I have to admit to having not seen The Secret of Kells, but was fully aware of how well it had gone down in America. It may not have set the box-office alight here upon its initial release, but the coverage it will get from its Oscar nomination will change all of that pretty much overnight.
Last year, during the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival, one of our journalists, John Balfe, caught up with the cast of the animated Irish feature. They included Brendan Gleeson and Mick Lally, who loaned their dulcet tones to the film. You can have a watch of John's interviews here.
Big congratulations to Irishman Richard Banechan for his nomination for Avatar, where he was animation supervisor. Also to the Brownbag Film guys for Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty - their second nomination - and to Juanita Wilson for the live action short The Door.
Some folk are making a big deal out of the fact that Saoirse Ronan wasn't nominated for The Lovely Bones, despite a wonderful performance. While she'll undoubtedly be disappointed, this young woman will get plenty more nominations, and wins, in the coming years.