Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014


Ireland participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Irish entry was selected through the national final Eurosong 2014, organised by the Irish broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. Can-Linn featuring Kasey Smith represented Ireland with the song "Heartbeat", which failed to qualify from the second semi-final placing 12th in a field of 15. This was the third time that the Irish Eurovision entry was written by songwriter Jonas Gladnikoff, along with Rasmus Palmgren, Patrizia Helander and the entry mentor Hazel Kaneswaran.

Before Eurovision

Eurosong 2014

Eurosong 2014 was the national final format developed by RTÉ in order to select Ireland's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2014. Despite placing last in the final of the 2013 contest, RTÉ indicated shortly after the conclusion of the previous year's contest that they would continue to participate, later confirming in July 2013 that they would definitely be among the participants for the 2014 contest. On 31 October 2013, RTÉ announced that the Eurosong selection procedure would return, continuing as a special edition of The Late Late Show to be held on 28 February 2014 and hosted by Ryan Tubridy.

Format

Five mentors were responsible for each selecting a song and artist for the competition where the combination of a public vote and the votes of regional juries selected the Irish entry for Copenhagen. The mentors had until 3 January 2014 to submit details regarding their song and act, while the recorded version of the entry was required to be submitted to RTÉ by 3 February 2014. The mentors were:
RTÉ revealed the names and titles of the competing artists and songs on 5 February 2014. The five songs were presented on 6 February 2014 during the RTÉ 2fm programme Rick in the Afternoon, hosted by Rick O'Shea and on the RTÉ Radio 1 programme Mooney, hosted by Derek Mooney.
MentorActSongWriter
Billy McGuinnessLaura O'Neill"You Don't Remember Me"Don Mescall, Lucie Silvas
Hazel KaneswaranCan-Linn feat. Kasey Smith"Heartbeat"Hazel Kaneswaran, Jonas Gladnikoff, Rasmus Palmgren, Patrizia Helander
Cormac BattleAndrew Mann"Be Mine"Cormac Battle
Valerie RoePatricia Roe"Don't Hold On"Patricia Roe
Mark MurphyEoghan Quigg"The Movie Song"Karl Broderick

Final

The final took place 28 February 2014. Five entries competed and the winner, "Heartbeat" performed by Can-Linn featuring Kasey Smith, 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. An expert panel consisting of Louis Walsh, Eoghan McDermott, Maia Dunphy and Eurovision 1992 winner Linda Martin also provided commentary and feedback to the artists.
Guest performances included Johnny Logan performing a medley of "What's Another Year", "Hold Me Now" and "Why Me?" and Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan performing "Rock 'n' Roll Kids".

At Eurovision

During the semi-final allocation draw on 20 January 2014 at the Copenhagen City Hall, Ireland was drawn to compete in the second half of the second semi-final on 8 May 2014. In the second semi-final, the producers of the show decided that Ireland would perform 9th, following Finland and preceding Belarus. Ireland placed 12th with 35 points.
The Irish performance featured Kasey Smith performing with the members of Can-Linn which included two male backing dancers: Thomas Spratt and Tarik Shebani and two female backing vocalists: Jenny Bowden and Donna Bissett. Can-Linn and Kasey Smith were joined on stage by violinist Denice Doyle. The Irish performance featured a stage atmosphere of warm shades of reds, yellows and oranges with Celtic inspired shapes and patterns against a backdrop that transitioned from dark seas with lightning bolts to an orange sky with green water. The dress Kasey Smith wore was designed by Kathy de Stafford with a neckpiece designed by Oliver Doherty Duncan.
In Ireland, the first and second semi-finals were broadcast on RTÉ Two and the final was broadcast on RTÉ One with all shows being commentated by Marty Whelan. The second semi-final and the final were also broadcast via radio on RTÉ Radio 1 with commentary by Shay Byrne and Zbyszek Zalinski. The Irish spokesperson revealing the result of the Irish vote in the final was Nicky Byrne.

Points awarded to Ireland

Points awarded by Ireland

Semi-final 2

Points awarded in the second semi-final:
12 points
10 points
8 points
7 points
6 points
5 points
4 points
3 points
2 points
1 point

Final

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

Split voting results

The following five members comprise the Irish jury:
The Irish votes in the second semi-final were based on 50% jury voting and 50% televoting results.

Final

The Irish votes in the grand final were based on 50% jury voting and 50% televoting results.