Ireland 2021- Leslie Roy with ‘Maps’

Ireland have this morning released their entry for Rotterdam as they look to make the final for only the second time since 2013.

This time around the Irish delegation have been fairly quiet after their enthusiasm for last year's entry was not quite shared by the fandom or the market.

Whilst it's not a bad song by any definition, ‘Maps’ has the same problems of ‘Story Of My Life’ in terms of sounding out of date but is also less memorable. There's not really a musical hook here which is a big issue considering the draw.

On the plus side, this at least seems somewhat more authentic and age appropriate.

Lesley does have a certain singer-songwriter credibility, but is just a little out of place on a big Eurovision stage and her vocal performances of ‘Story of My Life’ were rightly maligned. Maps should fit her vocal range better, and is less challenging in this regard, although vote-ability concerns remain.

Personally, this is a big step forward on her attempt last year and I'm surprised to actually like this but overall ‘Maps’ is no more competitive.

It's worth noting that Rte are one of the worst broadcasters at staging and can not be trusted to elevevate this live.

Ireland find themselves in a difficult semi and it's hard to see a way through. It’s already a female heavy semi and there's only going to be more up-tempo songs on the way too. A first half draw doesn't help and Ireland might be opening the show and if not, will be used as filler. Either way, there's a lot to follow this and Lesley will soon be forgotten about.

Personal Rating: 7/10

Competitive rating: 3/10

Early Prediction: Semi One 13th-17th