IRELAND’S EUROVISION ACT, Norwegian singer EMMY, and Team Ireland have flown to Basel in Switzerland ahead of the Eurovision in the coming weeks.

EMMY travelled to the city with her brother Erlend Guttulsrud Kristiansen – who plays keyboard and is also one of her songwriters, and their four dancers for the performance: Vilde Skorstad, Karin Aaeng Stuge, Kristiane Lindvik, and Christiane Bergersen.

EMMY and Team Ireland pictured at Oslo airport today.

EMMY posted to social media that she had almost missed her flight.

“I wasn’t sure I was going to make the flight because I was one hour delayed because of a storm in Norway and blocked roads, but now I’m on the plane and met the others and we are so, so excited for Basel, to see the big stage, to see my new friends the other contestants… I’m really, really excited.”

The Irish team will have their first rehearsal tomorrow in St Jakobshalle, Basel.

EMMY was selected to represent Ireland in the competition after she won the Eurosong contest in February with her song LAIKA Party.

The first semi-final airs on Tuesday, 13 May. EMMY will perform third in the second semi-final on Thursday, 15 May. It will be available to watch on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player from 8pm.

Two of the favourites to win the final, Finland and Austria, are both in Ireland’s semi-final on the Thursday night. The top ten acts from the sixteen performing on the night will go through to compete in the Saturday final, in a system based solely on viewer votes.

Bookies currently have EMMY hovering between tenth and eleventh place, so she’s facing an uphill battle to qualify – although the odds may change in the coming days as first rehearsals take place and the images of the acts’ various stage sets emerge.