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Nicky says Eurovision hurt 'even worse' today

Updated / Friday, 13 May 2016 23:41
Nicky Byrne - "I've never been more proud to take on that challenge"
Nicky Byrne - "I've never been more proud to take on that challenge"

Nicky Byrne has said the disappointment of missing out on representing Ireland in Saturday's Eurovision Song Contest Final in Stockholm is "even worse" today.

Byrne, singing the Irish entry Sunlight, lost out in the second semi-final on Thursday night - the third year in succession that Ireland has failed to qualify for the final. Ten countries went through: Latvia, Georgia, Bulgaria, Australia, Ukraine, Serbia, Poland, Israel, Lithuania and Belgium. 

In an interview with his RTÉ 2fm co-presenter Jenny Greene on their show on Friday, Byrne said: "I've never been more proud to take on that challenge and to give it a right good go with a song that we thought we could do well with, that would lend itself even better live in an arena to a live audience."

"There's a lot of pressures," he continued. "We said it all along: to try and get into the final was a big [ask] - anything after that is a bonus nowadays."

Byrne said that he stood over the song and the performance on the night and was not kicking himself that he could have done any better. 

"I gave it my best shot... You can only do your best then after that it's up to everybody else to vote and put you into the final, which didn't happen."

On the subject of what Ireland now needed to do to qualify again for the final, Byrne cautioned against sending a newcomer. 

"It isn't just the performance," he explained. "It's a couple of weeks of promo and then last night - obviously, it's a big stage, it's a massive audience.

"I don't think you can put somebody up there to be absolutely 'taken to the dogs' - devoured - if they don't have some sort of massive stage experience. I think we need a great song, a great singer, great staging and then somebody who can actually go out there and deliver."

He paid tribute to all the people who had supported him and added: "I'm sorry if I let anyone down but we definitely gave it a good shot." 

Ending the interview on a lighter note, Greene asked Byrne what he planned to do with the varsity-style leather and suede jacket he wore on stage on Thursday night.

"It's in my wardrobe in the hotel at the moment," he replied laughing. "I don't know what I'm going [to do with it]. Had we done well we could've given it to a museum somewhere. But now, nobody wants it! So if anybody wants it they can text the show to hang it in their bar!"

You can watch the Eurovision Song Contest Final on May 14, RTÉ One, at 8pm.

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