An eclectic mix of acts are vying for their chance to represent Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest and follow in the footsteps of Cork native Bambie Thug, who finished sixth in last year’s edition in Malmo, Sweden.
The winner of Friday’s Eurosong will become Ireland’s entry for the song contest this May in Basle, Switzerland.
Eurosong will be broadcast from The Late Late Show studio on Friday at 9.35pm, with a three-way vote (international jury, national jury, public vote) selecting the Irish entry.
Host Patrick Kielty is brimming with optimism in advance of his second year presenting this Late Late special, and hopeful that one of the six contenders performing on Friday night may bring the trophy home once more.
Late Late Eurosong contenders hope to repeat Bambie Thug’s Eurovision success
The Late Late Show Eurosong special 2025: When is it on, who are the acts, who picks the winner and more
TV guide: the best new shows to watch, starting tonight
Ireland’s 2025 Eurovision entry: The six Eurosong acts vying to represent Ireland
Pointing to “the quality of acts that we have here, the quality of venues ...”, the Co Down comedian says RTÉ could pull out all the stops and “put on a show” worth talking about if Ireland were given the chance to host the Eurovision.
Regarding Israel’s inclusion in the song contest and the boycotts that took place last year, Kielty says “there’s huge emotions and big issues that are involved”.
Decisions on them are not for him to make, Kielty insists: “That’s up to the acts ... up to RTÉ, that’s up to the EBU [European Broadcasting Union]. I’m not hosting Eurovision, I’m hosting Eurosong.”
In response to concerns about the welfare of Eurovision contenders in light of last year’s controversies, Kielty says the competition is about “spreading the love and spreading the fun” and “anything that can be done to help that is a good idea”.
Limerick singer NIYL, who is sporting an avant-garde red dress by Irish designer Megan McGuigan’s brand Solstice, describes his look as “pagan cyberpunk druid”.
“Paganism is always something that I’ve always been really inspired by ... I used to think I was a witch, I used to have rune’s carved into my doors. My parents were worried but that kind of grew into something a bit more mature.”
The singer saya his experience on The Voice of Ireland 10 years ago will stand to him in gaining the vote for his song Growth.
Bobbi Arlo is keen to dispel comparisons between herself and Bambie Thug, but takes them as a compliment.
“Bambie’s the coolest person in the whole world but clearly we’re very different people,” says Arlo. The electropop vocalist thinks people will realise this when watching her performance of Powerplay on Friday.
In Arlo’s opinion, an Irish boycott of Eurovision would be a mistake. “If I’m honest, I think if we didn’t send an act to Eurovision, we would be one less peacekeeping country in the mix. It’s essential that we send someone and we send someone that is actively a peacekeeping person.”
The Gweedore singer Adgy, whose real name is Andrew Carr, is no stranger to the Eurosong, having competed in 2023. This time he is joined by his sister Jennie, who he calls his “lucky charm”. But that’s not the only lucky charm on hand, the sibling duo will be wearing matching gold pendants of St Christopher given to them by their mother when they perform Run into the Night.
“I learned a lot from that [2023] experience,” says Adgy. “Going through it once you know what you’re getting yourself into when you come back again. This time the approach is definitely completely different.”
Norwegian singer Emmy is on Irish soil for the first time to perform her entry for this year’s Eurosong: Laika Party. As whimsical and spacey as the song’s inspiration, that of the Soviet space dog blasted into orbit aboard Sputnik 2, Emmy says she has been singing her “whole life”. She says she feels honoured to be vying to represent “the king of Eurovision” – a reference to Ireland’s seven wins, a record held jointly with Sweden.
Emmy is not discouarged by the fact that she is an outsider to Eurosong: “I think it’s more about what message and what song the people of a country want to send rather than who sings it.”
Los Angeles-based Dublin-born singer Samantha Mumba says she is looking forward to her reunion with Kielty. The Late Late host shares the sentiment: “I had her on the BBC chatshow years ago so I’m looking forward to catching up with her.” Mumba will perform her power ballad My Way, a song which she is “really proud of”.
Galway’s Reylta hopes to bring figurative Fire to Basle. The singer reveals that an Irish version of her Celtic pop-meets-angst folk tune is in the works. A “targeted ad on Instagram” is to thank for her entry into this year’s Eurosong.
The Late Late Eurosong Special airs on Friday, February 7th, at 9:35pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player
- Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Listen to our Inside Politics podcast for the best political chat and analysis
