gunnery

Bodkin – Louise Kiely

Kneecap – Carla Stronge

Say Nothing – Lucy Amos, Nina Gold

Small Things Like These – Maureen Hughes

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Bird – Robbie Ryan

Fréwaka – Narayan Van Maele

Kneecap – Ryan Kernaghan

Say Nothing – Stephen Murphy

The Penguin – Darran Tiernan

COSTUME DESIGN

Abigail – Gwen Jeffares Hourie

House of the Dragon – Caroline McCall

Kneecap – Zjena Glamocanin

Spilt Milk – Gwen Jeffares Hourie

Vikings Valhalla – Susan O’Connor-Cave

PRODUCTION DESIGN

Abigail – Susie Cullen

Bodkin – Paki Smith

Kneecap – Nicola Moroney

The Tourist – Philip Murphy

Vikings Valhalla – Tom Conroy

HAIR & MAKE-UP

Abigail – Linda Gannon, Liz Byrne

Kneecap – Liz Boston

Small Things Like These – Lorraine Glynn, Lynn Johnston

The Apprentice – Sandra Kelly, Tom McInerney

Vikings Valhalla – Joe Whelan, Tom McInerney

SOUND

Abigail – Hugh Fox

Blackshore – John ‘Bob’ Brennan, Mark Henry, Fionan Higgins

Kneecap – Aza Hand, Brendan Rehill, Chris Woodcock

Oddity – Aza Hand, Hugo Parvery

Small Things Like These – Hugh Fox, Senjan Jansen

ORIGINAL MUSIC

Fréwaka – Die Hexen

The Apprentice – David Holmes, Martin Dirkov

The Dry – Sarah Lynch

The Magic Reindeer: Saving Santa’s Sleigh – Eimear Noone, Craig Stuart Garfinkle

The Song Cycle – Ray Harman

EDITING

Bad Sisters – Derek Holland

Kathleen Is Here – Colin Campbell

Kneecap – Julian Ulrichs & Chris Gill

Paddington in Peru – Úna Ní Dhonghaíle

Say Nothing – Edel McDonnell

VFX

3 Body Problem – Ed Bruce, Liam Neville

Bodkin – John Kennedy, Lisa Maher

Sanctuary – Dan Cullen

Shōgun – Ed Bruce, Andrew Barry