Bray comedian Seán Nolan has been announced as the winner of the RTÉ Two New Comedy Awards.
The final of the six-part RTÉ Two series was filmed at the Sugar Club and broadcast on Tuesday night June 4, with Nolan receiving a trophy and cheque for €5,000 after the judging panel chose him as the winner.
Nolan, who has been doing stand-up for less than a year-and-a-half, said: "I'm genuinely surprised and shocked to have won the competition; it was full of great acts.
"It was a brilliant experience performing in front of a big crowd, expert judges and, of course, the cameras, all of which encourages you to raise your game."
He added: "In terms of what comes next, I'll just keep working away, writing jokes like I've been doing.
"I'm in the Laughter Lounge later this week and then I'm over to London on 22 June to do a gig with Sara Pascoe, Abandoman and Brendan Dempsey which I'm very excited about."
Bill Malone, Channel Controller for RTÉ Two and a member of the judging panel, said: "The RTÉ Two New Comedy Awards gave emerging stand ups the opportunity to stand up on a national stage.
"On the night the judges were torn between three possible winners, with Seán Nolan's distinct, brave, original style ultimately winning out. The sheer volume and quality of material and gags performed and written by Seán set him apart from the other competitors.
"Ireland punches well above its weight internationally when it comes to comedy. Breaking and supporting new talent and new comedy is a vital public service role of RTÉ Two and down through the years featured then unknowns such as Jason Byrne, Dara O Briain, PJ Gallagher and Des Bishop. I look forward to adding the name Seán Nolan to that list."
The other finalists in the competition were: Tom O'Mahony, Andrea Farrell, Niamh Marron, Colm Tyrrell, Trevor Browne, Al Porter and Kevin McGahern. The series was produced by Tusk Productions for RTÉ and was presented by Bernard O'Shea and Jennifer Maguire.
Joining Malone on the judging panel were Syeda Irtizaali, Commissioning Editor for Channel 4 (Alan Carr Chatty Man, The Million Pound Drop, The Last Leg with Adam Hill) and Mia Claire Cross, Associate Producer (Live at the Apollo, Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow, Stand Up for the Week, 8 out of 10 Cats).
