The first two acts have qualified for the semi-final from heat 1 of Junior Eurovision Éire 2019.
The participants all performed Irish covers of well known English-language songs. Each particpant was scored out of 30, with the highest scorer advancing to the semi-final. The jury then chose two other participants to compete in a sing-off, with the winner advancing to the semi-final. The next two highest scorers advance to a sing-off, with the winner moving on to the semi-final.
The results were be decided by an in-studio jury. Gráinne Bleasdale will return to the jury for the second year. Replacing Fiachna Ó Braonáin, who had previously been on the jury since 2016, was RTÉ 2fm presenter Chris Greene. Gráinne and Chris will be joined by a guest judge each week, all of whom have previously represented Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest. This week’s guest judge was Brendan Murray, who represented Ireland in 2017. Mícheál Ó Curraidh was also backstage to interview the contestants.
- Anna Kearney – “Symphony” – 25 points – Sing-Off
- Mollie Kennedy – “Stay With Me” – 22 points
- Aoife McNelis – “Always” – 24 points – Sing-Off
- Arabella Dolan – “Take Me to Church” – 26 points – Semi-Final
- Ciara McShane – “Take My Hand” – 18 points
- Joya Hobson & Priya Hobson – “Wake Me Up” – 21 stars
- Riaghan Boardman – “Shotgun” – 19 stars
Anna Kearney and Aoife McNelis faced each other in the sing-off. Anna was chosen by the judges to advance to the semi-final. Brendan voted for Aoife while Chris and Gráinne voted for Anna.
The addition of a semi-final means that the final of Junior Eurovision Éire 2019 will be broadcast on October 6. The winner will also have a song composed for them after they win, in contrast to previous years, where all participants had to compete with original songs.
Ireland was represented by Taylor Hynes at Junior Eurovision 2018 in Minsk, Belarus. He performed the song “IOU” and went on to finish 15th with a total of 48 points. Ireland was 16th with juries scoring 12 points and 15th with the online vote receiving 36 points.
Ireland in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest
Ireland debuted in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest at the 2015 contest in Sofia, Bulgaria. The countries participation is organised by the Irish language broadcaster, TG4. At the 2015 contest in Bulgaria Ireland was represented by Aimee Banks with the song “Réalta na Mara”, she finished 12th in the final. The country’s best result came at the 2016 contest in Malta. Ireland was represented by Zena Donnelly with the song “Bríce ar Bhríce”. She finished 10th in the final scoring a total of 122 points, including receiving the countries first 12 points in the contest.
The final broadcasts on 29 September.
Eh never mind. I made a booboo. 🙁