Continental Irish Car of the Year for announcement this afternoon

The big day has finally arrived when the Continental Irish Car of the Year 2015, and Continental Irish Van of the Year 2015 will be revealed at a gala event in The Marker Hotel, Grand Canal Square in Dublin, writes Trish Whelan.

The Awards are organised by the Irish Motoring Writers Association (IMWA) and are sponsored by Continental Tyres. This is the 38th year of the Awards.

From a field of some 39 candidates, 14 made the shortlist for the Awards. These include the Alfa Romeo 4C, BMW 2 Series, BW 2 Series Active Tourer, Citroen C1, Citroen Cactus, Citroen Grand C4 Picasso, Hyundai i10, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Mercedes-Benz GLA, Nissan Qashqai, Nissan X-Trail, Peugeot 308, Peugeot RCZ R, and Toyota Ago.

The winner will be known at around 5.30 this afternoon and will be on display to the general public on a podium outside the hotel. Irish Car+Travel will be reporting directly from the event.

Tom Dennigan of Continental Tyres Ireland, and Austin Shinnors, Chairman of the IMWA, are pictured outside The Marker Hotel.

Note: Brian Byrne and Trish Whelan are voting members of The Irish Motoring Writers Association (IMWA).