"It is the end of an era, because for the first time in 12 years, Micheal Kealy will no longer lead the broadcaster's Eurovision team as head of delegation. An RTÉ spokesperson said Mr Kealy "has moved on from the role to co-executive produce The Late Late Show". Instead, Alan Tyler, who joined RTÉ in May 2022 as group head of entertainment and music, will act as head of delegation at the 2026 Eurovision. This is the first time that Ireland's delegation has ever been led by the head of the department."
"Mr Kealy had led the delegation since 2013, taking over from Julian Vignoles. During Mr Kealy's time, Ireland has qualified for the Eurovision grand ­final a total of three times. In 2013, Ryan Dolan's Only Love Survives came 26th after receiving just five points. Ryan O'Shaughnessy came 16th in 2018 with Together, and in 2024, Bambie Thug delivered our strongest performance in years with ouija-pop song Doomsday Blue, ranking sixth."
"Last year, RTÉ announced that Clare Hughes was the new co-head of delegation, but this year she will executive produce The Late Late Toy Show. RTÉ entertainment and music editor, Katherine Drohan, will become RTÉ's Eurovision deputy head of delegation. She was one of the co-creators of RTÉ's disastrous Toy Show The Musical, which recorded losses of €2.2m. In recent years, there have been ­calls for a change to the Irish Eurovision selection process."
Micheal Kealy has moved on from the role of RTÉ head of delegation to co-executive produce The Late Late Show. Alan Tyler, RTÉ group head of entertainment and music since May 2022, will act as head of delegation for the 2026 Eurovision. Kealy led the delegation from 2013 and Ireland qualified for the Eurovision grand-final three times under his tenure, with best recent result sixth in 2024. Clare Hughes will executive produce The Late Late Toy Show and Katherine Drohan will serve as deputy head of delegation. Calls persist for the national selection to become a standalone programme; selection details for 2026 will be published in due course.
Read at Irish Independent
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