Ireland fail to make this year’s Eurovision final
By Nick Levine
Ireland have missed out on a spot in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest final after failing to make it through tonight’s second semi-final in Copenhagen.
A total of 15 countries took part in the second semi-final tonight (May 8), with the top ten progressing to the final on Saturday night (May 10).
Ireland’s entry – Heartbeat performed by Can-Linn featuring Kasey Smith (pictured in this article) – was one of the five songs eliminated tonight.
Ireland have won the Eurovision Song Contest seven times over the years – more than any other nation – but their last victory came back in 1996.
The ten countries that made it through to the final tonight were Switzerland, Slovenia, Poland, Romania, Norway, Greece, Malta, Belarus, Finland and Austria – who are represented by Conchita Wurst, a headline-grabbing bearded drag queen.
They join the ten countries that progressed from the first semi-final on Tuesday night (May 6): Russia, the Netherlands, Montenegro, Hungary, Armenia, Azerbaijan, San Marino, Sweden, Iceland and Ukraine.
France, Italy, Spain, Germany and the UK are all automatic finalists – as are last year’s winner Denmark.
The final will be shown live on BBC One at 8pm on Saturday night. According to the latest odds from Ladbrokes, the UK’s entry – Children of the Universe by newcomer Molly – is sixth favourite to win with odds of 12/1.
> Meet Conchita Wurst, Austria’s Victoria Beckham-inspired Eurovision entry
> Russia, Netherlands triumph in first Eurovision semi-final