Your guide to Ireland's 'Eurosong 2024'

26 January 2024 at 09:06 CET

Patrick Kielty will host 'The Late Late Show Eurosong Special' RTÉ

All you need to know about 'Eurosong 2024', as Ireland gets ready to select its entry to the 68th Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö.

How To Watch: 'Eurosong 2024' will be broadcast on RTÉ One in Ireland and on RTÉ Player online. The show starts at 22:35 CET, on Friday 26 January.

Whether you're old enough to remember most of the juries calling out "Ireland 12 points" at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1996, or if you're just about old enough to recall Dustin the Turkey rap "Irelande douze points" at Belgrade 2008, you'll be aware that the Emerald Isle has quite the legacy at the Contest.

Ireland's admirable Eurovision history was thrust into the headlines again recently, following the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 and Loreen's win in Liverpool with Tattoo, which resulted in Sweden now matching what was Ireland's record-holding 7 Contest victories.

At Malmö in May, many eyes and ears will be on the Irish entry to see if it's come prepared to take back sole ownership of that record for Ireland! But what will that song be?

230507_Sarah Louise Bennett_EBU_0335.jpg — Wild Youth from Ireland attending the Turquoise Carpet event at St. George’s Hall, Liverpool.
Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU

On Friday 26 January, 6 artists compete in Eurosong 2024, performing the 6 songs that are in the running to represent Ireland at the 68th Eurovision Song Contest.

As in recent years, Eurosong will be part of Irish broadcaster RTÉ's staple of Friday night entertainment, The Late Late Show. But this year, The Late Late Show has a brand-new host - Patrick Kielty. And he is already excited about what might unfold throughout the evening:

“I am really looking forward to hosting my first Late Late Eurosong party this Friday. Like so many people, I’m part of the generation who cheered on Ireland when we became the high kings and queens of Eurovision. It would be amazing to think that one of our six acts this year might be able to go to Sweden and bring back the glory days. Here’s to us picking a Eurovision winner on Friday night!”

Once all 6 songs have been performed, the winner will be chosen by a combination of national jury, international jury, and public vote. The winner will then get to fly the Irish flag in Malmö.

Below, you can listen to all 6 songs in the running to represent Ireland, and get to know more about the artists behind them.

Host Patrick Kielty poses with the 6 acts competing in 'Eurosong 2024' in Ireland RTÉ

Here are the 6 songs that you'll be hearing on the night, in the order that they'll be performed:

Isabella Kearney - Let Me Be The Fire

Isabella Kearney is an accomplished singer/songwriter based in Nashville, Tennessee. Growing up between Ireland and Australia, Isabella began her musical journey at the age of 14. First signing to Sony/ATV Music Publishing in 2018, Isabella went on to work with some truly critically acclaimed artists and writers.

Isabella’s songwriting successes have included the single Jealous on Jessica Mauboy’s album Hilda and the single Only Thing Missing written with The Orphanage on Guy Sebastian’s album T.R.U.T.H. Isabella also co-wrote the single Conditions, which was chosen as a finalist on the show Songland, as well as Matt Gresham’s single Who Am I Now, which was performed on The Voice Australia in 2020 and reached number one on the iTunes Australia chart.

Bambie Thug - Doomsday Blues

Cork-born Bambie Thug is a force to be reckoned with; a completely independent artist who has amassed over 45,000 monthly listeners via their unique, self-styled 'Ouija Pop'. Known for incredible live performances, Bambie was most recently seen performing at the packed-out Download Festival Debut.

Bambie is also a prolific songwriter with amassed streams of 60 million on music written for other artists of varying genres, (Cassyette, Kidbrunswick, Fabich, Fika and more), instrumentals in some of the UK's biggest nu-gen hits (Dear Goth, Petrichor, 4am) and inclusion on HBO’s Sex And The City reboot Just Like That.

JyellowL (AKA Jean-Luc Uddoh) - Judas

The horizon is limitless for Irish rapper JyellowL, who continues to unleash music that connects a multiplicity of origins and cutting-edge collaborations while shaping his own distinct and undeniable voice. His debut album 2020 D| Vision was nominated for Irish Album of the Year 2020 at the RTÉ Choice Music Prize Awards and debuted at number two on the official iTunes album charts.

The success continued with tours with the likes of Nelly, The Game and De La Soul, placements on EA sports’ FIFA soundtrack, Hulu original and Oscar-winning show Normal People and a multi-award-winning campaign with global telecom provider Virgin Media.

AILSHA - Go Tobann

Meet AILSHA - one of Ireland's most captivating rock sensations of the decade, as praised by Hot Press Magazine. AILSHA's music is at the forefront of the current rock revival and has taken the music scene by storm in 2023, with four consecutive releases featured on BBC Radio One.

A pink and playful aesthetic adds an extra layer of excitement to the Wicklow native’s performances. AILSHA is no stranger to the stage, having graced festivals like Electric Picnic and recently selling out a headline show with MCD Productions. Her song Go Tobann has a humorous twist, as it speaks to the Irish experience of learning the language in school, only to remember a few cherished phrases like ‘Go Tobann’.

Next in Line - Love Like Us

Next In Line is a brand-new Irish boyband made up of members Conor Davis, Joshua Regala, Conor O’Farrell, Neung Kelly and Harry O’Connell, ranging in age from 18 to 22. The band was formed by music manager Louis Walsh. Since then, the band has made public appearances on TV, including a performance on The Late Late Show.

Recently, the boys have also gigged as far afield as Abu Dhabi. The band has also been working hard in the studio over the last few months, with some critically acclaimed producers and artists.

Erica-Cody - Love Me Like I Do

Erica-Cody is a Pop/R&B artist, writer and producer, and a dominant figure in the Irish music scene. With eclectic styling and hard-hitting lyrics, Erica-Cody provides listeners with upbeat pop and R&B numbers that promote self-love and confidence.

An independent artist since 2017, Cody is no stranger to adversity, and she continues to actively write, record, release, promo and repeat with her small but growing team. Her singles include Better Days, Back to Basics and Queen, which culminated in the release of her second EP Love & Light in 2021.

At the 67th Eurovision Song Contest, Ireland was represented by the winner of Eurosong 2023, Wild Youth. In Liverpool, the band performed We Are Young in the First Semi-Final.