Not officially announced by RTE yet but 4 acts out of the 5 acts have been announced, with the exception of the 5th so far un-named quartet of 2 guys and 2 girls.

Don Mescall

The Vard Sisters

who tried to represent Ireland back in the 90′s

Nikki Kavanagh

cousin of Niamh

And be afraid – be very afraid

Jedward….

According to Breakingnews.ie anyway.

Jedward have set their sights on a place in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest.

The eccentric twins – who rose to fame after appearing in the 2009 series of ‘The X Factor’ – are reportedly in talks to represent their home nation of Ireland in the annual singing competition.

John Grimes – joined in the duo by his brother Edward – said: “We’re going to win it for Ireland. We’re actually serious. We’re in talks.”

Meanwhile, the pair’s manager and ‘X Factor’ judge Louis Walsh thinks Jedward have the necessary “attitude” to win Eurovision.

He added to the Daily Star newspaper: “I’m sure they could win – they have the attitude.”

However, the troublesome twins will probably be giving their usual outlandish stage routines a miss, after Edward was rushed to hospital in July after mistiming a jump and falling awkwardly while performing at ‘T4 On The Beach’.

An onlooker said at the time: “Edward tried to carry on. They might have been absolutely awful but you can’t fault Edward’s commitment. You wouldn’t get that kind of courage from some so-called rock bands.”

After months of silence RTE have finally announced that we will indeed be going forward with Eurosong 2011 to head to Dusseldorf in May, it’s nice to see that not even financial crisis can stop entertainment. That said RTE have always made a profit from showing (not hosting) the Eurovision with Sponsorship and Ads, as it usually gets into the top 10 most watched shows every year – including the semis.

Rather than have an open call for songs as has been the format for the alst few years (after the disastrous ), which hasn’t worked out the best for Ireland over the years, RTE have changed the format for Eurosong 2011 to have 5 mentors coach 5 artists who have submitted entries (because we all know how well that worked out for the Dutch last year). In fairness though each song will be different, and they will be mentored by actual professionals in the business who have the power and scope of support to make something out of nothing. I’m decidedly confident about this one folks

Here is the list of the mentors:

• Caroline Downey-Desmond – Director of MCD and Event Producer
• Ronan Hardiman – Composer
• David Hayes – Musical Director and Arranger
• Willie Kavanagh – Chairman, EMI Music Ireland
• Liam Lawton – Composer and Performer

“Each of the mentors will source or commission the song and the performer, with all five entries to be performed for the first time on ‘The Late Late Show Eurosong 2011′ on February 11. As was the case last year, the winning entry will be selected by a combination of public vote and regional jury.”, states the national broadcaster of Ireland, RTÉ.

The winner will then represent Ireland in the 56th Eurovision Song Contest Semi-Final in Düsseldorf, Germany in May 2011.

Speaking about the new selection process, RTÉ Eurovision Co-ordinator Julian Vignoles said: “Given our mixed results in recent years, we felt it was our duty to look again at our selection procedure to see what method could improve Ireland’s chances of winning on the Eurovision stage. Ireland has a vibrant and successful music industry and we want to find the best performer to represent our country.

“This year we have decided to suspend the open call for entries and instead harness the skills and experience of professionals in the Irish music business to source the talent and the song that has the potential to be a Eurovision winner.

“We are enlisting five people who each have proven success in different areas of the music industry so the public will have five strong entries to choose from in ‘Eurosong 2011′.”

Thanks to ESCdaily and RTE.ie

My Heart Is Yours/It’s For You is a great song but when have two countries entered the same song for one Eurovision Song Contest before? Niamh might sing it better but at the stage Didrik as the upper hand when it comes to the staging elements.

I’d like to offer my services free of charge to Niamh in Oslo this year. The vocal is great but my Lordi does she need some styling och consulting! Her dress last night was horrendous; who’s smart idea was it to dress her like a busty medieval whore?

By the way, the hashtag #latelate made the top 10 worldwide trending topics during The Late Late Show Eurosong Special tonight! Eurosong is back, back, back. We still have dreams of an Irish equivalent to Melodifestivalen with a grand final at the the O2 within a few years.

And as regards Johnny Logan’s shameful carrying on last night… here at ESC Ireland and indeed the Irish population in general cannot and will not accept any responsibility for his actions.

