Irish Eurovision hopefuls announced

RTÉ have announced the five Irish acts set to compete against each other to represent Ireland in this year’s Eurovision.

The five acts are Kasey, Inchequin, Aimée Fitzpatrick, Zoë Alexis Bohorquez and Ryan Dolan. They will perform their Eurovision songs to the public for the first time on the Mooney show on RTÉ Radio One from 1pm to 3pm tomorrow.

The winning act will be chosen using a combination of public vote and regional jury vote during Eurosong 2013 on The Late Late Show on Friday February 22.

Each act was chosen by a mentor with proven experience in the Irish music industry. Kasey, was chosen by Today FM's Mairead Farrell. Her song is called 'Kiss Me There'.

Ms Farrell said: "Being asked to be a Eurosong mentor by RTÉ was a like asking a massive football fan if they'd like to manage their favourite team. I jumped at the opportunity. It's been such a huge learning experience; I've loved every minute of it."

Inchequin was chosen by writer and performer Shay Healy. The band is made up of Sinead Bradley, Hugh O’Neill, Selin Turkoglu, Ayda Tuncboyaciyan and Tevfik Kulak. Their song is called ‘Son Kez/The Last Time’.

Aimée Fitzpatrick was chosen by Radio DJ Mark McCabe. Her song is called ‘Crashing Down’.

Mr McCabe said: "As soon as I heard Aimée singing this song, I knew straight away it was what I was looking for. We’ve lost our way with the Eurovision over the last few years. Aimée and this song bring it right back to what it’s all about."

Zoë Alexis Bohorquez is mentored by songwriter and producer Niall Mooney. Her song is called 'Fire'. Mr Mooney said he is thrilled to be working with Zoë.

"As soon as I met Zoë I knew this could be Ireland's next big pop star. She is the complete package and perfect for the contest."

Ryan Dolan was chosen by director of Spotlight Productions Stuart O'Connor. His song is called 'Only Love Survives', which Mr Dolan wrote himself.

Mr O'Connor said: "As soon as I discovered I was going to be a mentor I was determined that given the opportunity I would send an Irish singer / songwriter to Malmö this year. I was delighted to receive a large volume of songs from all around the world but as soon as I heard Only Love Survives I knew this was it – it ticked all the boxes."