RTE Reveals Which Two Acts Will Not Represent Ireland At Eurovision 2018
Over the past few days, two more artists were revealed to be representing their country at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, which will be held in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon. Today, Irish national broadcaster RTE revealed which two rumored acts will not, in fact, be attending the festivities when May comes around.
Sex Pistols legend Johnny Rotten, real name John Lydon, addressed speculation at the end of November regarding the possibility that Ireland was considering his participation in the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest. He referred to the rumor as “hilarious,” but did not entirely shoot down the gossip. Early Tuesday morning, however, The Irish Sun revealed that RTE honchos simply did not feel he was right for the contest and therefore chose to go in another direction. Lydon actually made the shortlist of 10 artists being considered, and despite not being chosen, his failed bid actually resulted in his popularity being given a boost and “a string of bookings” being organized.
Also heavily banded about the Eurovision community was speculation that twin sisters Heathers would be vying for the first Irish win in 22 years, with the last victory taking place in 1996. Most ESC fans were very excited about this possibility, as the indie pop duo has actually made quite the name for themselves over the past decade. However, national broadcaster officials were not too fond of the self-penned track the girls submitted to perform in Lisbon, feeling that singing another artist’s song would be a better option. Louise and Ellie Macnamara considered this request to be a deal-breaker, and therefore RTE was forced to move on to other options.
DEVELOPING STORY
So it looks like Ireland maybe sending a Britain'a Got Talent Finalist to Eurovision. If true… https://t.co/hQ6F4uiLJr
— EurovisionIreland (@EurovisionIrela) January 30, 2018
All that is known at the current time is that a male soloist is most likely once again going to take the stage for Ireland, marking the third year in a row. Eurovision Ireland’s official Twitter account posted earlier Tuesday evening that Britain’s Got Talent contestant Ryan O’Shaughnessy could possibly be taking the stage this spring, with this news creating quite the stir among fans.
The country was represented by Brendan Murray last year, and former Westlife star Nicky Byrne the year previous, with both failing to qualify for the Eurovision grand final. In 2015, singer Molly Sterling also did not advance, following Can-Linn feat. Kasey Smith in 2014. The last time that an Irish entry made it to the final stage of the competition was in 2013, with Ryan Dolan’s entry Only Love Survives. This, however, was not much of a victory as the singer ended up coming in dead last, with only five points to his name.
