Ireland in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest
Ireland has participated in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest eight times since their first appearance at the 2015 contest. Irish-language broadcaster TG4 has been responsible for the country's participation in the contest, and organises a televised national final Junior Eurovision Éire to select the Irish entries. TG4 did not participate in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but returned to the contest in 2021.[1]
| Ireland in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest | |
|---|---|
| Participating broadcaster | TG4 |
| Participation summary | |
| Appearances | 8 |
| First appearance | 2015 |
| Highest placement | 4th: 2022 |
| External links | |
| Ireland's page at JuniorEurovision.tv | |
| For the most recent participation see Ireland in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2023 | |
Since their debut, Ireland has placed in the top 10 twice: in 2016 when the song "Bríce ar bhríce" performed by Zena Donnelly placed 10th out of 17 participating countries, and in 2022 when "Solas" by Sophie Lennon placed 4th out of 16 participants.[2]
History edit
TG4 originally intended to make their debut in the 2014 contest in Marsa, Malta, but required funding from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, which was rejected.[3]
Ireland debuted in the contest when TG4 participated in the 2015 contest in Sofia, Bulgaria, when the song "Réalta na mara" performed by Aimee Banks placed 12th in a field of 17 countries.
Despite having initially confirmed their participation in the 2020 contest in Warsaw, Poland in January 2020,[4] TG4 announced in August 2020 that they would not participate in the contest due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5] In February 2021, TG4 confirmed their participation in the 2021 contest in France.[1]
Junior Eurovision Éire edit
Junior Eurovision Éire is an Irish television show which has served as Ireland's national final for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest since the country's debut in 2015.[6] The show was hosted by Eoghan McDermott from 2015 to 2019.[7] Between 2015 and 2018, the show selected both the song and the artist, while in 2019 and 2021 the show selected only the artist, and the song was selected internally.[8][9]
McDermott stepped down from the programme in 2021, and was replaced by Louise Cantillon.
Participation overview edit
| ◁ | Last place |
| † | Upcoming event |
| Year | Artist | Song | Language | Place | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Aimee Banks | "Réalta na mara" | Irish[a] | 12 | 36 |
| 2016 | Zena Donnelly | "Bríce ar bhríce" | Irish, English | 10 | 122 |
| 2017 | Muireann McDonnell | "Súile glasa" | Irish | 15 | 54 |
| 2018 | Taylor Hynes | "IOU" | Irish | 15 | 48 |
| 2019 | Anna Kearney | "Banshee" | Irish | 12 | 73 |
| 2021 | Maiú Levi Lawlor | "Saor (Disappear)" | Irish[b] | 18 | 44 |
| 2022 | Sophie Lennon | "Solas" | Irish | 4 | 150 |
| 2023 | Jessica McKean | "Aisling" | Irish | 16 ◁ | 42 |
| 2024 | Confirmed intention to participate †[10] | ||||
Commentators and spokespersons edit
This section needs additional citations for verification. (November 2019) |
| Year(s) | Commentator | Spokesperson | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Stiofán Ó Fearail and Caitlín Nic Aoidh | Anna Banks | |
| 2016 | Eoghan McDermott | Andrea Leddy | |
| 2017 | Walter McCabe | ||
| 2018 | Mícheál Ó Ciaraidh and Sinéad Ní Uallacháin | Alex Hynes | |
| 2019 | Sinéad Ní Uallacháin | Leo Kearney | |
| 2021 | Louise Cantillon | Reuben Levi Hackett | |
| 2022 | Sinéad Ní Uallacháin | Holly Lennon | |
| 2023 | Louisa McKean |
Gallery edit
See also edit
Notes and references edit
Notes edit
References edit
- ^ a b "Junior Eurovision 2021". TG4. 2021-02-09. from the original on 2021-02-09. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
- ^ "Ireland's Sophie Lennon comes fourth in Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2022". rte.ie. RTÉ. 11 December 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
- ^ Granger, Anthony (22 May 2014). "Ireland: TG4 Fails To Get BAI Funding For JESC". eurovoix.com. Eurovoix. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
- ^ Herbert, Emily (14 January 2020). "Ireland: Junior Eurovision 2020 Participation Confirmed". Eurovoix. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
- ^ Farren, Neil (4 August 2020). "Ireland: Withdraws from Junior Eurovision 2020". Eurovoix. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- ^ Granger, Anthony (17 February 2019). "Ireland: TG4 Confirms Participation in Junior Eurovision 2019". Eurovoix. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- ^ Farren, Neil (16 August 2019). "Ireland: Junior Eurovision Éire 2019 to Start on September 1". Eurovoix. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- ^ Granger, Anthony (31 July 2019). "Ireland: Changes To The Format of Junior Eurovision Éire". Eurovoix. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- ^ Farren, Neil (6 October 2019). "Ireland: Anna Kearney to Junior Eurovision 2019". Eurovoix. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- ^ "Junior Eurovision 2024. Apply Now!". adare.submit.com. Adare Productions. 2024-03-05. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
- ^ Nic Aoidh, Caitlín [@CaitlinNicAoidh] (November 21, 2015). "Mise & @stiofanofearail réidh do chomórtas na hoíche anocht. @TG4TV #jesc2015 Bígí ag tacú leí ag úsáid #GoAimee" (Tweet) (in Irish). Retrieved 22 November 2015 – via Twitter.
- ^ Granger, Anthony (21 November 2018). "Ireland: Mícheál Ó Ciarradh and Sinéad Ní Uallacháin to Commentate on Junior Eurovision". Eurovoix. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ^ Filippidou, Ifigeneia (24 November 2019). "These are the Junior Eurovision 2019 spokespersons". esc-plus.com. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
- ^ Farren, Neil (17 December 2021). "🇮🇪 Ireland: Junior Eurovision 2021 Spokesperson and Commentator Revealed". eurovoix. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
- ^ "TG4, Sceideal an Lae Irish Television Channel, Súil Eile" (in Irish). 1 December 2022. from the original on 1 December 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
- ^ "TG4 | Sceideal an Lae | Sceideal | Irish Television Chanel, Súil Eile". TG4. from the original on 2023-11-17. Retrieved 2023-11-17.