Jedward, Dustin and multiple series of the long-departed You’re a Star couldn’t bring us back to the giddy days of that record breaking early-1990's hat-trick. Some conspiracy theorists have even suggested purposeful sabotage to offset the escalating cost of hosting the competition - surely it can't be that hard to write a solidly cheesy pop song (not that the Eurovision and 'quality' have ever necessarily gone hand-in-hand)?
This year Ryan Dolan takes up the challenge – will his song be a hit or will it earn the dreaded ‘nil points’? Bookies are rating Only Love Survives relatively favourable, but anything can happen in Malmo (especially if that ‘anything’ is ‘block voting’).
As we prepare for the first semi-final tomorrow, where Ireland will need to qualify for a place in Saturday’s final, why not reacquaint yourself with Ireland’s seven past winners, from Dana to Eimear Quinn. Their victories mean we remain the most successful Eurovision country of all contesting nations despite our dismal recent track record. Maybe we need a My Lovely Horse to get us back on the right track...
