The Junior Eurovision National Final season is definitely in full swing, as countries continue their search for their next Junior Eurovision representative. One of the countries that are continuing search is Ireland, where Junior Eurovision Éire aired the third heat of the competition. After the show, it was revealed that Sophie Lennon directly qualified for the semi-final and Alison McGrath advanced after the sing-off.
How the results were determined?
The seven competing artists had to sing Irish covers of popular songs. The judges are then able to award up to ten stars to each artist. The artist with the highest amount of stars would qualify directly for the final, whilst the next two artists with the highest amount of stars would then have a sing-off to determine who will be advancing to the semi-final.
The result of the first show was determined by two permanent judges from the Irish music industry.
- Niamh Ní Chróinín is a radio presenter and the manager of Raidió Rí-Rá, an Irish-language youth radio station.
- Fiachna Ó Braonáin is a member of Hothouse Flowers (the interval act at Eurovision 1988). He was also a permanent judge on Junior Eurovision Éire from 2016 to 2018 and helped pen their 2019 JESC entry “Banshee”.
They were both joined by Jedward, who represented Ireland in 2011 and 2012 with “Lipstick” and “Waterline” respectively. The results of the show were as follows:
| Artist | Song (Sung in Irish) | Result | Stars |
| Sophie Lennon | “Circle of Life” | 30 Stars | Semi-Finalist |
| Alison McGrath | “Castles” | 27 Stars | Final Duel |
| Sabdh Breathnach | “Perfect” | 25 Stars | Final Duel |
| Kayden Spooner | “Lonely World” | 24 Stars | Eliminated |
| Cathal Mulvey | “Take My Hand” | 23 Stars | Eliminated |
| Ciara Hassan | “Dancing With a Stranger” | 23 Stars | Eliminated |
| Maya and Lia Sheils | “The Cup Song” | 22 Stars | Eliminated |
After receiving the most stars, Sophie advances directly to the semi-final. After a sing-off between Alison and Sabdh, Alison wins the second spot in the semi-final. They will be joining Lilyella Buckley & Eva Norton, who qualified in the First Heat alongside Shannon Copeland & Cora Harkin, who qualified in the Second Heat.
The next episode of Junior Eurovision Éire will air on the 3rd of October at 20:30GMT, where two more singers will be selected to advance to the semi-final, where the special guest judge will be Mickey Joe Harte who represented Ireland in 2003 with the song “We’ve Got The World”.
Ireland’s Junior Eurovision Journey
Ireland first participated in Junior Eurovision in 2015 with Aimee Banks’ “Réalta na Mara” which finished in 12th place with 36 points. After that, Ireland earned its best JESC result, finishing in 10th place in 2016 with Zena Donnelly’s “Bríce Ar Bhríce”.
Ireland finished in 15th place in 2017 and 2018. They moved up to 12th place again in 2019 with Anna Kearney’s “Banshee”. Ireland decided not to participate in the 2020 contest, along with a handful of other countries. This decision was due to concerns about travel during the COVID-19 pandemic.
All of Ireland’s past Junior Eurovision entries were written and sung in Irish because TG4 is an Irish-language broadcaster. As a result, some fans expressed interest in Ireland sending entries in Irish to Eurovision itself.
What do you think of the results? Is Ireland’s next Junior Eurovision representative in this episode? Let us know in the comments or on social media. Be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
News Source: TG4
Photo Source: EBU / Thomas Hanses
