Maria Cuche, who represented Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1985 as Maria Christian and who is legally blind, has qualified for the 'Battles' stages of The Voice of Ireland.
The 50-year-old, who is originally from Louth but now lives in France with her husband and seven children, performed Beyoncé's If I Were a Boy during the 'Blind Auditions' on Sunday night during which the coaches can hear but not see the singers.
Maria has been legally blind since the age of nine. She did not know if any of the coaches had turned their chairs to select her and had to ask.
Coach Úna Foden had turned to select Maria and said: "You have a lovely purity in your voice. I can't wait to work on some songs that might suit you a little bit better."
So we kick off tonight with a chair turn! Well done Maria Cuche and welcome to #TeamUna #rtethevoice pic.twitter.com/2QmGSeu5wt
— The Voice of Ireland (@RTETheVoice) January 24, 2016
In the 1985 Eurovision Song Contest, Maria sang Wait Until the Weekend Comes, finishing sixth.
The Blind Auditions continue on The Voice of Ireland until February 14, with the Battles running from February 21 to March 13. The live shows then follow from March 20 to April 24.
