5 acts and their mentors have been announced for Eurosong 2012, so who will be Ireland’s representative in Baku?

1: Act: Maria McCool

Donegal singer Maria McCool, from Enya’s hometown of Gweedore, is believed to be singing a Celtic-style melody similar to “The Voice” by Eimear Quinn. It may even be in Irish – only rumours so far. She will be mentored by Edele Lynch.

Mentor: Edele Lynch is a successful singer and songwriter. She made her name as member of Bewitched, their album, which Lynch wrote, sold 6 million copies worldwide. Lynch has also written songs for Girls Aloud, Sugababes and more recently has been in the band Barbarellas and has written their album NightMode.

2: Act: Donna MacCaul

in 2005, Donna and her brother Joe threw themselves into the somewhat daunting but very exciting and in many cases, enviable task of representing Ireland with their song “Love?”. Written by Lina and Marten Eriksson who also wrote Niamh Kavanagh’s song back in 2010, this time around it is a A “Katy Perry-esque” pop song

Mentor: Bill Hughes has been an independent television professional for 26 years with over 1000 hours of music, entertainment and documentary programmes to his credit. Hughes, alongside Louis Walsh and Linda Martin, was a judge on Irish television sensation Popstars and has also done jury duty on a number of shows including RTÉ’s You’re A Star.

3: Act: Una Gibney and David Shannon “Language of Love”

A duet between Una Gibney and David Shannon is the third performing act for Eurosong so far. Una performed in Michael Flatley’s “Celtic Tiger” whilst David took the lead roles in a few west end musicals.

Mentor: Show business agent Julian Benson is mentoring Una Gibney and David Shannon. Benson is a show business agent and choreographer. He has a keen interest in the ESC and has served RTÉ’s song selection committee several times in the past.  He has also co-written their song with composer Éanán Patterson.

4 Act: Andrew Mann, “Here I Am“

Andrew Mann is an extraordinary and gifted Irish singer and writer who has been performing professionally around Ireland and Europe for the last six years. After writing literally hundreds of songs over the last ten years he has been lucky enough to perform nationwide tours in Ireland, Austria, France and Spain and has also had the pleasure of rubbing shoulders with New York’s industry glitterati, doing many show case gigs in the big apple.

Mentor: Greg French is a member of The Brilliant Things and works as a music producer/songwriter and for television.

5 Act: Jedward

Really? Do we need to write anything in here? Ok Jedward were in the UK X-Factor in 2009 where they shot to fame, last year they represented Ireland with the infamous ”Lipstick”.

Mentor: Linda Martin needs no introduction to ESC matters, having, as a performer, won the contest in 1992 and come 2nd in 1984. Linda also chaired the RTÉ Eurovision Song Selection Committee in 2009 to 2010. And also makes the most fabulous drag queen.

All five entries will be performed for the first time on The Late Late Show Eurosong 2012 on the 24th of February, 2012. Once again the winner will be decided by a combination of public vote and regional jury.

Thanks to Keith Mills Eurovision Maestro over in AKOE for the headsup

Former Eurovision entrant Donna McCaul announced just a few moments ago that she is returning to Eurosong 2012.

The Eurovision Song Contest, taking place in Kiev for the first time in 2005, saw Donna and her brother Joe throw themselves into the somewhat daunting but very exciting and in many cases, enviable task of representing Ireland with their song “Love?”. 

Donna and Joe participated in a Semi Final which was only the second year this was used in the Eurovision Song Contest. 

Although they gave a very enthusiastic performance and sung their hearts out, it was not to be when they placed 14th in the Semi Final with 53 points.

This time though, Donna is coming back all guns blazing, determined to make a new stand for herself as a solo artist in Eurosong and hopefully onwards to Baku in May,  Donna will be hoping to top the bill for a place in that wonderful circus which we love, the Eurovision Song Contest, which has certainly opened a very special place in her heart for many years! 

We wish you all the best Donna! 

We have yet to be informed who is to be Donna’s mentor on the forthcoming Eurosong show in February but as ever, we will keep you informed once we know! 

See the video below for Donna’s previous entry to Eurovision in 2005 with “Love?” and below the video is the full promotional shot of Donna.

