The 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 fought for the chance to represent Ireland in Armenia. Sophie Lennon emerged victorious and winning the right to represent Ireland in Yerevan.
Junior Eurovision Éire Final – a recap
The final of Junior Eurovision Éire 2022 was broadcast on Sunday (October 23rd) 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 was the co-present the competition alongside Cantillon.
The competing artists and the songs they performed tonight were as follows:
| Order | Artist | Cover Song (in Irish) | Eurovision Cover |
| 1 | Clare Keely | “Circle of Life” (Elton John) | “Hold Me Now” (Johnny Logan) |
| 2 | Sophie Lennon | “Leave a Light On” (Tom Walker) | “Why Me” (Linda Martin) |
| 3 | Niamh Noade | “Pompeii” (Bastille) | “Rock n Roll Kids” (Paul Harrington & Charlie McGettigan) |
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 Ní Chróinín – presenter, manager of Raidió Rí-Rá
- Brian Kennedy – Ireland’s Eurovision representative for 2006
For this year, the judges in the final were only providing the commentary, as this year the viewers were given the final say as to who will be Ireland’s Junior Eurovision 2022 representative as they voted online since the Semi-Finals, and selected Sophie to be their representative.
With Junior Eurovision Éire 2022 finished, and Sophie selected as their representative, the song that Sophie will sing and represent Ireland will be revealed in due course.
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 “Bríce ar Bhríce”.
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 Ireland’s choice for this year’s contest? Are you excited to hear Sophie’s entry for Yerevan? 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
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