A former titan of Eurovision, it’s been tough of late for Ireland at the contest. Like their neighbours the United Kingdom, they have struggled to make an impact at recent contests. Following two last places in the semi-finals in a row, RTE have changed tack in their selection process and have returned to a national selection show for the first time since 2015.
The national final comes in the form of a Eurovision special Ireland’s long running talk show, The Late Late show. Six artists are competing and voting will be a mix of local jury, international jury and public vote.
The favourite: Brooke Scullion “That’s Rich”
From my own listen of the 6 music videos, and also the general feeling from fan polls and YouTube tops and reactions, this is the one to beat – certainly before we have seen them performed live maybe. It feels like the most modern of the songs, and (maybe with one exception), the least bland. Live performance and staging are of course very important, but at this moment, I’d feel this had the best chance to qualify for the Eurovision final.
The returning artist: Brendan Murray “Real Love”
The only artist among the six that has been to Eurovision before, Brendan was Ireland’s internally selected representative in 2017, where his song “Dying to Try” finished 13th in the semi-final (and failed to qualify for the final). He’s back with another ballad, but I very much doubt that this will stand out in either the national selection or, if it somehow won, at the contest itself.