Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012
Ireland participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in Baku. Ireland chose their entry for the contest on 24 February 2012, through the national selection programme Eurosong 2012, organised by the national broadcaster RTÉ. Pop duo Jedward won the competition, with their song "Waterline", making them the first act ever to represent Ireland two years in a row. In the final, Ireland scored 46 points and ranked 19th.
Before Eurovision
Eurosong 2012
Eurosong 2012 was the national final format developed by RTÉ in order to select Ireland's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2012. The competition was broadcast as a special edition of The Late Late Show held on 24 February 2012 and hosted by Ryan Tubridy.Competing entries
In November 2011, RTÉ confirmed that Ireland's song and performer will again be chosen by the Eurosong mentor process, first used in 2011. RTÉ also announced the five mentors who would work with contestants and selecting a song for the contestants in Eurosong 2012. The mentors were:- Bill Hughes, producer and former Popstars and You're a Star judge
- Edele Lynch, singer and songwriter
- Greg French, music producer, songwriter and member of The Brilliant Things
- Julian Benson, agent and choreographer
- Linda Martin, Eurovision 1992 winner
| Mentor | Artist | Song | Writer/s |
| Linda Martin | Jedward | "Waterline" | Nick Jarl, Sharon Vaughn |
| Edele Lynch | Celtic Aura & Maria McCool | "Mistaken" | Edele Lynch |
| Greg French | Andrew Mann | "Here I Am" | Greg French |
| Julian Benson | Una Gibney & David Shannon | "Language of Love" | Éanán Patterson, Julian Benson |
| Bill Hughes | Donna McCaul | "Mercy" | Mårten Eriksson, Peter Månsson, Lina Eriksson, Bill Hughes |
Final
The final took place 5 March 2010. Five entries competed and the winner, "Waterline" performed by Jedward, was determined by the 50/50 combination of a public vote and a regional jury vote from five regions in Ireland: Cork, Limerick, Galway, Sligo and Dublin. Each jury region awarded 12, 10, 8, 6 and 4 points to their top 5 songs, while the public vote awarded 60, 50, 40, 30 and 20 points to their top 5 songs.At Eurovision
During the Semi-Final Allocation draw which was held on 25 January 2012, it was announced Ireland was scheduled to compete on the second half of the first semi-final on 22 May. On 20 March 2012 the Running Order draw was held, which determined the order of which the participants performed. Ireland performed 18th, the very last of the first semi-final, having been given the chance to choose their position after winning a wildcard in the draw. After performing at the first semi-final on 22 May, Jedward made it to the top ten and qualified for the final on Saturday 26 May; they performed in the 23rd position and won 46 points, giving them a rank of 19th in the competition.Split results
- In the Semi-final 1 Ireland came 6th with 92 points: the public awarded Ireland 4th place with 116 points and the jury awarded 10th place with 72 points.
- In the Final Ireland came 19th with 46 points: the public awarded Ireland 10th place with 89 points and the jury awarded 25th place with 14 points.
Points awarded by Ireland
Semi-final 1
Final
Jury points awarded by Ireland
Semi-final 1
Jury points awarded in first semi-final:| 12 points | |
| 10 points | |
| 8 points | |
| 7 points | |
| 6 points | |
| 5 points | |
| 4 points | |
| 3 points | |
| 2 points | |
| 1 point |
Final
Jury points awarded in the final:| 12 points | |
| 10 points | |
| 8 points | |
| 7 points | |
| 6 points | |
| 5 points | |
| 4 points | |
| 3 points | |
| 2 points | |
| 1 point |
| 12 points | 10 points | 8 points | 7 points | 6 points |
| 5 points | 4 points | 3 points | 2 points | 1 point |
| 12 points | 10 points | 8 points | 7 points | 6 points |
| 5 points | 4 points | 3 points | 2 points | 1 point |
| - | - | - | - |