The semi-final of Junior Eurovision Éire 2022 – Ireland’s national selection for Junior Eurovision has taken place, where the three remaining finalists that remain in the running to be Ireland’s representative were selected.
Junior Eurovision Éire Semi-Final – a recap
The semi-final of Junior Eurovision Éire 2022 was broadcast on Sunday (October 16th) on TG4, after the heats and semi-finals were filmed previously at RTÉ studios in Dublin. Presenter Louise Cantillon made a return as host for the show, reprising her role from 2021. However, for 2022, Darragh Ó Caoimh will co-present the competition alongside Cantillon.
| Order | Artist | Song Performed (in Irish) | Result |
| 1 | Clare Keely | “Halo” (Beyonce) | Qualified (Jury Choice) |
| 2 | Sophie Lennon | “Symphony” (Clean Bandit feat. Zara Larsson) | Qualified (Automatic) |
| 3 | Marley Peig Leonard | “A Million Goodbyes” (Lea Hart) | Eliminated |
| 4 | CaillÃn Joe | “Hold Back The River” (James Bay) | Eliminated |
| 5 | Niamh Noade | “Catch & Release” (Matt Simons) | Qualified (Automatic) |
| 6 | Lara Gleeson | “Brave” Ella Henderson | Eliminated |
| 7 | Phoebe Mclvor | “Cold Heart” (Elton John & Dua Lipa) | Eliminated |
| 8 | Amber Dawes | “Falling Slowly” (Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová) | Eliminated |
Similar to previous editions of the national selection, two permanent judges were joined by a special guest judge. For the Semi-Final, the judges were:
- Chris Greene – RTÉ 2FM presenter
- Niamh Nà ChróinÃn – presenter, manager of Raidió RÃ-Rá
- Brooke Scullion – Ireland’s Eurovision representative for 2022
The Final of Junior Eurovision Éire 2022 will air on October 23 at 20:30BST on TG4, with Ireland’s Eurovision 2022 representative Brian Kennedy who represented Ireland at the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest with “Every Song Is A Cry For Love” as the guest judge.
For the first time ever, the viewers will decide Ireland’s representative for Yerevan. The online voting is now open on tg4.ie/junioreurovision. Viewers can only vote once per day per IP address, and the voting will close at the 2nd part of the final when all three finalists have performed twice in next week’s final.
Ireland’s Junior Eurovision journey
Ireland first participated in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2015. Débuting alongside Australia, Ireland was represented by Aimee Banks singing ” Réalta na Mara”. At the close of voting, Ireland finished in 12th place – receiving 36 points. Ireland has since participated a further six times. Their best placement came in 2016, when Zena Donnelly finished in tenth place with her song “BrÃce ar BhrÃce”.
In 2021, Maiú Levi Lawlor represented Ireland in Paris with his song “Saor (Disappear)”. Ireland’s most recent participation, he finished 18th in a field of 19, earning 44 points. Of these, 5 came from professional juries, whilst the remaining 39 were from the online vote.
What do you make of the results from the semi-final of Junior Eurovision Éire? Who do you think will end up representing Ireland in Yerevan? Who was your favorite from this week’s show? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tiktok as we prepare for the Junior Eurovision 2022!
News Source: TG4
Photo Credit: TG4
