🇮🇪 Ailsha: “We have this lovely language, we don’t use it enough.”

There’s now less than a week until Ireland’s Eurosong on January 26th, which decides their Eurovision 2024 entry. Ailsha is hoping to bring Irish to Eurovision for the first time since 1972 with her song “Go Tobann”.

Watch our interview with Ailsha here!

Together, Ailsha and Daniel talk about how she grew up in a musical family, learning Irish through a neighbour in County Kerry, and her hopes to represent the Irish language on the Eurovision stage for the first time since 1972.

About Ailsha

Ailsha (pronounced El-Sha!) is a rising star in the Irish rock scene. Her Eurosong entry, “Go Tobann” (Irish for ‘Suddenly’) is an alt-metal track highlighting the Irish experience with learning the language in school, and gradually forgetting it over time. She hopes that her song can help to bring the Irish language back into the public conscience.

Ireland’s Eurovision journey

In 1965, Ireland made their debut in the Eurovision Song Contest with Butch Moore and the song “Walking the Streets in the Rain”, which managed to place 6th. Since their debut, Ireland has participated 56 times (making the Grand Final 45 times), and has won the competition seven times, which is currently tied for the record of most wins.

Ireland’s latest Eurovision participation saw them being represented by Wild Youth, with their song “We Are One”. They placed 12th in the semi-final, receiving 10 points from the televote, missing out on the Grand Final.

What do you think of our interview with Ailsha? Do you think “Go Tobann” can win Eurosong? Where does the song fall in your rankings? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow “That Eurovision Site” on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tiktok, Threads, Tumblr and Bluesky as we look ahead to Eurovision 2024!

News Source – That Eurovision Site

Photo Credit – Ailsha