“I love mothers, and I love women,” Jessie Buckley told RTÉ’s Arts and Media Correspondent Evelyn O’Rourke after winning Lead Actress (Film) at the IFTA Awards in Dublin on Friday night.
Buckley said the recognition “means the world”, as she was honoured for playing Agnes Hathaway in Hamnet.
“To be recognised for telling the story of a mother and all her strength and tenderness and the precipices of life and death and love that she has means the world,” she said.
“And I am so proud to be here to be recognised for this incredible mother, Agnes, and Hamnet.”
Buckley also spoke about returning to Dublin for the ceremony and the talent in the room. “This is the place I grew up in,” she said, name-checking Stephen Rea, Ciarán Hinds, Cillian Murphy and Brenda Fricker.
“The amount of talent that is in that room, and to be part of this community… I have learnt from so many people in that room.”
On stage, the Kerry actor described the past year as “a bit of a rollercoaster” and said it was “an honour to come home”, adding that growing up in Ireland, “the very nature of storytelling was a way of life.”
Watch: Jessie Buckley tells RTÉ’s Arts and Media Correspondent Evelyn O’Rourke, “It is very emotional to be home”.
She also thanked her co-star Paul Mescal, saying: “Paul Mescal thank you for getting into the river and letting the tide take us!”
Mescal won Supporting Actor (Film) for Hamnet but was not at the ceremony to collect the award. The film also won in the International Film and Script (Film) categories.
In the drama categories, Trespasses was among the night’s winners, with Lola Petticrew taking Lead Actress (Drama) for her role as Cushla, a young Catholic teacher in 1970s Northern Ireland.
Petticrew dedicated the award to her late uncle Gerard and to young people in her community, saying: “The system is not designed for kids in my community to thrive… and they deserve so much better. This is for them.”
Cork-set coming-of-age film Christy picked up several of the top prizes, including Best Film, with Brendan Canty winning Director (Film), alongside wins for casting and editing.
Canty noted the ceremony was taking place on Care Day 2026, which highlights the experiences of children and young people in care, and called for greater support for those in the care system.
Éanna Hardwicke won Actor in a Lead Role (Film) for his portrayal of Roy Keane in Saipan, with his co-star Steve Coogan collecting the trophy on his behalf.
Chris Walley won Supporting Actor (Drama) for The Young Offenders and said: “This really is a big surprise. The Young Offenders was my first ever job when I was 19 and ten years later here we are. Thank you so much guys!”
Ciarán Hinds received the Irish Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award and thanked the people he has worked with over the years, saying: “It’s been a long old haul in this industry… I’ve been remarkably lucky to work with so many creative, talented people… both here and further afield, on camera and off.”
The ceremony will be broadcast on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player on Saturday, 21 February at 10.50pm.