A teenager from County Down will represent Ireland at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in Malta on Saturday. Naomi, 13, from Mayobridge, will perform as part of a duo with Caleb, 14, from Dublin. They are the only duo in the contest.

The pair will perform their song 'Níos Láidre', which means 'stronger' in Irish. The song is about lifting people up and being there for one another, and being more powerful together than alone.

Naomi and Caleb arrived in Malta earlier in the week and have completed several rehearsals on the contest stage. The running order has been drawn, with Ireland performing 13th among 16 competing nations. The contest theme is 'The Festa', celebrating Malta's village traditions.

The duo was formed during Ireland's selection process earlier this month. Both had entered individually, and judges were unable to choose between them, so they were paired together.

Support has come from family, friends, schools, and performing arts groups, with people tuning in from as far as Perth, Brisbane, and America, according to Caleb's mother Jennifer Kirwan, who travelled to Malta.

Voting for the contest opens on Friday at 22:59 BST and closes just before the live show on Saturday at 19:59 BST. Voting will reopen after the final song and remain open for approximately 15 minutes. Unlike the main Eurovision contest, viewers can vote for their own country. The contest will be broadcast on TG4 at 20:00 BST.