Just a few minutes ago, the final of Junior Eurovision Éire 2026 concluded in Ireland, the national selection for Junior Eurovision 2026. Three young talents from across the country took to the stage to perform Irish-language versions of different songs. Only three contestants, Caleb Kirwan, Isa-Mae Lyle and Naomi Gribben, were still in the competition, and they demonstrated their full potential in the contest final.
In a historic decision for the Irish competition, Caleb Kirwan and Naomi Gribben have been crowned the winners of Junior Eurovision Éire 2026 and will represent Ireland at the children’s festival to be held in Ta’ Qali (Malta) on 24 October. It is the first time that a duo will represent Ireland at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest. On this occasion, the professional jury decided to award victory to both superfinalists.
The pair join their voices in «Níos Láidre», the Irish entry with which Caleb Kirwan and Naomi Gribben will compete to win the crystal microphone. The song premiered just a few minutes after the broadcast of the Junior Eurovision Éire 2026 grand final.
Below are the detailed results of the Junior Eurovision Éire 2026 final:
| Running Order | Artists | Song 1 (Performer)* | Song 2 (Performer) | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Caleb Kirwan | «Halo» (Beyonce) | «Tattoo» (Loreen) [Sweden 2023] | SUPERFINALIST |
| 02 | Naomi Gribben | «If I Could Turn Back Time» (Cher) | «Why Me?» (Linda Martin) [Ireland 1992] | SUPERFINALIST |
| 03 | Isa-Mae Lyle | «Back To Black» (Amy Winehouse) | «Arcade» (Duncan Laurence) [Netherlands 2019] | 3rd |
Superfinal
| SUPERFINAL | Artists | Song (Performer)* | Niamh Ní Chróinín | Hugh Carr | Linda Martin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Caleb Kirwan | «I Will Always Love You» (Whitney Houston) | |||
| 1st | Naomi Gribben | «And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going» (Jennifer Hudson) |
The final show was full of emotion and featured the outstanding participation of three contestants who shone on stage. Isa-Mae Lyle, meanwhile, finished in third place, narrowly missing out on the superfinal. The competition is an important platform for young talents aspiring to stand out at Junior Eurovision.
This show was the last of a total of five programmes dedicated to celebrating music, joy and young talent. It was the fourth competition show held in the studio, which also offered a glimpse into the day-to-day lives of the finalists alongside their families. Louise Cantillon hosted the programme, and the jury that decided the winner was made up of Niamh Ní Chróinín, Hugh Carr and Linda Martin, Ireland’s representative in Malmö 1992 and winner of the contest.
How did Junior Eurovision Éire 2026 work? This is how Ireland chose its representative for Junior Eurovision
As TG4 confirmed to Éirevision Podcast, Junior Eurovision Éire 2026 retained the format introduced in the programme’s 9th edition, with some adjustments to its grand final. This edition consisted of four competition shows, along with an episode dedicated to the auditions, which once again filled Sunday nights on Irish television with music and talent.
Following the auditions in the first programme and two studio shows, the semi-final took place on Sunday, 27 September, where six young talents competed for one of the three places in the grand final. The professional jury was responsible for deciding who would remain in the competition.
| Programme | Date | Contestants |
|---|---|---|
| Auditions | Sunday, 13 September | Castings to select the 10 contestants |
| Heat 1 | Sunday, 20 September | 10 artists |
| Heat 2 | Thursday, 24 September | 8 artists |
| Semi-final | Sunday, 27 September | 6 semi-finalists |
| Grand final | Sunday, 4 October | 3 finalists |
The final show took place on 4 October with three finalists and consisted of two rounds. In the first, each artist performed two cover songs. Afterwards, the professional jury selected the two superfinalists, who returned to the stage to perform again one of the songs they had already sung in previous shows. Therefore, at this stage they did not perform the song that will represent Ireland at Junior Eurovision 2026. The final decision on who would travel to Ta’ Qali was in the hands of the panel of experts.
This represents a change to the superfinal format compared with 2024, when Lottie O’Driscoll Murray and Enya Cox Dempsey presented «Le Chéile», the Irish entry for Madrid 2024, which they performed separately in their respective voices during the final. As a result, it would be necessary to wait to discover the Irish entry for Junior Eurovision 2026, which would once again be internally selected by broadcaster TG4.
Enjoy all the songs from Junior Eurovision 2026 in ESCplus’ Spotify playlist: