Brian Kennedy's chances of qualifying for the Eurovision Song Contest final have significantly increased in the week leading up to tonight's semi-final in Athens, or so the bookies believe.
British bookmaker William Hill has shortened the odds on Kennedy winning the semi-final from 40/1 to 16/1, which places him solidly within the top 10 countries they predict will qualify for the final.
Spokesman Rupert Smith said these improved expectations for Kennedy are largely because "we heard the version of the song he's going to present [ Every Song is a Cry for Love] and it's a lot better than we had been led to believe".
Word of mouth on Kennedy's performance has been strong among journalists and fans in Athens. "It's maybe not the most dramatic song of all time but it's solid and simple, and Brian adds a quality that makes it special," said Keith Mills, editor of the Irish Eurovision fan website All Kinds of Everything.
Julian Vignoles, head of RTÉ's Eurovision delegation, said the Irish team was feeling "cautiously optimistic and quietly confident". Kennedy's performance tonight will mark the 1,000th song performed in Eurovision's history, which Vignoles called a "great honour and a fitting coincidence," given that Ireland has won Eurovision more times - seven - than any other competing nation.
Major bookmakers still favour Greece's Anna Vissi to win the contest overall with her power ballad Everything. Vissi has not held back in rehearsals, giving a highly passionate performance that involves dropping to her knees with emotion in the song's final verses.
Kennedy has been rehearsing alongside 22 other semi-finalists and 14 confirmed finalists.
The Eurovision Song Contest semi-final is on RTÉ2 tonight at 8pm