Among the many stars who came to celebrate, it was the triumvirate from the west, who founded the Druid Theatre Company in 1975, who stole the show, writes Catherine Foley.
The three long-time friends and collaborators, Marie Mullen, Garry Hynes and Mick Lally, had 30 years of memories and successes to celebrate at The Irish Times-ESB Theatre Awards in the Burlington Hotel this week.
Hynes, who was presented with the Special Tribute Award: "never stops searching and delving and digging into a script", said actor Mick Lally, who was at the awards with his wife, Peige.
"You come along and think you have a scene grand, and she's there gnawing and scraping away at it to see if there are other nuances, and half the time she's right. She's very slow to give into satisfaction."
Marie Mullen, who was presented with the Best Actress award for her parts in the DruidSynge productions of The Tinker's Wedding and The Well of the Saints by John Millington Synge, said Hynes "is terribly dedicated and inspired by the work that she is doing. She works very hard and with the actors she just gets involved in the thing."
Hynes was joined at the awards by her mother, Carmel Hynes, her brother Jerome, chief executive of the Wexford Opera Festival and deputy chair of the Arts Council, and a number of other family members.
According to Garry Hynes: "it's very hard to say" which is the most challenging play she has ever worked on, because in a new play, "you are testing every moment of it", while in a classic "you are aware of its history.
"They all present their own particular challenges."
Another Druid winner was Aisling O'Sullivan, who played the Widow Quinn in the DruidSynge production of The Playboy of the Western World by Synge.
She was presented with the Best Supporting Actress trophy designed by Andrew Clancy.
Rough Magic Theatre Company scooped three awards, with the company's artistic director Lynne Parker taking the house by storm when she won the Best Director trophy for her handling of two plays including one entitled Heavenly Bodies, by her late uncle Stewart Parker, and the Rough Magic company's production, in association with Dublin Theatre Festival, of Improbable Frequency.
This play, which was written by Arthur Riordan and Bell Helicopter, also won the Best Production award.
Parker who has directed over 60 plays since she started in 1984, said of the two plays: "I loved doing both of them. I was absolutely passionate about them. And it's a particular pleasure for me to direct Stewart's work."
Rough Magic also won the Best Costume Designer award for Kathy Strachan's work in Improbable Frequency. Strachan won for her work also in DruidSynge's production of The Playboy of the Western World.
"This is brilliant," said Strachan when she accepted her award, going on to thank her husband and children for "putting up with my absenteeism".
A total of 12 awards was presented on the night. Among the revellers at the ceremony were Paul Fahy, the new artistic director of the Galway Arts Festival; Rose Parkinson, the festival's outgoing artistic director and Stephen Brennan, who opens in Rough Magic's production of The Life of Galileo by Bertolt Brecht at the Project later this week.
The writer and playwright Dermot Bolger won the Best New Play award for his play, From These Green Heights, and Dieter Kaegi, artistic director of Opera Ireland, won the Best Opera Production award for Orfeo ed Euridice.
This production, directed by David Bolger, has now been invited to go to Wiesbaden in Germany to take part in one of the most prestigious opera music festivals in the world, The May Festival, said Kaeigi.
Frank McCusker, who has been nominated four times in the past, won the award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Stuart Carolan's play, Defender of the Faith, at the Peacock.
The Peacock Theatre was again to the fore when Monica Frawley picked up the award for Best Set Designer for the Abbey's production of Heavenly Bodies there.
Ian Scott was presented with the Best Lighting Designer award for his work on Observe the Sons of Ulster marching towards the Somme by Frank McGuinness at the Abbey.
"It's the strangest award of the night," said Michael James Forde, when he picked up the Judges Special Award for the work carried out in Bewley's Café Theatre, which has now closed.
The award "is for all of you who've braved the rigours of that space", he said in his acceptance speech. "It's a great honour. We're truly happy, truly delighted," he said.