Former Sex Pistols frontman Johnny Rotten to compete to represent Ireland in Eurovision

It has emerged that the singer, whose parents came from Cork and Galway, will go up against five other acts hoping to perform in Liverpool.

Once the snarling anti-establishment epitome of the punk revolution, John Lydon, aka Johnny Rotten, is the former Sex Pistols lead singer.

He will compete in the Irish final final on February 3rd under the guise of Public Image Ltd (PiL) which he founded in 1978 after the Sex Pistols brief tenure as punk trailblazers ended.

His song – Hawaii – is a ballad and a tribute to his German wife Nora Forster who is now suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

“It is dedicated to everyone going through tough times on the journey of life, with the person they care for the most,” Lydon says. “It’s also a message of hope that ultimately love conquers all.”

John Lydon will compete on a special Late Late Show on Friday, February 3rd, where the winner will be chosen by a combination of national jury, international jury, and public vote.

The winner will represent Ireland at the 67th Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool in May. The UK is hosting the song contest on behalf of Ukraine which won last year’s contest.

He faces competition from ADGY, the Donegal singer-songwriter Andrew Carr, with his song Too Good For Your Love; Connolly, a 17-year-old Galway singer-songwriter who has entered Midnight Summer Night; indie pop singer-songwriter Leila Jane with her song Wild; and Longford duo K Muni & ND (Kofi Appiah and Nevlonne Dampare) who will performed their self-penned track Down in the Rain.