Former Nationwide host Mary Kennedy is set to receive IFTA’s Lifetime Achievement Award later this month. The academy announced that Kennedy will be presented with the Irish Academy Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the television industry. The award will be presented at a special intimate reception at the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin on Wednesday, November 20.
Reacting to the announcement, Mary said: “I feel very privileged to have worked in Irish broadcasting for so many years and to have had the opportunity to showcase our rich culture, heritage and sense of community. READ MORE: Mary Kennedy admits she 'undervalued' herself when working at RTE as she reveals she is going to counselling READ MORE: Age-defying Mary Kennedy swears by one thing to stay in shape “I feel honoured and very grateful that the Irish Film and Television Academy is presenting me with this prestigious award for that work. I will treasure it always.
Míle buíochas.” Previous recipients of the IFTA Lifetime Achievement Awards have included icons such as Judi Dench, Maureen O’Hara, Gay Byrne , Liam Neeson , Gabriel Byrne, Bryan Murray, Shay Healy, Brendan O’Carroll, Fionnula Flanagan, Pat Kenny and Mícheál Ó Meallaigh amongst others, while international recipients of IFTA’s special John Ford Award have included Martin Scorsese and Clint Eastwood. Mary’s career has spanned five decades and has seen her host countless programmes, including N.
