Ireland: JESC 2021 selection show "Junior Eurovision Éire 2021" to begin on September 12

Thursday, 02 September 2021

Adare Productions, has confirmed that the Junior Eurovision 2021 selection show "Junior Eurovision Éire 2021" will kick off on September 12, 2021.

reland is returning to Junior Eurovision after a year of absence and will be selection its JESC 2021 hopeful for Paris through the national selection "Junior Eurovision Éire 2021". The show is set to kick off on September 12, 2021 will unfold over six successive weeks with all show been taped previously in the RTÉ studios in Dublin.

It remains however unknown which format will the organisers follow and if the contestants will perform orginals songs like it happened the years 2015 to 2018 or if the song will be selected in a later points following the representative's selections.

Louise Cantillon will be successing Eoghan McDermott, who presented every edition of the show until 2019. Like previous year's the panel of judges includes two permanent jurors while the remaing spot filled in by guest judges. Namely, the two permanent jurors are:
- Niamh Ní Chróinín – Radio presenter, manager of Irish-language youth radio station Raidió Rí-Rá
- Fiachna Ó Braonáin – Member of Hothouse Flowers (interval act at Eurovision 1988) and has been serving as a judge for the Junior Eurovision Éire 2016-2018. Fiacha was also behind the composition of the Irish JESC 2019 entry “Banshee”
The other place of the jury panel will be filled in by the following guest judges:
- Jedward (Ireland 2011 & 2012)
- Niamh Kavanagh (ESC 1993 Winner, Ireland ESC 2010)
- Brian Kennedy (Irleand ESC 2006)
- Lesley Roy (Ireland ESC 2020 & 2021)
- Mickey Joe Harte (Ireland ESC 2003)
- Linda Martin (Ireland ESC 1984, ESC 1992 Winner)
The next Junior Eurovision Song Contest is set to take place in Paris on December 19, 2021 in the La Seine Musicale.

Ireland in Junior Eurovision

Ireland has participated in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest five times since their first appearance in the 2015 contest. The Irish language broadcaster, TG4, is responsible for the country's participation in the contest, and uses the national final Junior Eurovision Éire to select the Irish entries.

Ireland debuted in the contest when TG4 participated in the 2015 contest in Sofia, Bulgaria, when the song "Réalta na mara" performed by Aimee Banks placed 12th in a field of 17 countries.  Ireland has achieved one top ten placing, in 2016 when the song "Bríce ar bhríce" performed by Zena Donnelly placed 10th.

Despite having initially confirmed their participation in the 2020 contest in Warsaw, Poland in January 2020, TG4 announced in August 2020 that they would not participate in the contest due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lets remember below Ireland's last participation in Gliwice-Silesia at JESC 2019 with Anna Kearney and her song "Banshee"  which finished 12th receiving 73 points.

News Source:  Eurovoix/ADARE Productions

Image: EBU/ THOMAS HANSES