Ireland was once the ruler of Eurovision. We still hold the record for the most victories: seven wins including three consecutive wins.
We have also achieved second place four times and third once.
But in recent years, we haven’t been doing so well. But 2023 is a new year and we have brand new group of hopefuls ready to represent Ireland.
The finalists selected will perform on a special Late Late Show on Friday, February 3rd, where the winner will be chosen by a combination of National Jury, International Jury, and Public vote.
Here who is in the lineup to represent Ireland.
ADGY
ADGY (Andrew Carr) will perform his self-penned song Too Good For Your Love. He wrote it as a piano ballad during the lockdown and is a collaboration with producer Boksay.
The two artists worked together remotely in creating the final version of this song, which is described as “an upbeat high-tempo dance track”.
ADGY is a singer-songwriter from Co.Donegal, whose music career took off in 2020 when he signed a record deal for his release Like You Do with Universal Music Group. Since then, ADGY has released music that has accumulated over 10 million streams globally across streaming platforms and radio.
He says: “I’ve been a songwriter for as long as I can remember, and I’ve written for lots of artists, as well as myself. But it’s my dream to perform live on stage in front of a large audience and I hope to do more of that this year.”
CONNOLLY
Meet Leitir Meailláin’s Jennifer Connolly was just 17 years old. She wrote Midnight Summer Night is a track that was written one night during the pandemic.
Currently, in her 1st year of Creative Music Production in IADT/Sound Training College in Dublin, Jennifer says she has had a passion for music since she was a young child, and that this song plays with themes of nostalgia and the passing of time through her vocals.
“The song conveys confusion and overwhelming detachment, but overall. the song implies that nothing bad lasts forever, delivering a sense of hope. To be in with a chance to share my song on such a legendary platform as Eurovision is amazing. It would be nothing less than a dream come true to bring Eurovision back home for Ireland once again,” she explains.
Wild Youth
We all know Wild Youth. The four-piece band from Dublin have a string of top hits in Ireland and have toured with names including Niall Horan, Lewis Capaldi, and Westlife.
On top of their own sold-out tours of the UK and Ireland, Conor O’Donohoe from the band has also written a string of top hits for other artists, and co-written with Moncrief and The Script.
Their song, We are One was written in Sweden with Grammy-nominated songwriter Jörgen Elofsson.
Wild Youth says: “We are so delighted to be here. Eurovision is something we have always loved and would love to represent our country. We hope that everyone loves the song that we’ve written and believe we can be the band to represent Ireland this year.”
Leila Jane
Leila Jane is an Indie Pop singer-songwriter based in Dublin who was described as ‘’One to watch’’ by Late Date’s Cathal Murray.
Imelda May selected her to be the recipient of the ‘Imelda May Scholarship’ at BIMM Institute Dublin, where she graduated with a first-class honours music degree.
For her track, Wild, she teamed up with Liis Hainla, an Estonian songwriter, Finnish producer Arto Ruotsala, and British songwriter Aaron Sibley.
“All Eurovision songs need a strong message and ‘Wild’ is an empowering song about the strength of a woman’s spirit,” Leila Jane says. ‘Wild’ represents my love of the creative freedom I have here in Ireland. It would be an absolute honour to show Eurovision what Ireland’s got!”
K Muni & ND
Down in the Rain by Longford duo K Muni & ND is described by the artists as a testament to their determination.
The song chronicles a difficult period in their careers when their music wasn’t getting the attention they believed it deserved. Through Down in the Rain, the artists encourage listeners to never give up on their aspirations no matter how tough the road may seem.
“It would mean the world to us to represent Ireland,” they say. “We remember watching Eurovision as kids with our families, so to think we could have the people of Ireland, our people, tuned in to cheer us and our country on is incredible.”
Public Image Limited
Public Image Limited celebrated their 40 Anniversary in 2018 and are fronted by former Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon.
Public Image Limited’s music has earned them 5 UK Top 20 singles and 5 UK Top 20 albums. Hawaii is a love letter to John Lydon’s wife of nearly five decades, Nora, who is living with Alzheimer’s.
Described as “a pensive, personal yet universal love song that will resonate with many”, the song sees John reflecting on one of their happiest moments together in Hawaii.
According to the band, the emotional ballad is as close as John (whose mother was from Co Cork and father came from Galway), will ever come to bearing his soul.
“It is dedicated to everyone going through tough times on the journey of life, with the person they care for the most,” John says. “It’s also a message of hope that ultimately love conquers all.”
Tune into the Late Late Show special on Friday, February 3rd
