HIT TV DRAMA Normal People leads the runners in this year’s IFTAs with 15 nominations.

The Irish coming of age series with best actor nod for Paul Mescal and best director for Lenny Abrahamson while Cork actor Sarah Greene gets a nomination in the supporting actress category. Sally Rooney also gets a nomination for the script for the hugely popular television show.  

In other categories there are nominations for Paddy Slattery’s debut feature Broken Law about two brothers on opposite sides of the law.

David Freyne’s Dating Amber is also nominated billed as an uncompromising yet hilarious LGBTQ coming-of-age tale set in 90’s Ireland. There are also best picture nods for Herself, Vivarium, Wildfire and Wolfwalkers.

Hit British drama Line of Duty, RTE series Smother and Wicklow filmed Vikings will go up against Normal People in the best drama category.

Across the Acting categories Irish actors have excelled in film and drama both at home and abroad. The Best Actress Film nominees are Clare Dunne for Herself which she co-wrote and stars in.

Jessie Buckley is nominated for her part in Charlie Kaufman’s surreal I’m Thinking of Ending Things. Lola Petticrew for her iconic performance as the title character in Dating Amber, and both Nora-Jane Noone and the late Nika McGuigan for their electrifying performances in Wildfire.

In the Best Actress Drama category last year’s IFTA Screen Ireland Rising Star winner Aisling Franciosi is nominated for her role in recent update of Black Narcissus, as is Catherine Walker for her performance as Roisín in Lisa McGee’s The Deceived.

Dervla Kirwin is nominated for her role as Val, devoted matriarch of the Ahern family in Smother. Dubliner Eve Hewson is nominated for performance as the troubled Adele in Netflix’s hit, twist-filled series Behind Her Eyes, and last year’s double IFTA-winning Niamh Algar for her role in Ridley Scott’s sci-fi hit Raised by Wolves.

 The Best Actor Film Category sees actor Ciarán Hinds nominated for his brilliant performance in the whimsical and playful The Man in the Hat.

Fionn O’Shea gets a nod for his performance in Dating Amber as well as for his supporting role in Normal People.

Gabriel Byrne is nominated for his lead performance as an aging, womanising professor who starts hallucinating Leonard Cohen musical numbers in Death of a Ladies Man.

Moe Dunford’s  performance as a rogue cage fighter in Knuckledust sees him nominated, while Tristan Heanue’s debut lead performance as a guard torn between duty and family in Broken Law earns him his first acting nomination.

Adrian Dunbar could be sailing back up the Lagan in a bubble with his Lead Actor Drama nomination for his work on Line of Duty.

Brendan Gleeson’ s performance as Donald Trump sees him nominated for his role in The Comey Rule and James Nesbitt’s powerful turn as Detective Chief Inspector Tom Brannick in the Neo-Noir Bloodlands.

Michael Smiley’s performance as the macabrely funny Brock Blennerhasset in Dead Still also joins Paul Mescal in the category.

IFTA Chief Executive, Áine Moriarty hailed the list of nominees as a great reflection of Ireland’s place in the arts.   

“This year’s Nominations are an incredible reflection of the high-calibre talent of Irish filmmakers, who are producing world-class standards of production and storytelling on screen. 

“The Irish Academy is proud to showcase and acknowledge their great achievements.

“This past year and a half has been difficult for everyone across the globe, and it’s heartening now to see things opening back up, including our Cinemas nationwide, and we urge everyone to go see this incredible array of movies on the big screen near you.

“Cinema is above all a communal experience and we are looking forward to bringing Ireland’s world class screen community together with audiences to engage and to celebrate the very best in Irish Film & Television excellence.”

In all there are 25 categories in the Irish Film and Television Academy event which will be broadcast on Virgin Media.