IRELAND’S Academy Award-winning animator has described the feeling of collecting his Oscar for visual effects on blockbuster film Avatar as “an incredibly surreal moment”.

President Mary McAleese has congratulated the Irish winner of an Oscar for best visual effects in screen blockbuster 'Avatar'.

An Academy award-winning animator today described the feeling of collecting his Oscar for visual effects on blockbuster film 'Avatar'.

Arts Minister Martin Cullen led tributes to animator Richard Baneham today after he won the Oscar for best visual effects on the blockbuster film 'Avatar'.

Dubliner Richard Baneham has won an Oscar for his work on visual effects on 'Avatar', but it was director Kathryn Bigelow and 'The Hurt Locker' who emerged as the victors from the battle of the blockbusters at the awards ceremony in Los Angeles last night.

A COLLEGE in the Dublin suburb of Ballyfermot, which has been inextricably linked with this year’s Hollywood Oscars, yesterday previewed four potential winners.

Ireland's Richard Baneham was honoured at the Bafta awards last night, when Avatar won for special effects.

TWO Irishmen were last night toasting possible Oscar success after they were nominated for their work on Avatar and Star Trek.