Time, channel, odds -- What you need to know about Ireland's Eurovision semi-final
Norwegian singer-songwriter Emmy flies the flag for Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest tonight (Thursday, May 15) as she performs her song Laika Party in the second semi-final.
The first semi-final took place on Tuesday with 10 out of the 15 performances advancing to Saturday's grand final.
15 more acts will perform on Thursday all vying for a place of their own in Saturday's finals. Norwegian singer-songwriter Emmy flies the flag for Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest tonight (Thursday, May 15) as she performs her song Laika Party in the second semi-finals.Pic: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images
Here's everything you need to know…
The 69th Eurovision Song Contest is taking place in Basel, Sweden following Swiss artist Nemo's win with their song The Code last year.
The semi-final will be broadcast on RTÉ 2 from 8pm on Thursday with Marty Whelan back for commentating duties.
Emmy will perform at number three on the night, following on from Australia and Montenegro.
Earlier this week it was revealed that Nicky Byrne would be on hand to deliver the continuity vote for Ireland. It's a role the singer has held for a number of years with this year no different. Emmy during a dress rehearsal for the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025. Pic: Andres Poveda
As well as Australia, Montenegro and Ireland, there are 16 other performances including Germany, the United Kingdom and France who automatically advance to the finals.
Latvia, Armenia, Austria, Greece, Lithuania, Malta, Georgia, Denmark, Czechia, Luxembourg, Israel, Serbia and Finland all take to the stage hoping to make their way to Saturday's finals.
On Tuesday, Norway, Albania, Sweden, Iceland, Netherlands, Poland, San Marino, Estonia, Portugal and Ukraine all advanced to the finals. Spain and Italy automatically advanced as they are part of the Big Five while Switzerland gained immunity also due to winning in 2024. Emmy during a dress rehearsal for the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025. Pic: Andres Poveda
Last year was the first time since 2018 that Ireland advanced to the finals following Bambie Thug with their chilling performance of Doomsday Blue.
The Cork ouija-popstar finished in sixth place in the final, our best finish since 2000 when Eamonn Toal finished sixth with Millennium of Love.
While our chances of getting into the final with Emmy and Laika Party are at 8/11, the odds on us extending our (now-tied) record to eight wins are grim, with some markets having us at 250/1.
Speaking to media ahead of the semi-finals earlier in the week, Emmy admitted things were beginning to feel 'real' following a few visits to the arena.
'This is a childhood dream so I'm just very grateful and happy to be here and my only goal is to make Ireland proud,' she shared.
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Fate– or whatever you'd like to call it – made an appearance when, at the same time, a pal of hers made a big life choice of her own that had the potential to impact Maria's acting prospects. "Literally the December before I left, a friend of mine, Cathy Ievers, told me that she was going out on her own and making her own [acting] agency. She had done huge things in London with massive agencies and then she was like, 'I'm going out on my own.'" Not only that, Cathy wanted Maria on her roster of talent. Y'know, the Maria that's just about to put acting on hold and move halfway around the globe. No biggie, Cathy insisted. "She said that everyone's sending self-tapes these days," Maria explains. "So you could be anywhere in the world, you know. I thought, maybe we can do this - but when we got to Australia, I was really disoriented and really just focused on travelling. I kind of had acting in the back of my mind." 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He said it wouldn't make sense for Trump to pardon him halfway into the prosecution's case when the jury hasn't yet heard all of the facts, adding that it would be "premature" to act now. "I was very surprised that Trump is considering pardoning Diddy, especially in light of the fact the trial is ongoing now,' he said. "We are hearing witness after witness after witness testify to some horrible things. 'It would be a slap in the face to the witnesses, to the victims, to a lot of people to just pardon him, you know. People will think he got a free ride and beat the system." Attorney Tre Lovell on a possible pardon for Diddy "It would seem that he would want to wait until the trial is over, and if there's not a conviction then there's no need for him to get involved.' He went on to say, "There's one thing that Americans stand for … it's accountability, and if he were pardoned in light of what's been happening, these allegations and this testimony, there would be a sense of loss and lack of accountability. "And so I don't know how that would sit with most Americans with respect to President Trump." But Lovell said he doesn't think anybody would be surprised if Trump pardoned Diddy. "He's pardoned a lot of people that people take umbrage [with]. And he's not worried about a re-election, so I don't really think it would affect him. "He may have some more detractors, but I don't think he really cares, and his conduct thus far shows he's going to do what he wants to do." Lovell feels if Diddy is acquitted it would be a sense of victory and it would be easier to acclimate to society because he will have been vindicated in court. However, if he's convicted and pardoned by Trump it would have more of a negative impact on him. 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The singer, 38, alleged Ventura, who said she did not want to engage in the sex acts, told the court her music career took a backseat due to the toll the orgies took on her day, testifying how she needed days at a time to recover. Prosecutors also released photos of the injuries Ventura allegedly suffered from Combs' years-long abuse, including a gash on her forehead that had become a permanent scar. Combs has remained mostly stone-faced in court as his lawyers insist he is innocent. The prosecution's case is slated to rest the week of June 9. If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call RAINN (Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network) at 800-656-HOPE (4673). Diddy's charges explained by a lawyer Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani explained the set of charges Diddy is facing to The U.S. Sun: "Diddy is facing three charges, or three sets of charges. "The first is racketeering, which you typically see with organized crime enterprises - so the mob, cartels, street gangs -but we're seeing it a lot more in sex trafficking cases. "And you don't need an organization like the mob, as long as it's an enterprise, which is something that consists of two or more people, and they engage in two or more RICO predicate acts, that's enough for racketeering. "Racketeering is a powerful charge because it allows the government to bring in all sorts of evidence of criminal activity, as well as all sorts of people, into that racketeering conspiracy. "And anyone who's a co-conspirator, they're on the hook for any criminal acts committed in furtherance of the conspiracy. "The most serious charge, though, is sex trafficking. "What separates sex trafficking from normal sex? Adults, of course, can consent to any type of sex, no matter how freaky it is. But sex trafficking has one of three elements: force, fraud, or coercion. "And the government is saying that Diddy used force to force these men and women to participate in these freak-offs, and he coerced them by drugging them. "The least serious charge is the prostitution, sometimes called the Man Act, and that's engaging in prostitution using some sort of interstate commerce across state lines. That obviously is unlawful. "Typically, you don't see federal cases for prostitution only, which is why it's the least serious of the crimes." 5 Sean "Diddy" Combs attends the 2018 Fox Network Upfront at Wollman Rink, Central Park Credit: Getty 5 President Donald Trump has spoken of the possibility of pardoning Diddy who is on trial in New York Credit: AFP