Much congrats to Niamh Kavanagh whom secured the maximum votes from all the regions and the public vote to represent Ireland in Oslo.

Tonight of course is not Niamh Kavanagh’s first appearance in Eurosong! Here for posterity is the less well known national final version of In Your Eyes. Where Niamh hadn’t quite worked out just how to approach the big wailing key change.

Bonne chance a Niamh et tout les particpants en Eurosong 2010 ce soir. Here at ESC Ireland, we might appear somewhat biased at time but we promise to approach tonight’s show with an open mind. And plenty of liquor. We’ll also be live tweeting and you can follow our comments and those of other Eurosong fans by using the hashtag #eurosong or by viewing this Scribble Live page.

On the eve of Eurosong 2010 let’s remember the runner up in the Irish selection last year. Laura Jayne Hunter finished second to Sinead Mulvey and Black Daisy with her uptemo Celtic-infused dance number Out Of Control.

The production values might have been somewhat lacking but I think Derry O’ Donovan had crafted quite a clever Eurovision entry and with a bit of work it could have done quite well in Moscow. Having said that, I kind of love the dramatic statue dancing, bizarre Riverdance moves, Israeli strutting, Catholic geneflecting and half-sean-nós half-whore-in-heat wailing. Anyway, here it is, our forgotten gem of the day!

Paddypower have given odds on the Eurosong favourites and it’s close between Mikey and Niamh.

Mikey Graham – 4/6

Niamh Kavanagh – 5/2

Leanne Moore – 5/1

Lee Bradshaw – 10/1

Monika Ivkic – 12/1

Ireland will compete in the second Semi-Final on Thursday 27 May for a place in the Grand Final on Saturday 29 May. To which we have been given 1/2 on odds for getting to the final as well

before the song has even been selected.

A fantastic line up this years Irish Eurovision selection, it appears that the Dustin curse has finally been lifted . See their profiles below

BABY, NOTHING’S WRONG – Mikey Graham
Music & Lyrics by Michael Graham, Scott Newman & Yann O’Brien

Michael Graham was always set to pave a career in the entertainment industry. The foundations of his career were set at an early age where he discovered his love for singing, dancing and acting at the Billie Barry Stage School before refining his skills at The Gaiety School of Acting, Dublin.

In 1993 at the age of 21, Michael attended an audition for a boy band that became one of Ireland’s biggest international acts. Michael along with Ronan Keating, Stephen Gately, Keith Duffy and Shane Lynch were chosen from hundreds of hopefuls and Boyzone was formed under the watchful eye of manager Louis Walsh. They had a meteoric rise to fame and have sold more than 10 millions albums since 1993. Boyzone also completed sell out tours all over the world and scored five number one records. Mikey has also been responsible for writing/co-writing many of Boyzone’s chart topping songs. He has always had a passion for music producing and songwriting and feels most at ease in his own home studio, Avalon.

Mikey’s other passions include acting and to date he has appeared on RTÉ’s Hollywood Trials, and has acted in two feature films, “Hey Mr. DJ”, with Mike Reid and “Man On the Run” with Ben Kingsley.

28 year old singer-songwriter Yann O’Brien who hails from Dublin and is a classically trained guitarist. 30 year-old Scott Newman is also from Dublin and is a classically trained , pianist, singer and songwriter. Both musicians are very highly regarded in the music industry and very accomplished in their own right.
Mikey, Yann and Scott met in 2004 through mutual friends and based on their shared musical passion, started a Dublin based music production company where they continue to work on numerous projects together.

DOES HEAVEN NEED MUCH MORE? – Leanne Moore
Written by Tommy Moran & John Waters

This is the second time that song writing duo, John Waters and Tommy Moran, have qualified for the Eurosong Final. Their song “They Can’t Stop the Spring” sung by traditional Irish group Dervish, won the Eurosong 2007 final and went on represent Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest in Helsinki.

Does Heaven Need Much More will be performed by the winner of the 2008 You’re A Star, 25 year old Leanne Moore from Limerick. Leanne, is thrilled at the chance to compete to represent Ireland in Eurovision. “I can’t wait to get going. I love the song. It says something that I feel very deeply, about the idea that this existence is just one phase of our journey. It’s kind of speculating about how Heaven could be better than the best bits down here! But
probably more important it’s a great pop song and I think perfect for Eurovision.”

