The 2021 Eurovision Song Contest is finally set to take place Tuesday, May 18th after being delayed last year due to the pandemic.
The contest is split into three with the semi-final on Tuesday, May 18th, a second semi-final on Thursday, May 20th, and the grand final on Saturday, May 22nd. All of the three shows begin at 8 pm in Ireland. Each show will be broadcasted on RTÉ Two, or alternatively, you can tune in to BBC Four.
In total, 39 countries will be competing, Ireland will be competing in the first semi-final against 16 other contestants. Only ten from each semi-final will advance to the grand final. Along with them, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK automatically qualify for the final, as well as the host country, the Netherlands.
Ireland will be represented by Lesley Roy from Balbriggan, Dublin with her song Maps. She was selected by RTÉ last year and was originally going to perform Story Of My Life. Lesley's song Maps has already got over one million views on YouTube. Lesley will take to the stage in the first semi-final in Rotterdam on Tuesday night.
To keep up with the high-energy tempo of the song, Lesley will perform the piece while running on a treadmill.
''I am very excited about it. Especially after the months and months of work. We wanted to stand out and I think regardless of anything else of the night, the paper world that we've built specifically for viewers at home will really cut across the screen,'' she said.
We're super excited to try and pull this off. It's really entertaining. I think it's really creative - what we've been able to do and how all the props are moved by hand and how it continues this story of a journey.''
Lesley will be traveling to the contest with her wife but the rest of her family and friends can't attend due to restrictions. She said she has received lots of virtual support so far which has been brilliant.
Tonight's semi-final goes out at 8 pm on RTÉ 2, and tomorrow's final at the same time on RTÉ 1.
