Junior Eurovision Junior Eurovision 2022 Ireland

Ireland confirms its participation in Junior Eurovision 2023

After getting their best result to date last December, TG4 will host a new edition of Junior Eurovision Eire to select their representative in France

Earlier today, irish broadcaster TG4 has confirmed its participation in the forthcoming Junior Eurovision 2003, following the remarkable success enjoyed by Sophie Lennon in Erevan, who ended in a remarkable fourth place in the contest with the song “Solas”, the best result by far for the island since its debut in 2015. TG4, more than happy with this result, is happy to reproduce again their national final for the new contest, which will contain, as usual, various phases with open castings.

How will it work?

Any irish child, who is between 9 and 14 years of age at the time of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2023, will be legible to take part in the competition. The deadline to submit applications will be February 16th, and both solo singers and groups can take part in the competition. The applicants just need to fill the form at the webpage of the production team of the programme (Adare productions), which is the responsible for the national final since 2015.

As it happened in previous editions, the singers don’t have to be attached to any songs, since the song that they will sing for the contest will be assigned during the competition. The irish comittee will select the children who will finally take part in the televised shows. In order to help the possible participants, a telephone number and an e-mail have been created, so that any doubts about the format can be replied.

Conditions to take part in the show

Apart from the age, groups up to six people will be accepted, but only in the case of members of the same family, something that has not been the norm in the last years of the format. The structure of the show will be the same as in previous editions, with the shows being filmed during the months of April and May in the studios in Dublin, after the auditions.

Initially the format will be the same, containing a total of 6 shows, 4 qualifiers, a semifinal and a final, in which the music, the fun and the irish tradition will be combined in order to produce a great show and select the best possible performer for the contest.

About Junior Eurovision Éire

Junior Eurovision Éire was born in 2015 with the mission to select the Irish representative for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest year after year. The format, which has changed its mechanics over the course of its 6 editions, consists of a variable number of galas in which an array of young talents showcase their musical talents in front of a prestigious panel of experts and former Irish Eurovision representatives.

While until 2018 the contestants performed their own unreleased songs , from 2019 onwards the competition will be based on the performance of covers of popular songs in the Gaelic language. In this way, the organisation aims to attract as many children as possible without the need for them to own a song; furthermore, the use and standardisation of the Irish language is encouraged. Following the contest, broadcaster TG4 will ensure that an original song tailored to the performer’s needs is found to perform on the Junior Eurovision stage.

Introducing Gaelic-language broadcaster TG4’s Autumn 2022 schedule (Image: TG4)

The format, produced by Adare Productions, is already a classic on TG4’s autumn schedule, with six editions having been produced since 2015. The show’s organisers aim to create a platform for showcasing the nation’s young talent as well as a space to showcase and normalise the Irish language, in line with the objectives of their respective broadcaster’s focus on producing Gaelic language content. The tour culminates on the Junior Eurovision stage, which gives the local language unrivalled international exposure and exposure.

Ireland at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest

Ireland has a total of six Junior Eurovision Song Contest entries, joining the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2015 and participating almost continuously until today, only missing the 2020 edition. The country has a poor record in the competition, usually ranking in the lower-middle of the leaderboard. The nation’s moment of glory came just one year after their debut, when they made it into the top 10 of the festival with young Zena Donnelly and her catchy Bríce Ar Bhríce. The country would score a total of 121 points for a tenth place finish at the festival in Valleta.

The Irish entry in 2019, which was one of the favourites of the event, is also well remembered by the fans of the Junior Eurofestival. The young Anna Kearny and her Banshee, a carefully crafted ballad with Celtic sounds, would finally only obtain a 12th position, which was too little but understandable given the high level of the competition that year

Finally, after some unsuccessful entries, Ireland finally made it to the honour placements with Sophie Lennon’s “Solas”, which was just one step behind the podium, finishing in a more than respectable fourth place.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4oMG2EKF8Q
Junior Eurovision

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