A special airing of The Late Late Show this Friday will see six Eurovision hopefuls take to the stage live, in the hopes of representing Ireland at the upcoming song contest in Italy this May.
For the first time in several years, viewers at home will have the opportunity to cast their vote for their favourite song and help to decide Ireland’s entry into the 2022 Eurovision.
The winner will be chosen by the combined votes awarded by the public, an international jury and a studio jury, and the winner of Friday night’s Eurosong Special will then go on to perform at the Eurovision in front of an audience of 180 million people.
Eurovision stalwart, commentator Marty Whelan, will be on hand as The Late Late Show’s green room correspondent on Friday, capturing all the backstage action throughout the evening.
The show will also see an interval performance from Riverdance, who first performed their dance line at Eurovision in 1994.
The six performers set to take to the stage have been chosen from over 300 entries after RTÉ issued a callout last autumn for artists and songwriters seeking to compete in the Eurovision.
Eurovision 2022 will take place in Turin in May, after Italian rock band Måneskin won the 2021 contest, with Ireland drawn to perform in the second semi-final of the competition this year as the nation bids to qualify for the final.
Ireland still holds the record for most Eurovision wins, with a tally of seven victories at the contest after first entering in 1965. Ireland famously won four out of five contests in the 1990s and became the first country to win three times in a row.
The Late Late Eurosong Special will air RTÉ One on Friday, February 4th at 9.35pm.
