IFTA Award for Best Lead Actress – TV Drama
| IFTA Award for Lead Actress – Drama | |
|---|---|
 The 2024 recipient: Lola Petticrew | |
| Awarded for | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role |
| Country | Ireland |
| Presented by | Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA) |
| First award | 2003 |
| Most recent winner | Lola Petticrew, Say Nothing (2025) |
| Website | ifta |
The IFTA Award for Lead Actress – Drama is an award presented annually by the Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA). It has been presented since the 1st Irish Film & Television Awards ceremony in 2003 to an Irish actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role on television.
The record for most wins is two, held by Clare Dunne and Charlie Murphy. The record for most nominations is eight, held by Caitríona Balfe, who has won the award once. Lola Petticrew is the award's most recent winner, for Say Nothing (2024).
Eligibility
The award is exclusively open to Irish actresses. The rules define an Irish person as follows:
- Born in Ireland (32 counties) or
- Have Irish Citizenship or
- Be full-time resident in Ireland (minimum of 3 years)[1]
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Winners and nominees
In the following table, the years are listed as the year of television. The first three ceremonies were held at the end of the year, but since the 4th Irish Film & Television Awards the ceremonies have generally been held the following year. As there was no ceremony in 2019, the 16th Irish Film & Television Awards covered a period of two years.[2]
| ‡ | Indicates the winner |
|---|
2000s
| Year | Actress | Programme | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 (1st) |
Angeline Ball ‡ | Any Time Now | [3] |
| Dearbhla Molloy | Home for Christmas | ||
| Joan Sheehy | Ros na Rún | ||
| 2004 (2nd) |
Anne-Marie Duff ‡ | Shameless | [4] |
| Orla Brady | Proof | ||
| Servants | |||
| Amanda Burton | Silent Witness | ||
| Niamh Cusack | Too Good to Be True | ||
| 2005 (3rd) |
Dawn Bradfield ‡ | Pure Mule | [5] |
| Elaine Cassidy | Fingersmith | ||
| Anne-Marie Duff | Shameless | ||
| Aisling O'Sullivan | The Clinic | ||
| 2006 (4th) |
Ger Ryan ‡ | Stardust | [6] |
| Ruth Bradley | Legend | ||
| Anne-Marie Duff | The Virgin Queen | ||
| Aisling O'Sullivan | The Clinic | ||
| 2007[a] (5th) |
Aisling O'Sullivan ‡ | The Clinic | [7] |
| Clíona Ní Chiosáin | Aifric | ||
| Fionnula Flanagan | Brotherhood | ||
| Siobhan Shanahan | Prosperity | ||
| 2008 (6th) |
Charlene McKenna ‡ | Raw | [8] |
| Elaine Cassidy | Little White Lie | ||
| Charlene McKenna | Whistleblower | ||
| Deirdre O'Kane | BitterSweet | ||
| 2009 (7th) |
Elaine Cassidy ‡ | Harper's Island | [9] |
| Ruth Bradley | Rásaí na Gaillimhe | ||
| Michelle Fairley | Best: His Mother's Son | ||
| Charlene McKenna | Pure Mule: The Last Weekend |
2010s
2020s
Multiple awards and nominations
The following individuals have received two or more Lead Actress awards:
| Wins | Actress | Nominations |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Charlie Murphy | 3 |
| Clare Dunne | 2 |
The following individuals have received two or more Lead Actress nominations:
Notes
References
- ^ "IFTA Film & Drama Awards | Rules & Guidelines for Submissions" (PDF). Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA). p. 4. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
- ^ "IFTA Film & Drama Awards 2020 | Rules & Guidelines for Submissions" (PDF). Irish Film & Television Academy. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 January 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
- ^ "Winners of the 1st Annual Irish Film & Television Awards | Irish Film & Television Academy | Irish Film & Television Awards". Irish Film & Television Academy. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- ^ "Winners of the 2nd Annual Irish Film & Television Awards | Irish Film & Television Academy | Irish Film & Television Awards". Irish Film & Television Academy. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- ^ "Winners of the 3rd Annual Irish Film & Television Awards | Irish Film & Television Academy | Irish Film & Television Awards". Irish Film & Television Academy. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- ^ "IFTA Winners Announced". Irish Film and Television Network. 12 February 2007. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- ^ "Winners of the 5th Annual Irish Film & Television Awards | Irish Film & Television Academy | Irish Film & Television Awards". Irish Film & Television Academy. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- ^ "Winners of the 6th Annual Irish Film & Television Awards | Irish Film & Television Academy | Irish Film & Television Awards". Irish Film & Television Academy. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
- ^ "Irish Film & Television Awards Winners Announced". Irish Film and Television Network. 21 February 2010. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
- ^ Daly, Susan (11 January 2011). "IFTA nominations: Where have all the actresses gone?". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
- ^ "IFTA winners 2011 announced". RTÉ News. 13 February 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
- ^ "Winners of the 9th Annual Irish Film & Television Awards | Irish Film & Television Academy | Irish Film & Television Awards". Irish Film & Television Academy. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ "'What Richard Did' the Big Winner in Film at IFTA's". Screen Ireland. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ "Winners of the 11th Annual Irish Film & Television Awards | Irish Film & Television Academy | Irish Film & Television Awards". Irish Film & Television Academy. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
- ^ "Frank, Patrick's Day and Noble Amongst the Winners at this Year's IFTA Awards Ceremony". Screen Ireland. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ "IFTA 2016 Nominees and Winners". Irish Film & Television Academy. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ "A Date for Mad Mary does a double at IFTAs". RTÉ News. 9 April 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2025.
- ^ "Saoirse Ronan among IFTA nominees". RTÉ News. 12 January 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
"Irish stars savour their IFTA wins". RTÉ News. 15 February 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2025. - ^ Clarke, Sophie (18 October 2020). "All the winners at the virtual IFTA Awards". Goss.ie. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
- ^ "IFTA Film & Drama Nominees and Winners 2021". Irish Film & Television Academy. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ Becker, Kendra (12 March 2022). "The full list of winners at the 2022 IFTA Film & Drama Awards". Goss.ie. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
- ^ Yossman, K.J. (9 May 2023). "Paul Mescal, Sharon Horgan Take Home Top Prizes at the Irish Film and Television Awards". Variety. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
- ^ Szalai, George (20 April 2024). "Cillian Murphy, 'Kin' Season 2 Among Irish Film & Television Awards Winners". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
- ^ Frost, Caroline (15 February 2025). "Cillian Murphy, Demi Moore, Ralph Fiennes Winners At IFTA Awards (Complete Winners List)". Deadline. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
- ^ Ritman, Alex (20 January 2026). "Jessie Buckley, Cillian Murphy and Daniel Day-Lewis Nominated for Irish Academy Awards". Variety. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
External links
- IFTA.ie (official IFTA website)