The Irish broadcaster RTÉ released details about the selection method for the Eurovision Song Contest 2003. The show You're a Star (pronounce as Eurostar) will start on October 27 at 18:30 and and will be hosted by Ray D'Arcy. The show will last 20 weeks and the winner will be Irelands representative at the Eurovision Song Contest in Riga, on May 24 next year.

Auditions started today at the Pavilion in Dun Laoghaire and then move to locations in Belfast, Dundalk, Cork, Killarney, Kilkenny, Galway and Derrywill. Anyone over 16 can enter the auditions.

The judging panel consists of three judges: former Atomic Kitten singer Kerry Katona, Phil Coulter who wrote 'Puppet on a String' and 'Congratulations' and Darren Smith of Windmill Lane Entertainment (the studios where U2 recorded many of their albums).Louis Walsh (manager of Westlife, Ronan Keating, Samantha Mumba, Bellefire and Lulu) will join the series for the second part in January.

Television viewers will decide who gets through each week, while the judges will offer comments and will select the 90 finalists who will appear in the show from October.

The winner of Υou're a Star will perform all selected songs in a special program to be broadcast by RTÉ in February. The viewer will be invited to select the best song by televoting, which will be send in as Eurovision song for Ireland