RTÉ announces Ireland’s participation in Eurovision 2025, opening song submissions until November 18. The broadcaster seeks accomplished songwriters and performers to represent the country in Basel, Switzerland.
Ireland has officially confirmed its participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, to be held in Basel, Switzerland. RTÉ, the Irish national broadcaster, has opened the song submission window, inviting talented songwriters and performers to compete for the chance to represent Ireland on the global stage.
Ireland is the 32nd country so far to express interest in participating in Eurovision 2025, following Austria, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Italy, Iceland, Estonia, Belgium, United Kingdom, Georgia, Germany, Denmark, Greece, Israel, Luxembourg, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Malta, Norway, San Marino, Slovenia, Spain, Serbia, Portugal, Finland, Czech Republic, France, Cyprus, Croatia, Sweden, and the host country Switzerland.
Michael Kealy, Ireland’s Head of Delegation, expressed enthusiasm for the upcoming contest, highlighting the success of their 2024 entry. “Our 2024 entry Bambie Thug bewitched audiences and came sixth at the Eurovision in May in Malmo – it was Ireland’s best result since 2000,” he stated. Kealy elaborated on Bambie Thug’s success: “Bambie’s song ‘Doomsday Blue’ has had over 24 million streams to date on Spotify. Their performance at the Grand Final has had 9.4 million views on Eurovision’s official YouTube channel.”
Submission Guidelines and Selection Process
RTÉ has outlined strict guidelines for submissions:
- Entries must be in MP3 192kbps format and professionally recorded
- Songs must not exceed 3 minutes in length
- Each songwriter may only submit one entry (including co-writes)
- Songs must be original and not released or performed publicly before September 1, 2024
- The deadline for submissions is 6 pm on November 18, 2024
Anyone interested in submitting a song that complies with the guidelines is invited to do so using the following link – Click here!
A panel of music industry professionals and/or Eurovision fans will evaluate the entries. Shortlisted artists may be invited to audition at RTÉ studios in Dublin and perform on television in early 2025 for the final selection.
National Final Format
RTÉ plans to use a televised national final to select the Irish entry for Basel. In recent years, this national final was held as part of RTÉ’s talk show, “The Late Late Show.” However, reports suggest that RTÉ is considering separating the Eurosong national selection from “The Late Late Show” for the first time since 2008, potentially holding it at the University Concert Hall in Limerick.
Ireland’s Eurovision Ambitions
Kealy emphasized the life-changing potential of Eurovision participation: “Eurovision is an amazing opportunity for any Irish act to catapult themselves onto the world stage. Representing your country and performing at Eurovision is an experience unlike any other and can open doors beyond your imagination.” He encouraged ambitious artists, saying, “If you think you have what it takes to be our Irish representative in Basel next year, we’d love to hear from you!”
Ireland in Eurovision 2024
Bambie Thug represented Ireland at Eurovision 2024 with the song “Doomsday Blue.” The song was chosen through the national pre-selection. Ireland advanced to the final after placing third in the first semi-final with 124 points, and in the grand final, they finished sixth with 278 points.
This marks the first time since 2018 that Ireland has qualified for the final, and it is the country’s best result since 2000.
Source: RTÉ.
Eurovision 2025: This will be Ireland’s 58th participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Ireland joined the competition in 1965 and has won it seven times over the years, holding the record for most wins alongside Sweden. Ireland’s last victory was in Eurovision 1996 with the song “The Voice” performed by singer Eimear Quinn.
