Ireland: RTÉ switches to national final for Eurovision 2022; Submission period opens

Saturday, 18 September 2021

• The Irish national broadcaster, RTE, has confirmed that they will be switching to a national final in order to determine the Eurovision 2022 representative and entry. 

  RTE announced last evening during the Late Late Show that they will be opting for a televised national final in order to select the Irish ESC 2022 hopeful, marking the country's return to a national selection since 2015. 

  Following Ireland's recent poor results in the competition, past participants and acts had came forward asking for a return of a televised show that will determine the country's hopeful, giving the public the power to influence the final decision. Notably, the Eurovision record winning nation has achieved only once to reach the Grand final since RTE swtiched to an internal selections. Namely the country qualified to the final with  Ryan O’Shaughnessy in 2016, marking the first time since the 2013 contest in Malmo. 

  Thus, the broadcaster has released the rules and terms of the national selection, making an open call to composers and acts interested to compete for the right to represent Ireland at the forthcoming Eurovision Song Contest, to send in their songs no later than October 22, 2021. All applicants must send in their music proposals through the the online form on www.rte.ie/eurovision.

  Entries will be considered by a panel of music and entertainment industry professionals and Eurovision fans. Selected artists may be invited to audition in the RTÉ studios in Dublin. A shortlist of songs and artists will subsequently be invited to perform live on television early in 2022 on a "Eurovision Late Late Show Special" during the winner will be chosen to represent Ireland with the publi having a say to the final outcome of the competition. 

   

  Ireland in Eurovision

  Ireland is a country of records when it comes to the Eurovison Song Contest. It has participated 54 times since making its debut at the 1965 contest in Naples and has won the competition 7 times, more than any other country. (1970, 1980, 1988, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996). It is the only country that has won the contest three successive years (1992, 1993, 1994) while Dublin is the only city to have hosted the event two consecutive years. (1994,1995).

  During the decade of 90’s the country had a row of 4 vicotries in a 5 year time  (1993, 1994, 1995 and 1997) and Dublin became host city three times.Irish act Johnny Logan is the only one to have won the contest twice (1980, 1987).

  In 2018 the country selected internally  Ryan O’Shaughnessy to represent the country with his song Together, which finished 16th in the grand final, marking the country's first qualification to the final since 2013. In 2019 internally selected  Sarah McTernan represented the country with her entry “22” which failed to qualify to the grand final.

  Lesley Roy was selected to represent the nation in Rotterdam for Eurovision 2020 with the song "Story of my life" but never reached the stage as the contest was cancelled due to the covid-19 pandemic. Lesley was reinvited for the 2021 edition in Rotterdam where she performed "Maps" which sadly finished in the last place of the 1st Semi Final. 

   

  News Source: RTE 

  Photo:  EBU / ANDRES PUTTING