One month on from Wild Youth taking to the Eurovision stage in Liverpool, RTÉ has confirmed that Ireland will again take part in 2024. Song submissions have been opened already — if you would like the opportunity to represent Ireland next year, you can fill out a form on the RTÉ website.
Submissions are now open, and will close at 6pm on Friday the 29th of September 2023.
While the controversial Late Late Show national selection format is not explicitly mentioned, some kind of televised national final has been confirmed at this stage. The form notes that “a shortlist of songs and attached performers will subsequently be invited to perform on television early in 2024 when a winner will be selected to represent Ireland in accordance with a selection process to be confirmed by RTÉ.”
The form does confirm that RTÉ will again be able to extend their own invitations to established acts. “RTÉ reserves the right at any stage in the process to invite established songwriters and/or performer(s) to submit entries and to include any such entries in the shortlist of entries eligible for selection.”
Last year, Wild Youth and Public Image Ltd. were both sent directly to the Late Late Show in this manner.
Much of the criteria listed on RTÉ’s form appears to be unchanged. Guidelines returning from last year include:
- The artist must be a “contemporary […] accomplished songwriter with a proven track record of success in the music industry.”
- Performers must be experienced enough to perform in front of a massive audience. “Although we wish to encourage and identify promising new talent for the future,” RTÉ writes, “this is probably not an opportunity for beginners or people with limited or no experience of performing in public to large crowds.”
- All performers must have “intrinsic and obvious appeal to the core youth audiences who make up a significant amount of Eurovision viewers and fans.”
Unfortunately, Wild Youth came 12th in their Semi-Final this year, failing to change Ireland’s poor recent track record. Ireland has still not qualified to the Grand Final since 2018, with Ryan O’Shaughnessy’s Together from that year remaining the best Irish result since 2011.
Recently, O’Shaughnessy criticised Ireland’s continued approach, revealing that he had to assert his own vision after a creative director hired by RTÉ intended to have him emerge from an “exploding cake” during his performance. In a Twitter thread, he argued that Ireland’s delegation “needs mixing up” and that songwriting camps should be established with the goal of creating a brilliant song. He also argued that more attention needs to be given to international marketing of the song.
Irish Eurovision delegation needs mixing up, I think we should think about doing what UK did a few years back and outsource required jobs to music industry folks like myself #Eurovision2023 …
— Ryan O'Shaughnessy (@Ryan_Acoustic) May 11, 2023
“We have a language, a culture and a sound to offer the world, if we put forward a real Irish song it will resonate … Just my thoughts, rant over,” O’Shaughnessy wrote.
Only two Irish entries have qualified in the last ten years (O’Shaughnessy’s Together in 2018, and Ryan Dolan’s Only Love Survives in 2013).
Moreover, Loreen’s victory means that Sweden has now equalised two of Ireland’s prized Eurovision records — no longer is Ireland the sole holder of seven Eurovision wins, and no longer is Johnny Logan the only person to ever win the Contest twice.
Irish fans can hope that our fortunes in the Contest will somehow turn around in 2024.
What would #YOU like to see from Ireland at Eurovision 2024? Are you happy with the national final format? Let us know down in the comments below, our forum, discord, or on our social media, @ESCUnited!