Leanne is currently doing journalism and radio studies at Griffith College in Dublin, having earlier completed a degree in theology and philosophy at the University of Limerick. John Waters, co-writer of the song, said he is ecstatic that Leanne has agreed to sing ‘Does Heaven Need Much More?’. “When I saw her in You’re a Star, I saw a quality that you very rarely encounter. She can sing beautifully. She possesses a song and breathes herself into it. And, of course, she looks amazing. But beyond that she has this instant likeability. You just want her to go wherever she wants to. I’m especially delighted that with Leanne we’ve broken out of our own generation. I think she will give people a sense of a future Ireland,
perhaps one in which we can start dreaming again”.

John Waters is an author and newspaper columnist, who currently writes weekly columns for The Irish Times and The Irish Mail on Sunday. He and co-writer Tommy Moran were childhood friends in Castlerea, Co Roscommon, and as teenagers wrote many songs together. After a 25-year lay-off, they began writing together again in 2004. As well as having their song represent Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest in Helsinki, one of their songs, Baby, Let Me Buy You a Drink, was recorded by Sinead O’Connor for the fundraising album Water for Life, produced by the Malawi-based development agency Wells for Zoe.

FASHION QUEEN – Monika Ivkic
Written by Marc Paelinck & Mathias Strasser

Fashion Queen is a truly European collaboration. Its lead singer Monika Ivkic is originally from Bosnia (with parents from Croatia and Serbia) and now lives in Austria, Composer Marc Paelinck is a Belgian national who lives in Switzerland, and its lyricist Mathias Strasser is an Austrian citizen who grew up in Germany and currently resides in the United Kingdom. Together, they hope to represent Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest 2010.

Monika Ivkic was born in Gradacac, Bosnia, on June 6, 1989 and spent her early childhood in Bosnia before moving to Vienna, Austria, where she still lives. Monika participated in various casting shows in German-speaking Europe, most notably the fifth season of Deutschland sucht den Superstar (DSDS) in 2008, the German version of American Idol, which she finished in fourth place. During the competition, judges compared her voice to that of Beyoncé Knowles, who Monika has repeatedly described as her main influence. Following the contest, Monika did not sign a contract with a record label, citing a desire to express herself musically without being bound by the commercial constraints of her home market. She recorded a few songs and released them on her YouTube channel here.

Marc Paelinck toured Europe as a classical pianist, before writing songs for Belgian pop group “Touch of Joy”, scoring nine top five hits in Belgium. He also co-wrote a number of songs for other artists and reached top chart positions in The Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Sweden and South Africa. Over the course of his career, Marc’s songs have been sold more than one million times. Marc has also previously written songs for the Eurovision Song Contest. Last year a song he co-wrote with Gregory Bilsen represented Malta in the ESC final and he has also twice won the Belgian national finals. Mathias Strasser wrote the lyrics for Fashion Queen and has co-written several of Monika’s songs as well as collaborating with her on her autobiography.

RIVER OF SILENCE – Lee Bradshaw
Music: R. Siegel Lyrics: J. O’Flynn / José Santana

Lee Bradshaw returns to Eurosong 2010 having also been successful in reaching the Eurosong 2009 final where he performed the song “So What”. Lee who is 29 years old has had a lifelong interest in music. At just 17 years of age, Lee travelled the continent with the group “Men2B” who were contracted to President Records in London. Since then Lee has been working on his own material and this year was headhunted by Eurovision legend Ralph Siegel who owns Jupiter Records in Germany.

A man of many talents, Lee has had a wide and varied career including a period as an actor and model, appearing in many musicals and working with many high profile names such as John Rocha, Louis Copeland and featuring regularly in the Brown Thomas Supermodel Fashion Show.

Having grown up in Restaurants, Lee has become a restaurateur himself and currently resides in Kerry. His own award winning bar and restaurant The Station House Bar and Grill is a huge success, and Lee has worked as a restaurant consultant and opened a second restaurant in Kerry now run by his brother. He may be familiar to viewers in the RTÉ TV series “The Restaurant”. Rumour has it that Lee is in the final stages of negotiating a deal for a new bar/restaurant in Dublin.

In the meantime Lee has been busy working closely with legendary German musician, songwriter and producer Ralph Siegel, who is one of the most notable figures at the Eurovision Song Contest. In 1982, Siegel’s song “Ein bißchen Frieden” (A Little Peace), performed by Nicole won the Contest and became a hit in Europe. Ralph has participated in the ESC with 19 songs so far, finishing 8 times in the top 4 and in the top 10 on all other occasions. Ralph hopes to retire next year and is confident that Lee is the perfect choice to end his career on a high note.

