Brendan Murray to represent Ireland in Kyiv

Earlier today, The Irish Mirror reported that Louis Walsh had taken the role in selecting a suitable entrant  to fly the flag for Ireland at next year’s Eurovision Song Contest.  It has now been confirmed by RTE that the act selected by the X Factor UK judge is 20 year old  Brendan Murray.
Brendan is most known for being one of the six members in boyband HomeTown, also managed by Louis. They have enjoyed chart success in Ireland with their first two singles going straight to number one followed by a top 5 album. The group have toured with the likes of Olly Murs & The Vamps and are currently on a hiatus, allowing each member to explore solo projects.
It has been reported by the Irish Mirror that RTE had approached Louis months ago, most likely during his X Factor UK judging stint, with a source telling the paper “Obviously he has a huge wealth of knowledge and experience. It was a no-brainer to see if he would do it and when he said yes it was a big boost for Team Ireland.”
In an interesting move, RTE is inviting songwriters to submit a song for Brendan,  halting rumours that the song had already been picked and was due to be performed on tonight’s edition of The Late Late Show.   Louis Walsh will select the song alongside a judging panel from all of those submitted.
Brendan will be officially presented as the Irish act for Kyiv on tonight’s edition of The Late Late Show, where he is also expected to perform.  
You can watch The Late Late Show at 22:40 CET via the RTE Player.