Ireland’s entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was "Every Song Is a Cry for Love" by Brian Kennedy. He was selected to sing for the country internally by national broadcaster RTÉ. Irish television viewers selected the entry he would sing during a special edition of The Late Late Show on 17 February. Kennedy's own composition, Every Song Is a Cry for Love was tipped as the winner by the jury members and the audience on the show and, in the end, was triumphant in the public vote. The song is a ballad in the traditional Irish style.
The selection of Kennedy's song provoked something of a controversy. Not only is it written by himself, but his entry arrived in after the initial closing date for potential songs. Prominent Irish journalists, such as John Waters of The Irish Times have also criticised the original judging process of the 200 or so songs which were reduced to three for the Late Late.
39-year-old Brian Edward Patrick Kennedy is an Irish singer-songwriter and author. He was born and grew up on the Falls Road in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He performed on the original Secret Garden version of the song You Raise Me Up and was performer in Riverdance on Broadway in New York City. He also wrote two novels titled, The Arrival of Feargal Flynn and Roman Song.
His semifinal performance was the 1000th song performed in Eurovision history. He finished ninth in the semifinal and tenth in the final.
The Lithuanian song remained the Irish favourite in the semi-final and final. The Least Favorite song from the whole contest was the Moldovan, which attracted only 72 votes from the whole of Ireland in the final.
Ireland