IT’S FOR YOU – Niamh Kavanagh
Music: Niall Mooney, Marten Eriksson & Jonas Gladnikoff Lyrics: Lina Eriksson

Niamh Kavanagh has been singing for most of her life, but really into her own in 1990 when Alan Parker, director of The Commitments, included Niamh on the film’s hugely successful soundtrack album as main vocalist for the songs Destination Anywhere, Nowhere to Run and Do Right Woman, Do Right Man. She then toured extensively with the group appearing at such illustrious events as the 1992 Grammy Awards in New York and the Commitment to Life Concert in Los Angeles.

In 1993, before an international audience of over 350 million people, Niamh sang the winning entry for Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest. The song, In Your Eyes, went on to achieve double platinum status. Having signed to Arista Records, she took her talent around Europe before flying to Nashville, Tennessee, to make her debut album, Flying Blind. The album, produced by John Jennings, was released to critical acclaim in 1995. Since then, Niamh has been touring and performing, with regular appearances at major venues and events as well as on television and radio. Over the last ten years she has recorded a collaboration album, Together Alone, along with Irish singer/song-writer Gerry Kearney. She has recorded music for a future album under the working title Wonderdrug, and recently added to her long line of collaborations, which include the Dubliners and Mary Chapin Carpenter, with an acclaimed contribution to the Secret Garden album, Inside I’m Singing. Her rendition of Simply You, joins other songs written by Secret Garden and Brendan Graham (who wrote the hugely successful You Raise Me Up), and Niamh found herself sharing album space with Elaine Paige and Barbra Streisand.

Niall Mooney & Jonas Gladnikoff, the writers who brought you “Et Cetera” Ireland’s 2009 Eurovision entry, are back. This time they have been joined by Lina and Marten Eriksson two of Sweden’s most successful writing/production partnerships.

Jonas and Niall have been collaborating for a number years clocking up a large number of National Final appearances around Europe including Lithuania, Bulgaria and Albania. In 2009 Jonas came very close to representing Denmark coming second in their National Final, only to be narrowly beaten by Ireland’s own Ronan Keating. This was made all the more unusual when Jonas found himself co-writer on the Irish entry the same year!!

Niall says, “After last year it is obvious Ireland are going to need something really special to get a high position in the contest”. The answer presented itself when he heard Niamh Kavanagh singing in the National Concert Hall. “Her voice literally raised the roof “, exclaims Niall. “I got talking to Niamh a few months later and she said she’d consider it only if she had a great song. That was the hard bit. Jonas and I literally spent months writing but nothing was really good enough. Then Lina and Marten joined the collaboration and the whole thing clicked”.

Marten and Lina have had many hits across Europe. There biggest successes have been writing for Simon Cowell’s TV show Pop Idol in both Sweden and Germany. Lina co-wrote the Swedish Pop Idol winners song in 2007 “This moment” which went double platinum overnight. Amongst others they also recorded a song and video with Rybak last year and to top it off Marten produced “Et Cetera” for Ireland.

“If it ain’t broke don’t fix it “ Niall says. Big ballads do well every year and Ireland was the best at it once. I believe the time is right to be the best again. It takes a lot of courage for a singer to go back after winning 17 years ago. I am already so proud of Niamh for stepping up to the challenge and I think she will make the whole country proud if selected. After all this time……It’s for you!!”

Original here

It’s being reported that Niamh Kavanagh (Winner 1993) will again compete for Ireland in this years Eurosong on March 5th.

Update: RTE have confirmed all the entrants now

• Leanne Moore – Does Heaven Need Much More? – You’re a star winner 2007
• Monika Ivkic – Fashion Queen is a Bosnian singer who has already participated in the German Deutschland sucht den Superstar.
• Lee Bradshaw – River Of Silence - Irish Minor b celebrity who participated in Eurosong last year written by Ralph Siegel
• Mikey Graham – Baby Nothing Is Wrong - Boyzone fame
• Niamh Kavanagh – It’s For You – YAY!

Oh RTE we never really lost hope in you

Niamh won the competition in Ireland, for Ireland with this wonderful song. Go Niamh we are all the way behind you!!!