In a press release this morning, RTE announced that it is now seeking entries for Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2019, to be held in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Michael Kealy, who heads up the Irish delegation to Eurovision, explained that they want to "produce a world-class act that will do Ireland proud on stage in Tel Aviv and in front of a worldwide audience of nearly 200 million people."
"The Eurovision Song Contest is incredibly competitive so we need a top class song, with instant appeal and a highly experienced act who is used to performing live in front of large audiences."
Last year's entry, 'Together' by Ryan O'Shaugnessy, placed 16th in the final, Ireland's best showing since 2011 with Jedward placing eighth in the final. The press release also adds that "RTÉ is actively engaging with professionals in the music industry to ensure that we find the very best entry to represent Ireland," given the fact that we haven't won in years.
Years, people. Years. Anyway, the closing date for submission is November 23rd whilst the Eurovision Song Contest itself takes place in May, 2019.