After criticism from many who demanded moving the Eurovision national selection from the stage of “The Late Late Show” to a larger and more appropriate stage, the head of the Irish delegation to Eurovision discusses the obstacles and explains why this hasn’t happened yet.
Following the confirmation by Michael Kealy, head of the Irish delegation to Eurovision, that Ireland’s national selection for Eurovision 2025 will again take place as part of “The Late Late Show”, significant criticism was heard from contest enthusiasts and former Eurovision contestants regarding the decision. “The Late Late Show” has broadcast the national selection for the past three years, as well as from 2006-2007 and 2009 to 2015. Now, Kealy addresses the claims and clarifies his desire to separate the selection from the talk show, discussing the obstacles and explaining why this hasn’t happened yet.
Sound Issues and Performance Limitations Highlighted by Past Contestants
Erica-Cody, who competed last year in the national contest and placed fourth with “Love Me Like I Do”, sharply criticized sound problems that affected her performance quality, stating, “The sound from the broadcast compared to the room was very different.”
Charlie McGettigan, 1994 Eurovision winner with “Rock ‘n’ Roll Kids”, supported moving the Eurosong to a larger venue, such as Dublin’s Bord Gáis Energy Theatre. McGettigan noted, “‘The Late Late’ is fine for most music acts but Eurovision has become such an enormous event. It’s difficult to pass judgement on a Eurovision entry in such a small performance space in comparison with the actual Eurovision.”
Ryan O’Shaughnessy, who reached 16th place in the 2018 Eurovision final with “Together”, claimed the current format deters singers from participating: “It puts a lot of people off doing it because the sound isn’t great. They don’t seem to tailor the vocal effects to individual singers. They use the same effect on every vocal. But every vocalist needs a different microphone and mix.”
Plans for Future Changes and Financial Constraints
an interview with an Irish podcast, Kealy seems to understand the issues raised by the artists and expresses his own desire to change the format. He clarifies that his resources are limited, and the change won’t happen in the coming year: “It’s still going to be Eurosong (2025) on The Late Late Show, I’m afraid.” Kealy explains that the reasons for not producing a separate Eurovision selection at this stage are primarily financial, but declared: “Obviously that won’t happen in 2025. I would be hopeful that 2026 is the year that we get to do that.”
Kealy claims that a financial scandal and corruption exposed at the Irish national broadcaster in June 2023, in which “The Late Late Show” host Ryan Turbidy was paid hundreds of thousands of euros more than publicly declared, leading to the resignation of CEO Dee Forbes, is one of the factors that prevented the separation of the selection from the talk show already in 2024, and delayed the entire process.
Leadership Transition and Future Prospects
The delegation head also took responsibility for Ireland’s lack of success in recent years, stating that he has been in charge of Eurovision in Ireland for a long time. He said that after this year’s event, he plans to hand over the reins to Clare Hughes, who was appointed last month as the head of the Irish delegation to Eurovision and serves alongside Kealy. He says: “It’s a privilege to work on Eurovision, but I feel a bit guilty doing it all myself. Clare is a big Eurovision fan which certainly helps, but I think she will be a great addition to Team Ireland, and definitely a great addition to me in the run-up to Basel in Switzerland next year. I only hope that whoever succeeds me – whether it’s Clare or someone else – gets to enjoy a bit more success than I have had over the years I’ve been involved.”
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: Eurotrip.
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.
