The drought continues
Hopes of Ireland reaching their first Eurovision final since 2018 were dashed on Thursday night after the 7-time winners failed to get out of their semi-final.
Derry native Brooke Scullion became the 10th Irish act to fail to make it out of the semi-finals since the system was introduced in 2004.
Despite her track 'That's Rich' garnering buzz on social media and among the Eurovision fandom, it wasn't enough to secure a slot in Saturday night's grand final in Turin.
In a semi-final pool that contained heavyweights like Sweden, Finland, Australia, the Czech Republic, Serbia, Poland and Romania, Ireland once again couldn't overcome the hurdle.
Sandwiched between Cyprus' and North Macedonia's performances, Brooke Scullion's performance was energetic, and was coupled with the dash of cheekiness that helped her win over Irish audiences back in February.
Ireland's Eurovision track record has been particularly dire over the last decade, with the 7-time winners only making the final three times in that time span.
Ryan O'Shaughnessy's 16th place finish in the 2018 final represents Ireland's best showing in the last decade.
Ukraine are firm favourites heading into Saturday night's final, with the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain serving as main competition.
Ukraine look good to repeat their unlikely 2016 victory with their track 'Stefania' which combines elements of Ukrainian folk music with hip-hop.
Norway have emerged as the dark horse contender with their eccentric track 'Give That Wolf A Banana', while the United Kingdom have been tipped to see their best result in over a decade for their entry 'Spaceman'.
The grand final takes place on Saturday night, with 1992 contest winner Linda Martin announcing the points for Ireland, and the festivities will start from 8pm - sans Ireland, once again.