Winning for work including the harrowing Trocaire 'interview' TV spot highlighting child labour issues and the 'Dublin Coastal Development' viral campaign featuring a hoax online pitch and faked planning permission notices on Sandymount Strand (for a development on artificial islands in Dublin Bay), the awards will burnish the agency's reputation.

Hot on its heels was Publicis QMP with seven bells, for work including spots for Meteor 'stuff ' and posters for TG4 and the Hugh Lane Gallery.

With five bells each, Leo Burnett and Irish International BBDO were joint thirdplace overall winners. Awards were also scooped up by Cawley Nea/TBWA, McConnells, Owens DDB, Atalier David and Ican.

The awards ceremony, which is solely for Irish work, brought together some 250 eager AdLanders in Dublin's Liberty Hall on Thursday night.

The juries organised by the Institute of Creative Advertising and Design, sponsors of the awards, were said to be especially selective this year, accepting only 50 entries.

Last year saw 80 entries.

"We believe ICAD should always be the award that sets the standard for creativity here in Ireland, " said Ian Doherty, ICAD president and managing director of Dublin agency Bonfire.

The quality of Irish advertising was paid a more backhanded compliment by comedian Colin Murphy, who hosted the awards. "There was a time when you'd see Irish ads stuck in between English ads and go, 'uuuh, '" Murphy . . . a former ICAD winner himself for illustration . . . told the crowd.

Not all ads drew his praise however. Road safety ads, ads for Bord na Mona and the generic "cheese" ad drew his ire. Not, it must be said, without reason.