How Gaoth Dobhair shaped Donegal’s Eurovision hopeful Adgy

Adgy will draw on inspiration from his roots in the heart of the Donegal Gaeltacht as he vyes for a chance to represent Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest in Switzerland in May.

Gaoth Dobhair native - Andrew Carr - will be joining five other musicians, including Grammy Award-nominated singer Samantha Mumba on The Late Late Eurosong Special this Friday. The live programme will determine what lucky artist will represent Ireland at the iconic song contest.

All six finalists have now been confirmed with Bobbi Arlo, Reylta, EMMY, and NIYL also aiming to get the opportunity to represent Ireland on the biggest stage.

Adgy has previously performed at Eurosong in 2023, in which he performed a song called Too Good for Your Love. His entry this year, Run into the Night has been described as a Celtic pop anthem, blending traditional influences with contemporary energy.

A special element of the performance is the involvement of Adgy’s sister, Jennie, who will be alongside him, playing the fiddle, playing the fiddle. They co-wrote the song together in their hometown of Bunbeg.

“I was at home one day writing music and my sister Jennie was there as well, and we started jamming,” Adgy tells Donegal Live.

“She played the fiddle while we were writing, and then we put the song together. I put some production on it that night. The following day we thought it would be a good song to enter into Eurovision.”

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The song was also produced by Eurovision legend Ivan Klymenko, the mastermind behind Ukraine’s Eurovision 2022 winning song, Stefania.

Growing up in Bunbeg, which is situated in the parish of Gaoth Dobhair, meant that Adgy was never far from inspiration, as traditional music is a big part of the area's rich culture.

"I draw inspiration from traditional music more than I have ever done before,” he says. “When you grow up surrounded by it, you do not appreciate it enough. However, as I get older, I appreciate more of that kind of music, as I realise it is a part of who I am.”

Edgy started taking piano lessons at an early age. His mother, Jean, then encouraged him to sign up for a music production course in his local community centre, Ionad Naomh Pádraig. From there, Adgy had his heart set out on pursuing a career in music. He would go on to study songwriting and music at the Bristol Institute of Modern Music (BIMM), graduating with a BA Honours degree.

He has since boasted over 12 million streams and signed deals with Universal Music Group and Spirit BMG. For the past year, he has been based in London, where he is working on an album, which could be released later this year.

“I’m planning to release an album later this year, and a lot of the music in it is influenced by home and has the traditional Irish undertone in it,” Adgy adds.

For now, Adgy has his eyes set on performing in Basel, later this year. “It would be a dream to be in the competition,” he says.

The contenders will battle it out on The Late Late Eurosong Special on Friday at 9:35pm on RTÉ One, where they will face a combination of the National Jury, International Jury, and public vote. Each artist will perform their song, selected from hundreds of entries received by RTÉ following a callout for submissions last year. The Eurovision Song Contest 2025 is scheduled to take place in Basel, Switzerland, from May 13-17.