Kennedy to perform Eurovision entry

Singer Brian Kennedy will perform Ireland’s entry for the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest, it was confirmed today.

RTE Television, which has been running a talent competition to choose the Irish entry for the kitsch competition, confirmed the songwriter and renowned singer has been chosen to perform next year’s entry.

Kennedy has had three albums in the Top 30 of the Irish album charts at the same time, and has performed and recorded with Van Morrison, The Corrs, Tina Turner, Paul Brady, Sinead O’Connor and actor Adrian Dunbar.

Kevin Linehan, commissioning editor for entertainment programmes at RTE Television, said the Eurovision competition had evolved into an increasingly complex and competitive professional competition in recent years.

“RTE are delighted that a singer of Brian Kennedy’s international reputation, talent, and renown will be representing Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest in May. I believe he will do us proud in Athens and enable us to give it our very best shot,” Linehan said.

“He is prolific in a wide range of musical genres and contexts; from traditional Irish songs in intimate venues to international showstoppers on the Riverdance stage. The challenge now is to find the show-stopping song Brian will perform on the night.”

Last May, RTE decided to review the format for the Eurovision Song Contest, including the ’You’re a Star’ talent competition for newcomers, following the failure of the Irish entry to qualify for the final.

The brother-and-sister act, Donna and Joe McCaul, who failed to make it to the final in May said they believed there was a problem with bloc voting which was resulting in smaller eastern European and Mediterranean countries dominating the winners’ lists.

The song will be chosen by the public, and budding and established songwriters have been invited to submit compositions.

The organisers said the music should be suited to the singer’s ability to sing popular ballads and the more traditional influenced material that has featured successfully in recent years.

All compositions should be entered before December 17, 2005 and a shortlist of four-songs will be made.

A committee chaired by two-times Eurovision-winning songwriter and co-writer of ‘You Raise Me Up’, Brendan Graham, former Eurovision winner, Shay Healy and prolific singer songwriter, Paul Brady will select the final four songs.

The four songs will be performed by Kennedy and voted upon by the public in a one-hour television special to be broadcast in early spring.

The singer chosen to represent Ireland in Athens has also performed in the stage hit Riverdance, presented television and radio programmes, wrote short stories and two novels, including ’Roman Song’ which was launched last week.