Hozier named as Ireland’s most-wanted performer for Eurovision next year

With just weeks to go until Bambie Thug is to represent Ireland at the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest, a new survey from Betfair Casino has revealed which Irish star the nation would most like to see take to the iconic stage next. 

Not only did Hozier become the first Irish artist since Sinéad O’Connor to top the US charts last week, he also appeared to be a firm favourite with Irish respondents for Eurovision 2025.

The singer-songwriter stormed to the top spot with a quarter of the votes (25%), while former One Direction star Niall Horan followed closely behind in second place (18%). 

Known for their beloved tracks Hall of Fame and Breakeven, The Script joined the musical favourites in the top five with over one in ten (12%) opting for the boyband - beating the likes of Westlife (11%), Enya (10%) and Bono (6%). 

When it comes to Ireland’s most iconic performance to date, Johnny Logan took the crown with his hit track ‘Hold Me Now’, as nearly 1 in 5 placed it as the frontrunner. Performed at the 1987 contest, the track marked Logan’s second win after previously winning in 1980 with 'What's Another Year'.

The hit was another firm favourite for Irish survey respondents as it placed third (12%), while Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan’s ‘Rock 'n' Roll Kids’ from 1994 came second (13%). Other memorable entries included Dana’s ‘All Kinds of Everything’ (9%) and Jedward’s ‘Lipstick’ (9%). 

Irish fans of the song contest - which is set to mark its 68th year in Malmo, Sweden, on May 11  also shared their views on their favourite ABBA song, following their win with ‘Waterloo’ in the competition in 1974. 

While the hit provided Sweden with their first Eurovision win and vaulted the group towards international stardom, it was ‘Dancing Queen’ that captured the hearts of survey participants the most. Nearly half (46%) positioned the song in first place, as ‘Mamma Mia’ (39%), ‘The Winner Takes It All’ (26%) and ‘Take A Chance On Me’ (26%) also proved popular. 

Meanwhile, ‘Waterloo’ appeared as a firm favourite for over 1 in 5 (22%) in seventh place.