At a reception to announce the annual event called John Ford Ireland, Clint Eastwood was bestowed with the first John Ford Award. This award was presented to him as Eastwood was deemed to best represent Ford’s legacy.

John Ford Ireland will be an annual event in Dublin, beginning in June 2012. The symposium will celebrate the legacy and work of Irish-American film director John Ford, who was responsible for such films as The Searchers, The Quiet Man, How Green Was My Valleyand The Grapes of Wrath. John Ford Ireland will feature a series of screenings, exhibitions, discussions, master classes, lectures and public interviews designed to educate, inform and inspire participants by providing insight into the experiences of specially invited guest speakers.

It is not yet known if Clint Eastwood will attend the event in June. On reception of the award, Eastwood said that he was honoured. He said, “This is a great privilege for me because any kind of association with John Ford is most directors' dream as he was certainly a pioneer of US film-making.” Irish Ambassador to the US, Michael Collins, said that the selection of Eastwood “drew a direct line between two of Hollywood's greatest and most inspirational figures.”