Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Entertainment
Cian O'Broin

Ireland's Eurovision 2023 details - when our semi-final is on, what are our odds and what people think of Wild Youth entry

As one celebration in the UK winds down following King Charles Coronation, another begins, as Ireland battles it out against 14 other nations in the first of two Eurovision Semi-Final contests this week.

This year's Eurovision Song Contest will be hosted in Liverpool at the Liverpool Arena, with the slogan 'United by Music' sure to embody a sense of community among participants, however, the competition is set to be fierce.

Ireland will be looking to add to a record seven Eurovision wins since first entering the competition in 1965, with Sweden, this year's favourites hot on their tails, with six wins of their own.

Read More: Wild Youth admit JK Rowling debate has been 'very stressful' on RTE Late Late Show

This year, four-piece indie rock group Wild Youth will represent the Emerald Isle.

The group, childhood friends from Dublin, were formed in 2016 and consist of David Whelan, Conor O'Donohoe, Ed Porter and Callum McAdam.

So far, they have toured with Lewis Capaldi, Niall Horan and Westlife, and after scoring 34 points were selected to represent Ireland in the 67th installment of Europe's largest television music programme.

They will perform their song 'We Are One' in the first semi-final in Liverpool.

When is the semi-final on?

The first of two semi-finals will be kicking off on Tuesday, May 9 from 11pm GMT.

There will be 15 countries, including Ireland participating in Semi-final 1 (determined by draw). The best 10 countries from Semi-final 1 will qualify for the Grand Final.

Televoting will be from participating countries and the pre-qualified countries Germany, France and Italy, which also includes online voting for the rest of the world.

While Irish man Graham Norton is set to host the Grand Final, the semi-finals will be hosted by Ukrainian singer and X-Factor judge Julia Sanina, British Emmy-winning actress Hannah Waddngham and singer Alesha Dixon.

Ireland will face off against the following countries in the first semi-final: Norway, Malta, Serbia, Latvia, Portugal, Croatia, Switzerland, Israel, Moldova, Sweden, Azerbaijan, Czech Republic, Netherlands and Finland.

What are Ireland's odds?

EurovisionWorld.com has given its verdict on who bookmakers think will qualify for the Grand Final from Semi-Final 1.

The top five tipped to make it through are: Finland (96%), Sweden (96%), Norway (96%), Israel (95%) and Czech Republic (91%).

Ireland has been listed in 14th place, which according to Eurovision Song Contest rules, would see them eliminated, as only the top 10 countries from the semis will earn a spot in the final.

Bookmakers have given Ireland a 20% chance of making it through, with only Azerbaijan having a lower chance at 17%.

When it comes to a table on who could win the semi-final, bookmakers have placed Ireland in a slightly higher position, with less than a 1% chance of winning, and a ranking of 11 out of 15.

They have listed Finland as a potential outright winner of Semi-Final 1, with a 60% chance.

What do the Irish public think?

Despite low odds, the Irish public are more optimistic in our chances of qualifying for the Grand Final than in recent years. Many commentators have speculated that other nations haven't taken us seriously since entering Dustin the Turkey in 2008, with the famous puppet's performance greeted with boos from the audience.

At the time, panelist Dana Rosemary Scallon described it as a "mockery of the competition".

Wild Youth themselves have spoken of the pressure they are facing, with Ireland failing to qualify for the Grand Final since 2018.

However, despite the group of friends being "terrified" they have been noted as being the possible dark horse of the competition, with sounds similar to Coldplay, Snow Patrol and One Republic a possible pull for the 10,000 strong audience and millions set to be watching from home.

After arriving at the Turquoise Carpet opening ceremony for the Eurovision on Sunday, Irish Twitter users wished them the best of luck ahead of Tuesday night's big performance.

One Twitter user said: "Just boarding the plane to Liverpool. Bring on #Eurovision #Ireland #WildYouth."

READ NEXT:

Get news updates direct to your inbox by signing up to our daily newsletter here

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.