Irish broadcaster RTÉ releases more details of their preparations for Eurovision in Düsseldorf in May. The five short-listed acts along with their songs are now known.
As in 2010, five acts have been selected to compete for Ireland’s ticket to Germany. Each act now knows the title of the song they’ll be singing, and each has been given a mentor so they can properly prepare for Eurosong 2011.
Ireland’s song will be chosen in a special edition of the flagship programme The Late Late Show on Friday 11 February. The acts, with their mentors, are:
Don Mescall – Talking with Jennifer (Hardiman/Mescall) – Mentor Ronan Hardiman
Jedward – Lipstick (Priddy/Jensen/Larson) – Mentor Caroline Downey-Desmond
"EMI Quartet" – Shine on (Mahoney) – Mentor Willie Kavanagh
The Vard Sisters – Send me an angel (Lawton) – Mentor Fr Liam Lawton
Nikki Kavanagh – Falling (Schillng/Gottschalck/Gladnikoff/Sabzevari) – Mentor David Hayes
Arguably the most renowned act are twins Jedward. They made their name in the 2009 series of the UK’s X-Factor, which helped with chart success in Ireland and the UK. The Vard Sisters came second in the 1998 Irish Eurosong, narrowly missing out to Dawn Martin with their song Seol, also composed by Fr Liam Lawton. They have also performed with Westlife.
Don Mescall released his debut album, to some critical acclaim in 2006. US boyband the Backstreet Boys covered his song Trouble is on their album Unbreakable in 2007. Nikki Kavanagh was a backing singer to her namesake Niamh Kavanagh in Oslo last year. More details of the "EMI Quartet" in due course.
The mentors are all big names in the field of music production and arrangement.
The songs will get their first airings in a special documentary to be broadcast on RTÉ One on Saturday 5 February.
