The Irish Film and Television Awards have announced the shortlist of nominees for this year's ceremony which takes place the Double Tree Hotel in Dublin on October 7th.

TV3's Red Rock continues its success with a total of eight nominations, including Soap/Continuing Drama, Director Soap/Comedy, Writer Soap/Comedy, and nominations in the male and female performance categories.

Sharon Horgan has also landed two nominations for writing and starring in Channel 4's Catastrophe, while Bridget and Eamon, Mrs Brown's Boys, Apres Match and the Rubberbandits will fight it out for Best Comedy.

The hugely popular First Dates Ireland has earned a nomination for Reality & Constructed Factual, while Newstalk presenter Pat Kenny is set to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Academy CEO, Aine Moriarty, says: "This year's line up shows superb talent across a wealth of vibrant programmes produced by Irish professionals who are consistently delivering high quality TV programmes and new ideas to audiences both in Ireland and internationally year on year.

"The Academy is proud to showcase this great Irish-made television and acknowledge the hard work, creativity and spirit that goes into producing hundreds of hours of TV production each year."

Comedy

Apres Match presents Election '82
Bridget & Eamon
Mrs Brown's Boys
The Rubberbandits' Guide to 1916

Current Affairs

BBC NI Spotlight: Selling Northern Ireland
Claire Byrne Live - Leaders Debate
The People's Debate
RTE Investigates Standards in Public Office

Documentary Series

1916 The Irish Rebellion
Bas Na Saoirse
Crumlin
The Joy

Documentary Single

Children of the Revolution
I Am Immigrant
I Am Traveller
Ireland's Great Wealth Divide
The Story of Yes

Entertainment

50 Ways to Kill Your Mammy
Brendan O'Connor's Cutting Edge
The Imelda May Show
The Seven O'Clock Show

Factual

Creedon's Wild Atlantic Way
Daniel and Majella's B&B Road Trip
Ear to the Ground
The Guards

Live Event

Big Week on the Farm
Centenary
Laochra 1916 GAA Commemoration
The State Commemoration of the 1916 Rising

News

BBC Newsline: Brexit Special
RTE Six One News - Paris Terror Attacks
TG4 Nuacht
TV3 News Special - Brexit
UTV Ireland Live News @ 5:30 - Brexit Special

Reality & Constructed Factual

First Dates Ireland
Operation Transformation
Rugby's Wheelchair Challenge
Toughest Place to Be

Specialist Factual

A Fanatic Heart: Bob Geldof on WB Yeats
Bypassed
Crainn na hEireann
Wild Cities - Galway

Sports

All Ireland Day
Apres Match of the Day
Hidden Ireland: rugby and Concussion
Road to Rio

Soap/Continuing Drama

Fair City
Red Rock
Ros na Run

Male Performance

Sean Mahon - Red Rock
Brendan O Carroll - Mrs. Brown's Boys
Patrick Ryan - Red Rock
Karl Shiels - Fair City
Chris Tordoff - Hardy Bucks

Female Performance

Sharon Horgan - Catastrophe
Andrea Irvine - Red Rock
Jane McGrath - Red Rock
Aisling O'Neill - Fair City
Jennifer Zamparelli - Bridget and Eamon

Animation - Children's & Young People's

Danger Mouse
The Day Henry Met
Lily's Driftwood Bay
Peter Rabbit: The Tale Of The Unexpected Discovery

Children's & Young People's - Live Action

1916 Challenge
Eipic
My Life Champion of the World
Out and About

Irish Language

An Klondike
Eipic
Fleadh TV
Ros na Run

Director Soap/Comedy

Jason Butler - Bridget and Eamon
Diarmuid Goggins - Red Rock
Lisa Mulcahy - Red Rock
Louise Ní Fhiannachta - Eipic

Writer - Soap /Comedy

Jason Butler, Jennifer Zamparelli, Bernard O'Shea - Bridget and Eamon
Sharon Horgan - Catastrophe
Brendan O'Carroll - Mrs Browns Boys
Paul Walker - Red Rock

Camera TV

Colm Hogan - 1916 The Irish Rebellion
Paddy Jordan - Death of a Son - The Killing of Michael Dwyer
Alistair Neely - Voices '16
Michael O'Donovan - These Walls Can Talk

Director TV

Darragh Byrne - My Homeless Family
Gerry Hoban Ireland's Great Wealth Divide
Máire Kearney - Life Before the Rising
Gerry Nelson - Wild Cities Dublin

Editing TV

Jamie Fitzpatrick - Wild Cities - Galway
Derek Holland - A Fanatic Heart: Geldof on Yeats
Iseult Howlett - I Am Immigrant
Una Ní Dhonghaile - Invisible Man

Sound TV

1916 The Irish Rebellion
Danger Mouse
Deoch an Dorais
Hup