Remarks at the Irish Film and Television Awards Conference Centre
Dublin, 11th February 2012
Tá áthas orm bheith libh go léir anseo anocht ag an ceiliúradh d'Acadamh Scannáin agus Teilifíse na hÉireann.
As President of Ireland, I am delighted to join you all here this evening in a warm celebration of Ireland’s creative community of artists and crafts people in both film and television.
IFTA, The Irish Film and Television Academy, has as its objective the stimulation of new creative production and the encouragement of excellence through recognition, education and leadership. Through this work, IFTA is playing a crucial role in the drive for our national recovery by raising the profile of our industry across the globe, showcasing our creative talent, and attracting more and more productions to our island, based on the skills and excellence of all our artists and crafts people.
I look around this room tonight to a community of artists and craftspeople and I say that it is you who are the ones that have brought and will continue to bring Ireland onto the world screen and out to audiences around the globe. I sense the new-found pride and positivity among Irish people that emanates from your great efforts, to entertain us, to inspire us and to reinforce to the world our longstanding tradition of being a nation of gifted storytellers.
With every story told it takes a great actor to interpret and skillfully communicate its message to an audience.
It is indeed a great honour for me tonight to present the Lifetime Achievement Award to a great Irish actress.
I am speaking of Fionnula Flanagan - a true master of her craft who, over the years, has fiercely portrayed characters in every genre in such diverse roles as Some Mother’s Son, The Others, Transamerica, TG4’s Paddywhackery and - more recently - The Guard.
She has also been one of our foremost interpreters of Joyce’s work, notably through her one-woman stage show James Joyce’s Women.
Here tonight, we are honouring her immeasurable talent and her lifetime dedicated to performance, to art, and to Ireland itself.
She is one of our country’s finest creative talents - an actress with a masterful skill, delivered with beauty, grace and strength, attributes which light up every scene.
Ladies and gentlemen, I invite you to take a brief look at her work…..
Ba mhaith liom fáilte faoi leith anois a chur roimh faighteoir an Ghradaim Saoil IFTA i mbliana.
I would now like to welcome to the stage the recipient of this year’s IFTA Lifetime Achievement Award – Fionnula Flanagan.