Ireland: Sarah McTernan – 22

Shi: Oh, Ireland. I see you’re still dominating that “will they ever learn?” corner.

Continuing with the method of sending a pleasant radio song with a sympathetic performer with which they mostly fail to qualify – with the exception of last year where they eventually finished 16th – the Irish seem determined to constantly ignore that part in Eurovision where people are actually supposed to remember the songs after they ended.

As far as this year’s effort goes, I don’t even have anything actively bad to say about the song as a whole – it’s perfectly nice and I enjoy it – but in context it’s difficult to imagine this having any impact, bar a repeat of an interpretive rain dance in front of house number 22. It says a lot when your main selling point is that at least your countrymen won’t be embarrassed watching this on TV.

It is also not entirely helped by its place in the running order (although I suppose it might help with remembering the name of the song?) and the fact of having been placed there in the first place. Sure, a couple of countries have qualified from #2, but it’s not exactly a vote of confidence, is it?

Felix: There’s a pile of songs that I don’t care about in my 2019 ranking list, and Ireland is one of them. While the song isn’t horrible, in terms of what happens at ESC 2019 it’s just not more important to me than a mic stand, or the 4th seat in the 9th row, or the other host’s handbag.

Martin: I often rail against songs that are offensively inoffensive, but there’s a good kind of inoffensive too, and that’s what Ireland is. It’s not going to change the world and it probably won’t trouble the scoreboard either, but I’m glad to have it in my playlist as summer approaches.

video and title image source: eurovision.tv