Today RTÉ have announced the selection process for next years Eurovision in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Like last year there will be five mentors coaching the acts. The five mentors are:

• Julian Benson
• Greg French
• Bill Hughes
• Edele Lynch
• Linda Martin

Friday lunchtime had to have been beyond the most excited I have been for a little while with the information appearing before my very shocked/thrilled/unbelieving eyes. Yes, Alcazar, the utterly fabulous, schlagertastic pop group all the way from my beloved adopted country Sweden, were to play that very same night in the most well known gay bar in Ireland, The George.

Alcazar, who have entered the Swedish National selection “Melodifestivalen” numerous times, were going to be in front of my very eyes in a matter of hours and I could hardly contain myself. Original member Andreas Lundstedt has actually made it to Eurovision  once before in 2006 with five other members calling themselves “Six4One” while latest Alcazar member Lina Hedlund also tried her luck in Melodifestivalen alongside  her sister Hanna Hedlund in 2002 with “Big Time Party” and going back for more with her solo effort in 2003 with “Nothing Can Stop Me”.

Coming back down to earth at home, I don’t think I took in the news for a while, walking around, making plans, packing a bag, still all the while, waiting for someone to tell me the Facebook post was either a sick joke or in fact a tribute act which I could not stomach!

Thankfully, with no sign of anyone putting me off with tales of it possibly being a figment of my imagination, I headed off to Dublin with my other half  to meet up with one of our best friends, Emma, who after a very excited phone call where not much made sense, offered to put us up for the night in return for the chance to go see one of her favourite groups too!

So, as we brush swiftly past the bouncers of The George, we head in early to get a good seat, stool,standing area or anything that puts me beside the stage in preparation for what I expect to be a fun filled, naughty spectacle!

Well I certainly wasn’t disappointed! Alcazar came down the stairs to the stage to a rapturous welcome from a very eager gay and one straight (that I know of) hyper audience! (Myself included!). They sailed effortlessly through a list of their most popular hits along with a few other lesser known songs (although not lesser known to me!). They sang “This Is The World We Live In”, “Burning”, “Crying At The Discoteque”, “Headlines”, “Funkytown”, “Alcastar”, “Not A Sinner, Not a Saint”  and my personal favourite “Stay The Night”. They also threw in very good versions of Abba’s “Dancing Queen”, “Does Your Mother Know?” and “Thank You For The Music”.  They sang, danced, flirted there way through the night engaging the audience the entire way through! I could still hardly believe they had come to Ireland but I wasn’t about to argue at ANY point!

They were amazing, they set the place alight and seemed genuinely happy to be there and performing.

You can tell for yourself if u fancy judging the pictures below!

They have barely come down from their trip to Düsseldorf and their is already speculation that Jedward are going to try and do better next year and represent us in Baku and maybe return Eurovision glory to Ireland.

According to thejournal.ie

The duo’s manager Louis Walsh said that he would strongly consider re-entering the twins into the 2012 Eurovision in Azerbaijan, the Irish Independent reports. “Ireland could definitely win Eurovision again and we might do it next year with Jedward. I think after what happened this year, Jedward would do incredibly well in Eurovision 2012,” Walsh told the newspaper.

The brothers, from Lucan in Dublin, came in 8th in the contest last Saturday. Despite not taking the crown, however, the reception to the pair has been good.

With Jedward hitting number one on itunes in Austria, Germany Sweden and Ireland and climbing in a number of other countries, maybe it wouldnt be a bad idea!

Related articles

• Eurovision 2012 – Baku (escireland.com)

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Its all over, and I for one has recovered form the Eurovision! But I think there is a number of points that need to be made!

Jedward gave an excellent performance on Saturday and I for one cannot remember the last time that Ireland got 12 points from more then one country! The fact that we came 8th in both our Semi and the final shows consistency and great performances by the lads and the entire Irish Delegation.

The last time we did better was in 2000 when Eamonn Toal came 6th with “Millenium of Love”, Brian Kennedy got us to 10th in 2006 with “Every Song is a Cry for Love”. So fair play to the boys for returning Ireland to the the top of the Eurovision award.

Also before the Final, Jedward were awarded the Marcel Bezençon Artistic Award. This was voted upon by the 43 commentators. So at least they are not going home empty handed!

Also Austrailian viewers of Eurovision who watched the final on Sunday evening on SBS voted Jedward the winners. So we have a moral victory there!

So to Jedward, you did us proud! Hopefully we will build on your success next year in Azerbaijan.

