Ireland’s achievements in this competition is beyond compare. No country is even close to matching their seven victories, including three consecutive victories in the 90’s, and numerous podium finishes since their debut in 1965. But since the turn of the millennium it has gone downhill with the Irish, and they literally hit rock bottom when finishing last in the final in 2007, followed by Dustin the Turkey the year after. Eire had officially lost it completely.
Can Irish ESC greatness ever be restored? Or will they forever be out conquered by Eastern European block voting? Well, instead of trying to come up with something new and make a real effort to adjust to the contemporary format of the competition, they dig up their old recipe for success from the 90’s. Bad idea. Niamh Kavanagh is in our opinion one of the worst winners in history. The winner from 1993 represents the tastelessness of that decade which makes us cringe and wish it never actually happened. What on earth were we thinking back then? OK, at least it gives us a good laugh.
Niamh’s 2010 entry is however not a laughing matter, it just makes us sad. The song is boring and completely outdated and her outfit is absolutely ghastly. If she keeps this dress in Oslo, she will at least win one award, The Barbara Dex Award, which ironically enough was established the same year as Niamh won in Millstreet.
So Niamh, thank you for giving this song to us. We know you mean it well. But please, take it back. And return to the 90’s where you belong.
Nu synes jeg nok dere var slemme mot denne skjønne piken, som sang aldeles vidunderlig. Man får jo være glad så lenge man slipper disse uhyggelige maskene, og den usivliserte brølingen som vi fra tid til annen har vært nødt til å utholde under de seneste finalene. Sortkledde og skremmende har de vært, ja, en gang sprang jeg like hen og trykket på av-knappen, det blev for meget for et godt voksent menneske som satt alene og skulle nyde god underholdning. Jeg vil likevel ikke si at jeg ønsker at Irland skal vinne, man må jo holde på sitt eget land i denne sammenheng, for vi har jo også valgt ut en bedårende sang dette året! Men stå på, småpiker, en smule meningsforskjeller får man tåle, det inngir livet med den fornødne del av spenning og excitement!Hilsen fru B.
Huff ja, Fru B, vi er nok litt slemme, men det kommer av at vi forventer noe som er så uendelig mye bedre fra den grønne øya som har gitt oss Johnny Logan og så mange uforglemmelige øyeblikk! Og i år slipper vi heldigvis maskebekledde og skremmende uhyrer på scenen i Telenor Arena. Gjør deg klar for mange flotte ballader sunget av pene og bedårende unge mennesker!
Interesting post. I enjoyed seeing some real honesty surrounding the artist from a Norwegian perspective; so thank you for that.However, what do you think we've lost since 2000. What is it that we're now lacking in our new acts? Is it a fine rush of commercialism, or trying too hard, or is it just that our talent is nowhere near the came calibre as previous acts?This is a question I was to pose on my own website myself, so I'd love to hear feedback.Dave (Ireland)
Hi David, thanks for your posting!Firstly, we have a confession to make, we have grown fonder of this entry since we posted this blogpost. Niamh looks diva fab in the promo video later released and it's nice with a mature and confident Lady as upposed to all these teenagers. Perhaps what Ireland has been lacking the previous years after 2000 is the ability to reinvent yourself, and come up with a new and refreshing approach. Well, we suppose you tried with the poultry creature in 2008, but that was really stretching it too far, since it just ended up making a mockery of what we love in this competition and Ireland just looked like a bad loser. We suppose people just grew tired of nice, Irish ballads and just wanted something different. But hey, no one yet knows what flavor people will pick this year. Perhaps Ireland will be rewarded this year for sticking to your own style all along, not trying to please the crowd by jumping on all the latest trends and gimmicks. We wish you the best of luck!