The winner of the IFTA Lifetime Achievement Award Morgan O'Sullivan praised the host of the ceremony, Simon Delaney.
In an interview with the RTÉ Guide prior to the IFTA's, Delaney said: "People think I'm going to give it the Ricky Gervais treatment but that's just not me, if they wanted that kind of host they came to the wrong man.
"We want to make it a great show, enjoyable and entertaining and at the end of the day, it's a celebration of everything and everyone that's good in Irish Film and Television."
O'Sullivan also referred to Ricky Gervais controversial turn as host of this year's Golden Globes awards.
During his eloquent speech, where he thanked those who supported him during his illustrious career, he said: "Do you think we could get the Emmy's [but meaning the Golden Globes] done from here and get Simon to do it instead of the other guy? I didn't think he was that good."