Image by @jivecork

So its tonight. The big final! Jedward are performing 6th in tonight’s final. All we can do now is hope and pray. Jedward did us proud in Thursday’s Semi so hopefully they can iron out the little kinks and completely wow Europe tonight.

Go by the trending on twitter we will hopefully do well as we were trending in a number of countries including the UK and the Netherlands, so hopefully we will get a good few douze points from around Europe!

So do tune into RTE2 or BBC2 tonight at 8pm, spike up the hair and put the lipstick on! And dont bite off all your fingernails!

Also do join our liveblog as we follow what people on twitter are saying about the final!

Related articles

• Jubilant Jedward jump into final (irishexaminer.com)
• Second Semi Qualifiers & Running Order for Final (escireland.com)

Jedward have done it!! They have qualified for the final on Saturday night! After a much stronger semi then Tuesday’s  there was still a few surprise’s in the qualifiers. The following are the qualifiers:

1. Estonia,
2. Romania,
3. Moldova,
4. Ireland,
5. Bosnia & Herzegovina,
6. Denmark,
7. Austria,
8. Ukraine,
9. Slovenia,
10. Sweden

The draw for places took place after the semi. The running order for the final is as follows:

1. Finland
2. Bosnia & Herzegovina
3. Denmark
4. Lithuania
5. Hungary
6. Ireland
7. Sweden
8. Estonia
9. Greece
10. Russia
11. France
12. Italy
13. Switzerland
14. United Kingdom
15. Moldova
16. Germany
17. Romania
18. Austria
19. Azerbaijan
20. Slovenia
21. Iceland
22. Spain
23. Ukraine
24. Serbia
25. Georgia

The position of 6th is not an excellent start for Jedward. We are surrounded by a number of up-tempo songs and with other good songs at the end we could be lost.

Also the last time someone won from 6th position was in 1957. Though some good omens, that was the first time the competition was hosted by Germany. This is the first time Ireland have been in a Eurovision final in Germany. We hadn’t entered Eurovision back in 1957 and we withdrew in 1983. So it is a possibility.

So fingers crossed for Jedward on Saturday!

Related articles

• The First Qualifiers (escireland.com)
• Jedward’s Second Rehearsal (escireland.com)

Designed by @jivecork

Tonight Jedward will be flying the flag for Ireland in Düsseldorf! Reports from the arena last night are that they did fantastic and should qualify! But we still need to be behind them!

So tune into RTE 2, BBC 3 or BBC HD and have your lipstick on to support the boys as they do us proud in Germany and hopefully will finish it all on Saturday Night!

GET IN!!!

Related articles

• Jedward’s Second Rehearsal (escireland.com)
• Jedward Sell themselves! (escireland.com)
• Jedward with Katherine Lynch (escireland.com)
• Google’s Eurovision 2011 forecaster: Lena & Jedward are at top (escireland.com)
• Spillers Semi 2 Preview and Prediction (escireland.com)

So back to the boys who have stolen the hearts of the journalists in Dusseldorf, our very own Jedward.

Today Ireland’s new golden boys have done their second rehearsal, and they have done a fantastic job and are doing us proud

From their base in Dusseldorf currently they are wowing the journalists across Europe, in a good way .

The press in Ireland has gotten behind them as well. Here is an article from The Irish Times from yesterday.

A Jedward Eurovictory?

We’ve sent some turkeys to the Eurovision Song Contest in the past, but the smiley, sparkly, high-haired twins might just have what it takes to win next Saturday night, writes RÓISÍN INGLE

WHETHER THEY win, lose or break an ankle somersaulting in front of 125 million people at this year’s Eurovision song contest, Jedward are already winning over a continent from their base in Dusseldorf, where the contest is being held next week. It’s a relentless charm offensive that has involved answering such incisive questions as: “Do you ever breathe?”The pair have also been extremely busy jumping around in stage gear inspired by Lady Gaga and Michael Jackson while explaining the philosophical aesthetic behind their trademark blond quiffs: “It’s like angelic halos and like a flame.”

There has even been a bit of singing of their song Lipstick . Here’s a sample lyric: “She’s got her lipstick on, here I come, da da dum.” (It’s the Eurovision. What were you expecting, Keats?)

