The Irish Film and Television Academy has announced that guests at its awards ceremony on April 5 will include Neil Jordan, Jim Sheridan, Steve Coogan, Will Forte, Jeremy Irons, Jack Huston and Colm Meaney, Variety said.

Nominees include Saoirse Ronan, Michael Fassbender, Jamie Dornan, Eva Birthistle, Colin Farrell, Andrew Scott, Amy Huberman, Liam Cunningham, Fionnula Flanagan, Brendan Gleeson, Victoria Smurfit, Tom Vaughan Lawlor, Domhnall Gleeson and Deirdre O’Kane.

The President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, is to receive an honorary award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the Irish film and television industry.

As the Minister for Arts and more recently as President, Higgins has transformed the industry through a range of initiatives from tax incentives to training, and the re-establishment of the Irish Film Board, which led to an injection of investment and the creation of thousands of jobs.

Aine Moriarty, academy chief executive, stated: “The academy is proud to pay tribute to President Higgins, who has shown the Irish industry unwavering support over many years as a creative artist in his own right, as the Minister for Arts, a dynamic leader, and as President of Ireland.”

Recent major international productions to bring large scale investment to Ireland include “Vikings,” “Ripper Street” and “Penny Dreadful.”