The announcement was officially made at the National Concert Hall this afternoon, with all the judges (apart from Louis Walsh) present at the event.

There had been speculation that Louis Walsh had declined offers to host the talent show, but the X Factor and Britain's Got Talent judge confirmed that he would be one of the judges this afternoon, recording a video message for the TV3 season launch. He said:"I'm delighted to be part of the very first Ireland's Got Talent. "This will be the biggest search for talent that Ireland has ever seen."

Auditions are scheduled for November, while the show will be aired early in 2018.

Can't wait to work with this lot @GotTalentIRL @michellevisage @denise_vanouten and Louis Walsh @TV3Ireland pic.twitter.com/rv4iUnqyUf

— jason byrne (@thejasonbyrne) August 30, 2017