The Emerald Isle is one proud nation as Ryan O’ Shaughnessy has sailed through to the final of Eurovision 2018.
Last night, the singer scored a place in Saturday’s final in Lisbon, making this the first time Ireland has qualified for the singing contest in five years.
Ryan was the final act to get through during last night’s semi-final show. During the show, he performed the ballad Together and was joined on stage by two male dancers. The Irish singer’s performance was subtle, but it was a huge success with the crowd at the Altice Arena.
It looks like Ireland may be a lot more successful than it has been in recent years, judging by the crowd’s positive reaction.
Speaking of his success, Ryan shared, “We have been the underdogs since we came here and no one thinks Ireland has what it had. We made the Eurovision what it was and we are going to make it what it is in the future.”
He added confidently, “We are going to win it on Saturday.”
We're through to the final!!!! Yessss! Well done @ryan_acoustic!!! #Eurovision #ESC2018 pic.twitter.com/iwSgjx7S7M
— RTÉ2 (@RTE2) May 8, 2018
The singer has received waves of praise from Irish celebrities, including Dustin the Turkey, who tweeted, “Go on ya good thing Ryan.”
Ireland hasn’t won the Eurovision Song Contest since 1996, but it looks like Ryan may break Ireland’s Eurovision curse and claim back the trophy on Saturday night.
Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Israel and Lithuania also made it through to the final.
You can watch the Eurovision Song Contest 2018: Grand Final at 8:00 pm on RTÉ One on Saturday, May 12.
