Ireland: Aussievision’s Eurosong 2024 rankings

Photo courtesy of Eurovisionworld.com

Irish Eurovision broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) has announced the six songs that will be competing in its national final on the evening of Friday January 26 in Ireland.

Ahead of this imminent selection the Aussievision team has decided to rank the Irish entries.

Fourteen Aussievision team members ranked the six songs from 1st to 6th, with the points awarded to each position as follows:

• 1st – 12 points

• 2nd – 10 points

• 3rd – 8 points

• 4th – 6 points

• 5th – 4 points

• 6th – 2 points

Now we will present the results in reverse order ...

6. Next in Line – ‘Love Like Us’ (66 points)

Highs: 10 points from Liv, 8 points from John Christian, Mark and Sam

Lows: 2 points from Fleur, Dale, Craig, Hugo and Emma

"Blergh! I fear they may just be the oh-too-predictable choice, and if so, bring on another 12 months of jokes for Ireland at EV." ~ Kiel

5. JyellowL – ‘Judas’ (68 points)

Highs: 12 points from Mark, 8 points from Kiel

Lows: 2 points from Hayley, Steven and Sam

"Melodic boy rap is a guilty pleasure of mine, so naturally I was taken by this Same Love-style combo of poetry and female-sung folk chorus. In a sea of generic pop lacking impact, this song had the most heart and the most to say. Side note: can someone let JyellowL and all the Irish contestants know they’re allowed an entire three minutes on stage? Perhaps a bridge might be nice, JyellowL?" ~ Mark

4. Erica Cody – ‘Love Me Like I Do’ (100 points)

Highs: 12 points from Dale and Kyriakos, 10 points from Laura and Steven

Lows: 2 points from Mark and Liv

"It's time for Ireland to send another bop to ESC and 'Love Me Like I Do'. It's the kind of music I listen to on a regular basis. Cannot wait to see what Erica has in store for her performance." ~ Kyriakos

"Possibly the best of the ‘safe options’ in this year’s Irish selection, if Erica Cody can pull off a strong live vocal performance, this can shine. If other countries choose to go down the novelty route, this may stand out in its own way for being a well-performed pop song with a synth-laden 80s-inspired instrumental." ~ Laura

"This isn't doing anything new but it does it pretty well and Erica has such an interesting vocal tone. For it to have impact it would need to have a killer live performance." ~ Dale

"The song has potential if well stage and Erica-Cody’s live vocal is strong. It’s not bringing much new to the party, but I kinda like it." ~ Steven

3. Isabella Kearney – ‘Let Me Be The Fire’ (106 points)

Highs: 12 points from Steven, 10 points from John Christian, Kyriakos, Craig and Dale

Lows: 2 points from Kiel, 4 points from Sam 

"This is a nice song that I wouldn't mind seeing in Malmö. It's catchy it's pop. The chorus is it's biggest hook!" ~ Kyriakos

"Of the two pop girls in the Irish selection this year, I have a slight preference for Isabella Kearney. The production of this track is really smooth, and the hooks are sufficiently hook-y that I found myself humming it after only one listen. This would certainly be a safer pick than some of the other options in Eurosong this year - but if Ireland isn't feeling quite ready to take a punt on Ailsha or Bambie Thug yet, they could do far worse than this." ~ Craig

"This entry seems to me to be the best compromise between bland/not my thing and too experimental (verging on a wall of noise). I like the beat, the hook and Isabella’s voice. A Brooke 2.0? Yeah, maybe." ~ Steven

"If neither Ailsha nor Bambie Thug wins, this would be a safe bet for Ireland. Leslie Roy and Brooke Scullion would be so proud of Ireland sending this entry and qualifying, something they couldn't with their entries that were a bit underwhelming." ~ John Christian

"I love the deep dark beats here and the song threatens to really go somewhere but only gets about 75% there, there's still a lot to like though!" ~ Dale

2. Bambie Thug – ‘Doomsday Blues’ (114 points)

Highs: 12 points from Hayley and Kiel, 10 points from Fleur, Mark, Hugo, Emma and Sam 

Lows: 2 points from Laura and John Christian, 4 points from Dale

"I really don’t know how to describe this, but it’s a lot more interesting than a lot of the other songs in this selection. Sounds like 'Bury A Friend' by Billie Eilish. No idea how they capture this on stage, creative direction and also those scream-vocal parts. The melodic bits I quite like actually; a chaotic mess for the rest of it but this is more gripping than some of the others." ~ Hugo

"Well we've almost got two songs in one here with the quieter mellow chorus being my preferred over the dark, edgy, metal verses. It's not the sort of song I'd normally go for but I see the appeal cause this sure as hell ain't your 'stereotypical Irish Eurovision entry'! Well done Ireland for selecting this for Eurosong...but will the Irish public be brave enough to send it to Eurovision?" ~ Emma

"I like that this is experimental, there are some great elements here. I just don't know how this would work on the Eurovision stage." ~ Fleur

"Look, I don’t particularly like it. A lovely chorus, I guess? Shame about those verses. That said, it’s theatrical and the transitions from one genre to the next are handled adeptly. At least it’s original, and that should be rewarded, especially from Ireland." ~ Mark

