The controversial series Pure Mule, which is running at present on RTÉ 2, has a comfortable lead in the television nominations for this year's Irish Film and Television Awards.
When the shortlisted entries were announced yesterday, Pure Mule collected eight nominations, including one in each of the four TV acting categories, followed by Showbands and Love is the Drug with four each, and The Clinic with three.
In the film categories, two feature films headed the list with eight nominations each: Fintan Connolly's romantic Dublin drama Trouble with Sex, and Anthony Byrne's stylised musical Short Order. Next in line came the Northern Ireland drama Mickybo & Me, and the Dublin comedy-horror movie Boy Eats Girl, with five nominations each.
There are several multiple nominees on the shortlists, including Terry George, who is up for best director and best screenplay for Hotel Rwanda, which earned him an Oscar nomination earlier this year, and Niall Byrne, who takes two of the four nominations for best film music, for his work on Short Order and Trouble with Sex.
Cork actor Cillian Murphy is nominated as best actor for Red Eye and best supporting actor for Batman Begins. His fellow nominees in the best actor category are Liam Neeson (Kinsey), Gabriel Byrne (Wah Wah) and Aidan Quinn (Convicted).
Winnie Maughan, the 11-year-old Traveller who plays the leading role in Pavee Lackeen, is one of the nominees for the best actress award, alongside Renee Weldon (Trouble with Sex), Jill Bradbury (Winter's End) and singer-turned-actor Andrea Corr (The Boys and Girl from County Clare).
In the television categories, Haughey, the four-part series from Mint Productions, is nominated for best documentary, along with John McGahern: A Private World (made by Hummingbird Productions for RTÉ), My Name Is Paul (BBC Northern Ireland) and McIntyre Investigates (TV3).
The awards will be presented at a televised ceremony in Dublin on November 5th.