Togo, Zimbabwean and Co Clare trio Rusangano Family have won the RTÉ Choice Music Prize for their debut album Let The Dead Bury The Dead, triumphing over nine other Irish acts at the awards ceremony in Dublin's Vicar Street venue on Thursday night.  

Jonny Quinn of Snow Patrol presented the award to the multi-racial hip hop act in what was a wildly popular decision by a judging panel of Irish journalists, broadcasters and music professionals. 

Let The Dead Bury The Dead has been critically acclaimed for its socially and politically-engaged songs about modern Ireland, emigration and social problems. 

The win represents a shift in Irish musical tastes and is a another sign of Ireland's growing musical diversity. It is also the first time in the Choice Music Prize's 12-year history that the award has gone to an act largely made up of black artists. 

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The band features Ennis MC mynameisjOhn, Zimbabwean MC God Knows, and MuRli, who hails from Togo. 

Accepting the award, a very emotional MuRli said: "We are so shocked! We don't have any words and I'm an MC! We are so shocked! The one thing we have on our side is that we don't have a record label, we did everything on our own.

"We wrote that album through pain and struggle and we all work - we all go to work in the morning and we will be celebrating this win with the kids we teach in Limerick and Clare. Big up Limerick and Clare.

Click here for a gallery of this year's RTÉ Choice Music Prize

mynameisjOhn fought back tears as he said: "I have to thank my mother - a legend! My girlfriend - a legend! My sister - a legend!"

The trio are based in Limerick and Clare and all three teach for Music Generation, Ireland's National Music Education Programme which helps children and young people access vocal and instrumental tuition locally.

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Rusangano Family receive a cheque for €10,000 provided by the Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO) and the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) as well as a specially-commissioned award.

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Irish acts All Tvvins, Bantum, Wallis Bird, The Divine Comedy, Lisa Hannigan, Katie Kim, James Vincent McMorrow, Overhead, The Albatross and We Cut Corners had all been nominated for this year's prize.

Earlier in the night, Picture This, the Kildare duo of Ryan Hennessy and Jimmy Rainsford, scooped The Choice Music Song of The Year with Take My Hand in a public vote. 

Picture This won the public vote for RTÉ Choice Song of The Year

The band have enjoyed a rapid rise in the past year and they beat competition from Niall Horan, The Coronas, Walking On Cars and James Vincent McMorrow to take the prize. 

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Hare Squead, Heroes in Hiding, Raglans, Saint Sister and soulful newcomer Soulé had also been in the running for the Song of The Year Prize.

The album prize was awarded after what has been a golden year for Irish music, with the emergence of new acts, and career highs from more established artists.

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Previous winners of the Choice Music Prize Album of the Year have included Julie Feeney, Super Extra Bonus Party, two-time winner Jape, Adrian Crowley, Two Door Cinema Club, Delorentos, The Gloaming, and last year's winner, Soak.

Take a look back at all of the previous winners of the Choice Music Prize.

The Irish albums and artists who were in the running for the 2016 RTÉ Choice Music Prize were:

All Tvvins - IIVV (Warner Music)

Electro rock duo All Tvvins have been winning over legions of new fans and their debut album is proof why.

Bantum - Move (Self Released)

Cork-born musician, DJ, producer and composer Ruairí Lynch - AKA Bantum - self-released album features a host of cutting-edge homegrown acts, including Loah, Farah Elle and fellow Choice nominees Rusangano Family.

Wallis Bird - Home (Mount Silver/Caroline International)

Wallis Bird has already been nominated for the Choice Prize for her eponymous third album, back in 2013 - this time she's in contention for album number five, Home.

The Divine Comedy - Foreverland (Divine Comedy Records)

No stranger to Choice nominations and, indeed, wins. Neil Hannon is back to his best with this latest album.

Lisa Hannigan - At Swim (Hoop Recordings)

All three of her albums to date have been nominated for the Choice Music Prize - will the acclaimed At Swim be the one that finally brings it home? 

Katie Kim - Salt (Art For Blind Records)

Waterford's ambient folk-queen Katie Sullivan, AKA Katie Kim, is no longer the best kept secret in Irish music - her third studio album Salt has won well-deserved love from music fans and critics alike.

James Vincent McMorrow - We Move (Faction Records)

His third album saw reformed folkie JVMcM finding a minimalistic R&B groove, resulting in his most sonically audacious (and lyrically confessional) record to date.

Overhead, The Albatross - Learning to Growl (Self Released)

The instrumental post-rock sextet from Dublin have made a beau with their epic self-released debut album

Rusangano Family - Let The Dead Bury The Dead (Self Released)

This is a stunning debut album from the inspired hip-hop trio from Togo, Zimbabwe and Co Clare.

We Cut Corners - The Cadences Of Others (Delphi)

Dublin power duo John Duignan and Conall Breachain have really hit their stride with their third album and is a bit of gem actually.

Listen to our Choice Music Prize playlist here.

As part of the new partnership with the national broadcaster, RTÉ2 will screen a special Choice Music Prize TV programme next week.

Alan Corr @corralan