"Let's face it - Ireland need to shake things up to be any chance of reversing their fortunes from recent years. So why not send something that stands out? And out of the two amped-up hot messes in this contest - the other being Go Tobann - this is slightly ahead. It would be ace to see Bambie Thug at Eurovision, and it might just get them to Saturday night for the first time in ages!" ~ Kiel

"I won't lie - I am slightly obsessed with this and could probably write an essay. The first time this came on I was in the car and THAT BASS had my car doors rattling - and that makes me HAPPY. I have honestly been agonising over my 12 and 10 points in this ranking as I do think that Alisha has a better chance at qualifying but this is my 12 points purely because it is my taste in music - and did I mention the BASS? Could be a wreck on stage - could also be incredible. How it will transition between the heavy to the melodic - this will be great to watch and unfortunately the Eurosong format may work against it. There is a lot going on in this song isn't there! This song may scare little kids - but it is glorious and I am here for it." ~ Hayley

"I find the clash of genres in this song absolutely fascinating. The loud, late-night goth pop section I can only describe as being punched repeatedly but it feeling so good. Meanwhile the quiet section is almost surreal in contrast. It lacks the native, Celtic elements of Alisha’s entry which is why I give her the edge. But I would be proud to see Bambie Thug represent Ireland. Also we love a fabulous non-binary queen. <3" ~ Sam

1. Alisha – ‘Go Tobann’ (134 points)

 Highs: 12 points from Hugo, Emma, Laura, Liv, Craig, Fleur, Sam and John Christian, 10 points from Hayley and Kiel

Lows: 2 points from Kyriakos, 4 points from Steven and Mark

"Ireland does Baby-Metal! Never EVER did I think I would see this from Ireland. There is something widely addictive about it - intense - manic - and my god I can see the staging would be wild. I think if Ireland sends this - huge change to qualify. Don't send beige Ireland - send neon lights!" ~ Hayley

"The second of the great hot messes in this collection. The flute-like instrument adds a bit more national chatacter too. I wouldn't complain if either this or Bambie Thug win." ~ Kiel

"Ireland, this is the choice if you want to have a shot at qualifying to the final! It stands out for being unique, has a distinctly Irish identity, the message in the lyrics is very important, and I love the tin whistle-driven chaos in the instrumentation. It’s important to take risks if you want to see the reward!" ~ Laura

"Go A meets Ireland and I’m here for it. Musically whacky but how catchy. I dread to think what they do with this on a tv studio stage at Eurosong, but this could be the out there type of entry that gets them out of a televote only semi-final. They’ve already hit rock bottom so why not take a risk!" ~ Hugo

"Listening to this I feel like I'm immersed in the soundtrack of an Irish videogame. There's no doubt it's going to be all about the visuals for this one which is something that Eurosong is not renowned for. Hopefully the voting public will still see the potential for what could be done with the right staging. It's crazy but Ireland has to do something very different to what they've been doing the last few years and this could very well be the song to get them back in to the Grand Final." ~ Emma

"Ireland must send this to Malmo and be right back into the Grand Final, or they're screwed. I can't stop listening to this earworm, and this winning would be epic." ~ John Christian

"This is a wall of sound, and at times it risks becoming a tad too chaotic - something which gives me concerns for how well it will translate to a tiny TV studio for the Late Late Show. Nonetheless, it stands out really really well in this lineup, and if Ailsha can make it coherent in a live performance setting, I do think there's a lot of potential here. It's grown and grown and grown on me and now I'm really hoping that Ireland takes a punt on Ailsha!" ~ Craig

"As a big fan of Celtic music I am delighted to see a song that represents the native elements of Ireland. Combined with the metal and dance elements and this is a multi-genre banger that I am obsessed with. I totally disagree with Irish Eurovision winner Linda Martin that a ballad would win for Ireland and actually think they need to go for something daring and different to stand out. This would definitely tick all those boxes: authentically Irish, in-your-face, an ear-worm, totally unique. All Ailsha needs to do is deliver this live and Ireland has a winner." ~ Sam

"No idea what is going on here but I am here for it. The song is an earworm. To be honest it's probably one of my favourite songs from this national final season. Seriously though, the best thing for me is the mix of English and Gaelic lyrics. I really enjoy the EDM/Rock/Pop fusion here, it's chaotic and I love it." ~ Fleur

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So there you have it, Ailsha scores a solid victory in the Aussievision rankings. Coupled with the fact she is the bookies favourite, is Ailsha set to fly the Irish flag in Sweden with her Celtic-metal track?

Find out by tuning into The Late Late Eurosong Special on this RTÉ live stream at the following times in the following locations:

• 9:35pm Friday January 26 Ireland/ UK time

• 10:35pm Friday January 26 Central European time

• 5:35am Saturday January 27 WA time

• 7:05am Saturday January 27 NT time

• 7:35am Saturday January 27 QLD time

• 8:05am Saturday January 27 SA time

• 8:35am Saturday January 27 AEDT (NSW, VIC, TAS and ACT) time

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