'Crown the witch!'

Cork’s first Eurovision entrant in over 40 years will “without question” win Saturday’s grand finale a local TD has confirmed.

Speaking to the Cork Independent ahead of the Eurovision 2024 final in which Macroom star Bambie Thug will represent Ireland, local TD Aindrias Moynihan said there is a huge sense of excitement in the West Cork town.

“To see somebody local, it's a thrill for them,” said the Fianna Fáil deputy.

“There's an excitement locally.

“We've seen it a number of times in the different interviews that they are promoting Macroom as well and that's wonderful to see,” he added.

Deputy Moynihan added that he will be watching along with the rest of Macroom on Saturday evening and that he’s always kept one eye on the results over the years.

“I'd always have an interest in the results and the voting part of it, but it's brilliant having that local connection,” he said.

As if it were ever in doubt, Cork sensation Bambie Thug eased through to the grand finale of Eurovision 2024 in Tuesday’s semi-final when they bewitched a global audience with an unforgettable performance of their epic song ‘Doomsday Blue’ at the Malmö Arena in Sweden.

The song, which was first introduced to the nation on ‘The Late Late Show’ in January, was extremely well-received, along with a spectacular light show and a blink-and-you-miss-it costume change to boot.

The artist took to the stage surrounded by a circle of candles, donning a typically avant electro-pop outfit and accompanied by a devil-esque male dancer.

As the lights faded, the crowd could be heard chanting “crown the witch”.

With Tuesday’s achievement, Bambie Thug becomes the first Irish entry to make it to the Eurovision final since Ryan O'Shaughnessy in 2018, and the first Cork entry to represent us since 1979.

The final will take place this Saturday night where Bamie Thug will go up against some serious competition, including Croatia’s Baby Lasagne, Silia Kapsis from Cyprus, and Slovenia’s Raiven.

In total, 20 countries will be represented in Saturday’s final with coverage starting at 8pm in Ireland.

Last month, Bambie Thug confirmed that they would take part in Eurovision 2024 despite facing pressure to boycott the contest due to Israel's controversial involvement.

This week it emerged that the performer was ordered to alter their original make up which incorporated Ogham writing calling for a ceasefire in Palestine.

Odds

As belief grows around the Cork Eurovision hopeful, BoyleSports has slashed Bambie Thug’s odds of winning from 33/1 into 9/1.

Ahead of Tuesday’s performance, the Macroom-born songster was rated a near certainty to make the final at odds of 1/50. However, Croatia’s Baby Lasagna still heads the betting at 11/8 and has been making waves at Eurovision parties across Europe as he bids to claim a first Eurovision title for the country having knocked Switzerland’s Nemo off his perch at the top of the betting.