A new year has arrived, and with it, renewed hopes for Ireland at Eurovision. For the past decade, the country has struggled immensely to compete on the Eurovision stage — indeed, only one Irish entry has qualified to the Grand Final in the last nine years (Ryan O’Shaughnessy’s Together in 2018).
Despite its status as the country with the most Eurovision wins in history, Ireland’s glory days are well and truly in the past. Sadly, fans in the 21st century have had to bear witness to a sharp decline in the country’s success, with Ireland becoming one of the worst performing nations in the modern Contest. Last year, dreams of qualification were again crushed when Brooke’s That’s Rich failed to advance from Semi-Final 2.
However, the success of Sophie Lennon in the Junior Eurovision Contest — who reached a wonderful 4th place finish — may serve to inspire hope. Ireland need not be consigned to underwhelming results in the adult Contest forever; but will Irish fortunes change for the better this year?
Six artists will compete for the Irish ticket to Liverpool in ‘The Late Late Eurosong Special’ on the 3rd of February. Without further ado, here are the songs hoping to represent Ireland in Liverpool this May!
Midnight Summer Night – CONNOLLY
Connolly is an up-and-coming Irish artist with an indie sound. Check out her entry Midnight Summer Night!
We Are One – Wild Youth
Wild Youth have not been quiet about their interest in Eurovision this season, tweeting to Irish Head of Delegation Michael Kealy back in June. The Dublin-based pop group have supported acts such as Niall Horan, Mumford and Sons, The Script and Westlife. With over 10 million streams on Spotify, the band have a considerable fan base to support them in their endeavour.
Wild Youth’s Eurosong entry We Are One can be heard in full here.
Down in the Rain – K Muni and ND
Next up, we have a rap track, a fresh sound to hear in Eurosong. The song Down in the Rain is by K Muni, MD, and Academy Records, who are based in County Longford. The song is described by the artists as a “testament to their dedication,” in the face of adversity.
Too Good For Your Love – ADGY
ADGY (Andrew Carr) is an upcoming Irish singer-songwriter with an interest in EDM, Indie-Pop and folk. On his website, he lists influences such as Sam Smith, Bastille, The 1975, Lana Del Rey and Lewis Capaldi. His entry is a collaboration with producer Boksay, and was originally conceptualised as a piano ballad. ADGY has achieved success already in his career, with 10 million streams recorded across radio and various streaming platforms.
You can listen to Too Good For Your Love here.
Wild – Leila Jane
Leila Jane is a Dublin-based alternative/indie artist, originally from Donegal. She has taken heavy inspiration from blues songs, but also incorporates aspects of indie, soul, folk and pop. Described by Hot Press magazine as delivering “the sultry folk of Karen Dalton,” Leila has supported Chris Shiflett of the Foo Fighters, and received a scholarship from Imelda May at BIMM Institute Dublin. She has also performed at festivals such as Glastonbury and Electric Picnic.
Hawaii – Public Image LTD
Finally, the last slot on the line-up is taken by the band Public Image LTD. PiL are an English post-punk band, formed by former Sex Pistols’ singer John Lydon. Throughout runs between 1978-1992 and 2009 to present, PiL have landed five UK Top 20 singles and 5 UK Top 20 albums.
The six chosen entries will battle it out for Ireland’s ticket to Liverpool on ‘The Late Late Eurosong Special,’ taking place sometime early this year.
What do #YOU think of Ireland’s Eurovision 2023 options? Are you expecting a turnaround of Irish fortunes at the Contest this year? Let us know down below in the comments, on social media @ESCUnited, on our Forum, or on our Discord!
