EUROVISION 2019 REVIEW: IRELAND - Sarah McTernan - 22

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After making us wait for quite some time to find out their participant and entry for Eurovision 2019, Ireland eventually chose '22' by Sarah McTernan.

Here are my thoughts:

What I Like: This really is the underrated entry of the year. This entry is just so gorgeous and put a smile on my face from first listen. Sarah's voice is really gorgeous and suits this song perfectly and I think the easy-listening nature of this entry actually ends of being its charm. Albeit simple, the production flourishes throughout the chorus add to this song's uplifting vibe that hooks me in throughout the whole song, causing me to casually bop from side to side whenever I play this one. This manages to get the balance between sweet and saccharine just right, unlike Denmark, and for that I enjoy it more because I admire the fact it doesn't feel like its trying to be in your face, begging for your vote. The lyrics aren't too bad either and leave a lot of space for Ireland to work on a nice staging concept in Tel Aviv, so I'll be disappointed if they don't maximise the potential there because that would be the difference between qualification and non-qualification for this one.

What I Don't Like: I'm actually really struggling for bad points here, and maybe that's a negative in itself. '22' becomes inoffensive to the point that its actually just there and I think the fact its not Eurovision competitive in that nature will appeal to others, but will they remember it by the end of the show in order to vote for it? I don't think so. The music video was also very simple, so I'm nervous about staging for this one, because there is so much they can do, but I don't know if Ireland will actually take action on this.

Prediction: This has one of the worst slots in the running order this year in my opinion, and is a song that isn't very Eurovision competitive, so its no surprise what I'm going to say here. They could do something cute with the staging and squeak through, but I don't really see it. Although I incorrectly predicted 'Together' last year, I feel '22' is non-qualification for Ireland again this year unfortunately.

Final Score: 7.5/10

Summary: A cute little number performed and sang perfectly by Sarah who is a great representative for Ireland. A song I'll go back to and enjoy each time, and I think many people will enjoy '22' on the night, but its simply doesn't grab you enough to encourage that audience to vote by the end of the show.

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