Ireland fails to qualify for Eurovision final with Emmy's Laika Party
Ireland’s Emmy pictured during the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 semi-final in Basel, Switzerland. Picture: Andres Poveda
Ireland has failed to qualify for the Eurovision Song Contest final with Norwegian singer Emmy Kristiansen.
The country, which ties with Sweden for the most Eurovision wins, sent the 24-year-old to perform her entry Laika Party, about a Soviet dog sent to space, during the second semi-final in Basel, Switzerland, on Thursday.
Last year, Bambie Thug became the first Irish entrant to make the final since Ryan O’Shaughnessy in 2018.
The country has not placed high in recent years, with the last win coming in 1996 when Eimear Quinn’s The Voice took the trophy.
Other winners include Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan with Rock ‘n’ Roll Kids in 1994, Niamh Kavanagh with In Your Eyes the previous year, and Linda Martin coming first with Why Me in 1992.
Dana first won the contest in 1970 with the million-seller All Kinds Of Everything; 10 years later, Johnny Logan scooped the top spot with What’s Another Year, and again in 1987 with Hold Me Now.
Other qualifiers include Ryan Dolan, who finished last in 2013 with Only Love Survives, and Jedward twice in the previous two years, as well as Niamh Kavanagh in 2010.
Those who made it to the grand final included Austria’s JJ (Johannes Pietsch), who is among the competition favourites with song Wasted Love, Armenian singer PARG, Denmark’s singer Sissal and Luxembourg’s Laura Thorn.
The last qualifiers announced were Finland’s black leather-wearing Erika Vikman, Latvian band Tautumeitas, Malta’s high-energy diva Miriana Conte and Greece’s singer Klavdia.
The others who did not thrill TV audiences included Australia’s Go-Jo (Marty Zambotto) with the tongue-in-cheek Milkshake Man and Czechia’s Adonxs, whose Eurovision journeys come to an end.
The semi-final performance of Israeli singer Yuval Raphael did not see the same “disruption” as an early rehearsal for New Day Will Rise on Thursday, and she was cheered by fans as she was confirmed to be in the final.
Earlier today, Swiss broadcaster SRG SSR, which is organising the event, said six people, including a family, obstructed the October 7 survivor’s performance with “oversized flags and whistles” and were subsequently escorted out of the venue.
Also during the semi-final, where British audiences could vote, British group Remember Monday harmonised their song What The Hell Just Happened? with Bridgerton-inspired outfits.
They are already through to the grand final as “one of the big five”, along with France’s Louane with the soulful Mamam and German duo Abor & Tynna with dancey Baller — who also took to the stage.
