Donal O’Donoghue on the all kinds of everything that have made Ireland the kingpins of the Eurovision Song Contest
There are people out there who believe the Ireland’s greatest ever Eurovision song was that delightful ditty ‘My Lovely Horse’. These people, of course, are mad. The greatest ever Irish Eurovision song was ‘All Kinds of Everything’. When Dana sang that in 1970 the whole world fell in love with the Derry schoolgirl. There was dancing on the streets and lepping’ in the air and folks were singing about snowdrops and daffodils for weeks. It was the first time Ireland had won anything, anywhere - apart from your man in the Olympics - and subsequently Dana went international. In a hastily revised list of greatest things that could ever happen to you, winning the Eurovision Song Contest was ranked just this side of sainthood. But it would be another decade before we’d be back on top.
That was in 1980 when Johnny Logan made us proud to be Irish again when he swept the boards with Shay Healy’s winning composition, What’s Another Year. Seven years later Johnny came back with his own song, Hold Me Now, and topped the poll – thus becoming the King of Eurovision and the biggest thing in Germany until the ‘Hoff’ arrived. But it was the Nineties when Ireland really took the Contest by the scruff of its neck, notching up four wins – from Why Me? (1992) performed by Linda Martin to The Voice (1996) performed by Eimear Quinn - in five years.
It got so crazy that Father Ted’ got in on the act with A Song For Europe, the episode in which Fathers Ted and Dougal warbled their immortal duet, ‘My Lovely Horse’. The fiendish plot was that Ireland no longer wanted to win the Contest (because of the cost, you see) and so the organisers would send their biggest no-hopers to compete for the Grand Prix. It was all fiction of course.
But in 2008 Ireland did send a turkey. Our European cousins didn’t get the joke (whatever it was) and Dustin the Turkey was tarred and feathered as he failed to qualify for the final. In fact it has been slim pickings for Ireland since 1996 but on the eve of the 2011 Song Contest, we have got serious again. At least in Eurovision Song Contest terms. With their electric shock hair, skinny jeans and flashing runners, Jedward seem handcrafted for the show and their song, Lipstick, hits all the lyrical bases including the one that says you must have at least three ‘da-da-dums’ in there. The Jeds have even hired the choreographer from The X Factor to fine-tune their on-stage antics, erm, dancing.
With the Brothers Grimes as the final act in Thursday’s semi-final and the tweet on the street is that they should cruise into the big one on May 14. They might even win it.
Great Song Contest Moments
1. Ladies and gentlemen, Riverdance! (1994)
It’s says something – we’re not sure what – when the greatest ever Song Contest moment is an interval act. In 1994 Irish dance changed forever when Michael Flatley and Jean Butler came kicking and buckin’ into our living-rooms.
1. All Kinds of Everything (1970)
The footage may be a bit scratchy now, but the memories of Ireland winning its first ever Grand Prix will never fade. Dana went on to become a pop star and a politician. Not to be confused with Dana International.
2. The Arrival of Abba (1974)
My, my! With ‘Waterloo’, the Eurovision juries did surrender to a Swedish quartet who were to dominate the world of pop for the following decade.
4. Bucking the Trend (1981)
When Bucks Fizz whipped off their skirts in Dublin, many of the jury’s minds were made up there and then. The all blonde band, specially formed for the contest, won with Making Your Mind Up and went on to sell over 15 million albums worldwide. Go figure.
5. Oh Lordi! (2006)
Was this some sort of heavy metal joke? Finnish heavy rockers wore monster masks and sported Mad Max clobber to blast out Hard Rock Hallelujah. But they had the last laugh, notching up a record score for Finland’s first ever Song Contest win.
