As we all know, Ireland’s RTÉ is once again hosting a national selection in order to find their entry for Eurovision. A total of six finalists have been selected to compete in this year’s “Eurosong” special of “The Late Late Show” on the 26th of January. Erica Cody with “Love Me Like I Do” was announced yesterday as the first finalist, and moments ago RTÉ confirmed that Ailsha will be joining her in the Final, with the song “Go Tobann”.

“Go Tobann” is a Celtic metal track that speaks to the Irish experience of learning the language in school, only to remember a few cherished phrases like ‘Go Tobann’ (‘suddenly’). Talking about the song, Ailsha stated:

I wanted to create a banger of a track that incorporated my own alternative sound with a twist by using some recognisable Irish phrases scattered throughout the song.

As a child my family did some occasional work in Dingle, where I learned conversational Irish by visiting a neighbour for tea every day after school while we were there. I learned to love the language and was awarded a Fáinne in secondary school.

However, as I grew older I gradually felt my Irish fade away only to remember a few phrases. In Ireland I feel we don’t use our native language enough and it’s a shame because it’s awesome.

Ailsha co-wrote “Go Tobann” together with Peadar Connolly Davey, and co-produced it with Beardife Studios. The song was premierly played on The Ray D’Arcy Show on RTÉ Radio 1, and you can give it a listen right here:

Two more acts are going to be announced tomorrow, so stay tuned.