RTÉ has announced that Ireland’s entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 will again be selected through an episode of the Late Late Show. The special episode, ‘The Eurosong Late Late Special,’ will air live in early 2023.
In their announcement, RTÉ outlines what they are seeking in an entry:
- A “contemporary” artist who is “an accomplished songwriter with a proven track record of success in the music industry.”
- A song with a performer already attached. The performer must be ready to perform in front of a massive audience.
- Performers must also have “intrinsic and obvious appeal to the core youth audiences who make up a significant amount of Eurovision viewers and fans.”
RTÉ notes that they also may extend invitations toward established artists and/or songwriters to compete.
“This is a rare and valuable opportunity for artists and songwriters to gain exposure on a global scale,” RTÉ’s announcement states, “the rewards for achieving a top ten result in the final can be significant and as a result the competition attracts top professional talent from all over the world.”
Applications are now open — you may submit a song here, until the deadline on the 28th of October 2022.
Last year marked the return of the Eurosong Special after a long stretch of internal selections (2016-2022). Brooke Scullion’s That’s Rich won the public voting portion of last year’s special, ensuring that she would fly the flag for Ireland in Turin. Brooke ultimately came 15th in Semi Final 2, unfortunately failing to qualify.
Ireland has not qualified for the Grand Final since 2018, when Ryan O’Shaughnessy’s Together came 16th. Together remains the best Irish result since 2011.
It is hoped that Ireland’s recent dire fortunes can turn around — check out our previous article citing Brooke’s opinions on how Ireland can improve at the Contest!
Are #YOU happy to hear about the return of the Eurosong Late Late Special? How do you think Ireland can achieve better results at the Contest? Let us know down in the comments below, our forum, discord, or on our social media, @ESCUnited!
