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Three classmates at Flynn Performing Arts in Newry have made the cut for the Semi Final in the search for the Irish representative at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest.
The three talented local teenagers from the same singing school are in with the chance of representing Ireland on the world stage as they secure a place in the Semi Final search for a singer to represent Ireland in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest.
From 4,000 hopefuls, the three teenagers from Co Down and Armagh, have been successful in the selection heats and all three are set to perform at the Semi Final of the Irish Junior Eurovision on 16 October on TG4.
The talented teens - Clare Keeley (12), Niamh Noade (14) and Sophie Lennon (13) are all classmates at Flynn Performing Arts (FPA), Newry .
Singer Clare Keeley from Gilford, Co Down, Harpist and singer Niamh Noade from Lislea, Co Armagh, were selected in heats 1 and 3 respectively with Mayobridge singer Sophie Lennon, joining her classmates in the Semi Final line up last night (Sunday 9 Oct) when she scored full marks following her performance of Paloma Faith’s ‘New York’ in Irish.
Founder and Director of FPA Fiona Flynn said she is beyond delighted for each of the girls in having achieved so much already. “I am so incredibly proud of each of these three young performers and each of the girls so rightly deserves the Semi Final place they’ve won. They work amazingly hard, honing their talents in dance, drama and singing every week.
“I feel such pride to be part of their singing journey. This is an incredible opportunity for them and a chance to hopefully represent Ireland on a global stage. I am privileged to have a preview of their songs during lessons and I will be pacing the floors with nervous excitement during the Semi-Final this Sunday”
Clare performed in Heat 1 and sailed her way through to the semi-final with an incredible performance of Whitney Houston’s ‘I Will Always Love You’ in Irish.
Niamh (the first ever harpist to compete) performed in Heat 3 and won her heat with a stunning performance of Luan Parle’s ‘Lonely World’ which drew attention from Luan Parle herself.
Sophie won Heat 4 singing a fabulous rendition of Paloma Faith’s ‘New York’ scoring full marks.
The girls have had songs chosen for them and translated into Irish which was an added difficulty as none of them speak Irish. They have had to learn their interviews in Irish also and all three have risen to the challenge and have taken it all in their stride.
Fiona – a triple First-Class graduate of the prestigious Royal Conservatoire of Scotland – founded Flynn Performing Arts in 2015 in Newry and since then the school has gained national recognition with students consistently obtaining the highest marks across the UK & Ireland in examinations.
Twelve year old Clare from Gilford is the one of the youngest contestants and has been dancing since she was 2½ yrs. old and started singing lessons when she was 7 yrs. old.
A student of Our Lady’s Grammar School Newry, Clare attends Blevins Academy of Dance and takes piano and violin lessons in school and is also member of the National Youth Choir of Ireland. She’s in her second year of training and management with Stagebox Elite team who contribute theatre actors to a number of West End shows including Annie, School of Rock and Matilda.
Clare is “very excited to be selected for the live Junior Eurovision shows and has embraced the challenge of not only learning a new style of singing but also having to learn it in Irish.” Clare is a proud member of the National Youth Choir of Northern Ireland. This rising star has a hugely exciting under wraps project coming up soon!
Niamh Noade is a 3rd year student of St Paul’s High School, Newry, and is the first Harpist ever to compete in the Junior Eurovision. Niamh has a multitude of accolades already including NI BBC Soloist of the Year Finalist, Finalist at TeenStar UK, she is a County Fleadh and Scór winner and the current Armagh County title holder. She’s is a member of South Armagh Traditional Arts Partnership and Vocal Ovation in Newcastle and performs regularly at festivals and exhibitions. Last year she wrote two of her own songs and compiled a charity CD raising £5,000 for Children’s Cancer charities.
Commenting on the competition \niamh said "I have really enjoyed taking part in the Ireland Junior Eurovision! Some of it was hard, especially learning the songs in Irish as well as learning the harp chords, but I've loved every minute of it. I am now playing more contemporary types of music and I think that is because I gained the confidence to do so by taking part in the contest. I would like to thank everyone for supporting me along the way, particularly Fiona Flynn, Dearbhla Bennett and Julie Miles - I could not have done it without your support and encouragement!"
Mayobridge singer Sophie Lennon is the latest addition to the semi-final team winning her place during the 4th heat last night (Sunday 9th Oct).
No stranger to competition, Sophie came 3rd in last year’s Junior Eurovision Competition. The Sacred Heart Grammar School (Newry) student was also named BBC School Soloist of the Year 2022 and was a semi-finalist on Britain’s Got Talent. Most recently Sophie was cast as the lead role in a new West End musical ‘Marnie and the Kaleidoscope’ which takes to the stage 2023 and has also appeared in an ITV Children’s series ‘Ted’s Top Ten’.
Sophie has made lots of new friends "I'm having the most amazing experience with the Junior Eurovision it is so much fun and I have made lots of new friends also. I'm really excited for the live shows." she said.
Each of the performers will take to the stage in the Semi Finals broadcast on TG4 on Sunday 16th October. Eight singers will perform during the Semi Final with only three being selected for the Final which will be aired on 23rd October 2022.
Fiona said: “It’s remarkable to think that all three students will be represented in the Semi Finals – from 4,000 entries. Now in its 20th year, Junior Eurovision is a huge opportunity for them to showcase their unique talents with the winner going forward to represent Ireland for the Junior Eurovision Contest in Armenia in December. Over 40 countries have competed in over two decades but there’s never been an Irish winner. Wouldn’t be amazing if one of these young women could be the first,” she adds.
Tune in to the Ireland Junior Eurovision Song Contest Semi Finals on TG4, 16 October, 8pm
