Mickey Harte won Popstars-style contest to represent Ireland

Strabane singer Mickey Joe Harte is due to perform We've Got the World in the final in the Latvian capital, Riga, on 24 May.

Broadcasting company RTE said "contrary to some recent public comment," it was satisfied that the song was not a copy of the victorious Danish song Fly on the Wings of Love.

The European Broadcasting Union will decide in a meeting on Thursday whether to allow the song to be entered.

Keith Molloy, who co-wrote the Irish entry with Martin Brannigan, said that the only thing in common between the two songs was "the three minute limit and the same musical key".

IRELAND EUROVISION WINNERS 1996: The Voice - Eimear Quinn 1994: Rock n Roll Kids - P Harrington/C McGettigan 1993: In Your Eyes - Niamh Kavanagh 1992: Why Me? - Linda Martin 1987: Hold Me Now - Johnny Logan 1980: What's Another Year? - Johnny Logan 1970: All Kinds of Everything - Dana

Jurgen Olsen, who wrote the winner of the 2000 contest, said that he found the rhythm and sound similar but he did not intend on taking any legal steps.

Mickey Joe Harte, 29, was one of the performers at a St Patrick's Day concert in Londonderry.

Popstars

More than 1.3m votes were cast in the final for this year's Irish entry, which was selected in a Popstars-style contest following auditions in nine locations on both sides of the border.

Eurovision hopefuls were narrowed down to 10 finalists, one of whom was eliminated weekly by public vote.

Ireland has the best track records of any country at Eurovision, having won the contest seven times in total. The UK has won it five times.

Its most famous Eurovision entrant, Johnny Logan, won the contest twice, in 1980 with What's Another Year, and with Hold Me Now in 1987.

However, Ireland was eliminated from the 2002 contest after its 2001 entry, Without Your Love by Gary O'Shaughnessy, scored just six points.

Meanwhile, Britain will be represented this year by Liverpudlian duo Jemini.

More than 100,000 votes were cast for their song Cry Baby on the BBC's Song For Europe television programme.