🇮🇪 Ireland 2019 / “22”

Photograph by RTÉ and Lili Forberg

Semi Final 2 | 18th Place | 16 points | Qualified

Singer-songwriter Sarah McTernan was chosen internally by the Ireland‘s public broadcaster RTÉ to represent her country at Tel Aviv 2019 with the song “22”. Born in Scariff, McTernan led her way into the public on the Voice of Ireland and in 2018 attempted to represent San Marino through their 1-in-360 contest.

“22” is largely about the little things we associate with a lingering past love. McTernan laments how the number 22 causes her to recall the person she longs for, specifically citing kissing them in front of their house which was 22nd on its street.

McTernan briefly studied nursing before going to get a degree in music technology at the Limerick Institute of Technology. She auditioned for the Voice of Ireland in 2013, ultimately coming in third. In 2018, she submitted “Eye of the Storm” in an attempt to represent San Marino at Lisbon 2018, but failed to qualify to the final of the selection process.

Follow Sarah McTernan on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Listen to both “22” and “Eye of the Storm” on Spotify.