Brooke Scullion to represent Ireland at Eurovision

Brooke, from Bellaghy, emerged victorious on The Late Late Show Eurovision Special on RTÉ One last night, following a nail-biting national final.

She will now travel to Turin in May, where Ireland will compete in the second semi-final of the competition, bidding to qualify for the grand final and to play in front of an audience of over 180 million viewers.

Speaking on the show, a thrilled Brooke said: “My nerves are shot, I’m buzzing, I can’t wait to perform again!”

Presented by Ryan Tubridy, the Late Late Show Eurosong Special also featured stalwart Eurovision commentator Marty Whelan reporting into Studio 4 from the Green Room at Studio 5 with the six acts throughout the evening as they anxiously awaited the results.

All six hopefuls took to the stage, showcasing their entries before the lines were opened up to the public to vote.

First up was Patrick O’Sullivan with One Night, One Kiss, One Promise, followed by Janet Grogan with Ashes of Yesterday, Brendan Murray’s Real Love, Miles Graham with Yeah We’re Gonna Get out of It, Rachel Goode’s I’m Loving You and Brooke Scullion with That’s Rich.

The international jury consisted of experts in the field of Eurovision from throughout Europe - William Lee Adams (founder of Eurovision fan site: Wiwibloggs), Ekaterina Orlova (Head of Delegation for Russia at Eurovision and Vice-chair of the European Broadcasting Union Television Committee), Jan Bors (Former Head of Delegation for the Czech Republic at Eurovision), and Árný Fjóla Ásmundsdóttir (Member of last year’s Icelandic Eurovision entry).

The studio jury was made up of former Eurovision winner Paul Harrington, musician Caroline Corr, singer Lucia Evans and presenter Bláthnaid Treacy, who provided feedback on the performances throughout the evening.

The Eurovision interval act to end them all, Riverdance returned, with the cast providing a stunning performance as the votes came in. It was the first time in the 27-year history of the troop that they danced the routine onstage in non-traditional costumes.

Brooke received the top score of 12 from both the international jury and the public vote, but just four points from the studio jury, leading to a close finish.

The Eurovision Song Contest 2022 is the 66th edition of the contest. It will take place in Turin, Italy, following the country’s victory at the 2021 contest with the song Zitti e buoni by Måneskin.