It’s true we’ve sent some turkeys to the contest in recent years, but if the prize was for doing cartwheels, wearing sparkly jackets, making people smile and for the number of times a set of twins can say “amazing” and “bringing it to the next level”, then these two boys would walk the thing.

The song, by the by, is infectious in a get-behind-me-earworm kind of way. And then there’s the twins’ entertainment value. Their recent interview via a Russian interpreter, which you can watch on YouTube, is comedy gold.

“The press and the general public love them over here,” says their mentor, Caroline Downey of MCD, on the phone from Dusseldorf. “They are like a breath of fresh air blowing through the Eurovision. The whole of Europe has taken to them.”

RTÉ used a new format to find our Eurovision entry this year. It involved five music-industry professionals each finding an act and a song which was then entered into competition in Ireland. Downey was one of the mentors; her friend Louis Walsh suggested she use Jedward. After trawling through almost 50 songs, she decided that Lipstick, by a team of English and Danish songwriters, was the one best suited to her charges.

Downey is not fazed by the “Dusseldorks” headline that appeared in an Irish newspaper recently. “There has been a lot of negativity about them at home, but over here people just see them for what they are: really nice guys, living the dream, funny, enthusiastic and loving every minute,” she says.

As you might imagine, being a mentor to the hyperactive Grimes brothers is not easy. “There is definitely a mother role involved. Myself and their tour manager, Liam, are kind of the grumpy parents,” she says with a laugh. “We have to remind them to eat and to clean up their room. They are total professionals, though, and like everyone else, I don’t know where they get their energy.”

Does she really think they have a chance of winning? “I genuinely believe they have a decent chance. It’s a very difficult contest to predict, but I’d be really surprised if they weren’t in the top five with the likes of Norway, Sweden, the UK and France.”

It’s hardly surprising that their mentor would back them, but there is other support for the brothers. An internet predictor gadget, based on Google search data, shows the popularity of each participant, then calculates the scores they would get if voting took place today. Jedward are way ahead, an encouraging sign even though half of the final result is decided by the jury.

And although it often happens that an early favourite emerges, Eurovision academic Karen Fricker (who will be reporting on the event for The Irish Times next week), reckons the contest is “wide open” this year.

“In my opinion something would have to go grievously wrong with their performance for Jedward not to get through to the final at least,” she says. “Their song is youthful, it has a trendy edge – and appealing to younger voters is key.”

Another Eurovision aficionado, RTÉ broadcasting coordinator Paul G Sheridan, agrees. “They have youthful exuberance and energy and a great stage presence, which I think is going to win over voters on the night,” he says. “Their vocal ability may not be 100 per cent, but I think they may stun even the sceptics.”

The first semi-final is on Tuesday night; the twins are scheduled to perform last in the second semi-final, on Thursday night.

Sheridan’s own tip to win is the operatic entry from France, but he says the eco-inspired Finnish entry Da Da Dam (no Keats here, remember?) is one of the darker horses. Other entrants include the pop band Blue, who are representing the UK, and Dana International, the former Israeli winner, who is entering for a second time.

In their debut rehearsal this week, Jedward’s performance was as visually arresting, enthusiastic and madcap as some of the more successful entries in recent years. And at their first press conference, when asked to sing an a cappella version of the song, Jedward appeared to be singing in tune without the aid of special effects.

The Jedward charm offensive will now step up a gear. Expect photo opportunities with the contest’s other identical twins, the very blonde and very leggy Twiins from Slovakia, and plenty of quiff-denting pillow fights with fellow contestants.

The boys are said to be going down very well with the Germans. Enda might send them in to renegotiate the bailout deal yet.

What’s new?

Italy are back They have been in a big Euro-sulk since 1997 after not doing very well despite having been one of the main funders of the event. Now the European Broadcasting Union has got the Italians back on side. As a carrot, this year the Italian broadcaster Rai can broadcast that country’s Sanremo song competition in conjunction with the Eurovision final. Other countries are fined for tampering with any aspect of the live Eurovision broadcast.

Voting change To heighten the suspense during voting, the order in which countries announce their vote will be strategically scrambled. This is designed to avoid a repeat of the Lordi result, a few years ago, when after only a few votes it was obvious the Finnish monster rockers were going to romp home.

Online monitor Many experts say the best predictor of who’s going to win is a Google tool, at google.com/landing/ eurovision. It gauges the number of searches for an act. Look who’s well ahead!