After 2 successive last place finishes Ireland heads back to the notorious Late Late Show selection format.

Brooke’s “That’s Rich” is a clear stand out. It is a funky pop feminist number with influences from Olivia Rodrigo. It is by far the stand out contender and Ireland’s best chance of making it out of the semi finals. The modern production should mean that Brooke wins the international jury vote. She is from Northern Ireland and should benefit from a strong regional bloc vote. There are some concerns at how it will come across on the late late studio stage but Brooke is a seasoned performed having finished 3rd on The Voice UK.

Brooke’s biggest competitors are buried away in slot 1 and 2, Patrick and Janet. Both are good vocalists and have connections with RTE. However their songs are just not strong enough to stand out. The selection is quite ballad heavy and these songs are likely to blend into one, although I suspect one of Patrick or Janet will win the Irish jury vote.

A possible long shot contender is 2017 Eurovision entrant, Brendan Murray. His song, “Real love” has undergone a revamp and sounds much more closer to his style than his 2017 entry. Brendan is a strong vocalist and is likely to bring a minimalist intimate staging that will be well liked. If Brooke’s staging goes wrong, this could end up as an accidental winner much like Molly Sterling in Ireland’s 2015 selection.

Recommended bets:

Back Brooke to win Eurosong 2022 @ 2.3 (Betfair) 3 pts

Back Brendan Murray to win Eurosong 2022 @ 13 (Betfair) 1 pt