Ireland hasn’t qualified for the grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest since 2018, when Ryan O’Shaughnessy represented us with his song Together.
In May, the country’s selection method came under fire after Wild Youth missed out on a coveted place in the grand final.
Despite giving their all during their performance, the Dublin-based band failed to receive enough votes to send them through.
In recent years, Ireland’s Eurovision representation has been chosen during The Late Late Show’s Eurosong special.
Six acts are chosen by a delegation before they are presented to the public.
The public can then vote which of these acts they want to represent Ireland at Eurovision based on their performance during the Eurosong.
After Wild Youth failed to qualify for the grand final, Irish Twitter users flocked to the social media platform to demand a change in our Eurovision selection method.
According to new figures, RTÉ have spent over €1.3m trying to qualify for the Eurovision Song Contest since 2018.
The broadcaster spent almost €340k to send Wild Youth to Liverpool for two weeks earlier this summer.
RTÉ are said to have spent €52,314 on 14 people to stay in a hotel, with a further €9,351 being spent on food and drink for the same individuals.
Of the 14, six were from RTÉ, four others were technical and support while the four remaining were Wild Youth – which comprises of members Conor O’Donohoe, David Whelan, Callum McAdam and Ed Porter.
The figures claim car parking, taxis and tolls amounted to €655. All flights were economy class, of which the total spend amounted to €4,762.
Wild Youth’s design, set pieces, props and lighting cost €58,129, while “representation” was €1,347.
Meanwhile, the fee to the European Broadcasting Union – which includes “licence to broadcast over seven hours of television across three nights”, was €105,099.
