30 May 1974 Not the pair of mismatched TV cops their name suggests, Mouth & MacNeal were the no-less-incongruous singing duo who represented the Netherlands at Eurovision 1974. Mouth in particular seems to have fancied their chances; on game night (in the video below) he bursts onto the stage waving giddily at all and sundry, … Continue reading Mouth & MacNeal – ‘I See A Star’ →

25 April 1974 The unluckiest pop song in history is 'Si' by Italian singer Gigliola Cinquetti. An impressive blend of hushed early-'70s bedsit folk-pop and sweeping orchestral balladry, it was selected as Italy's entry for the 1974 Eurovision. That's when its problems began. Eurovision 1974 happened to coincide with campaigning in Italy for a yes-no … Continue reading ABBA – ‘Waterloo’ →

21 March 1974 Sharing its name with a brand of bra which could well have been the template for the singer's slightly daring dress at Eurovision 1974, 'Cross Your Heart' was one of eight songs all performed by Tina at Ireland's national selection contest. Yes, you're right: we've already seen Tina at the top of … Continue reading Tina – ‘Cross Your Heart’ →

18 Márta 1972 Seo é an t-aon amhrán as Gaeilge a bheith ag barr na gcairteanna in Eirinn - agus ár n-aon iomaitheoir as Gaeilge i gComórtas na hEoraifíse freisin. Mar sin, táim ag iarraidh an alt seo a scríobh as Gaeilge, le cabhair foclóir ó am go chéile ach gan leagan Béarla agus gan … Continue reading Sandie Jones – ‘Ceol An Ghrá’ →

20 March 1970 The 1970 episode of Reeling In The Years shows Dana's celebratory post-Eurovision homecoming, which includes a meeting with Ireland's then-president, an elderly Éamon de Valera. Dana went on to try to emulate Dev by becoming a fundamentalist Catholic, then an Irish presidential candidate, and finally an American citizen. Still, Dana could claim … Continue reading Dana – ‘All Kinds Of Everything’ →

19 April 1969 If Franco thought he could simply rock up to London, steal a home 1968 Eurovision victory from Cliff, and actually get away with it, then he was in for a land. Summoning up the spirit of Dunkirk, D-Day and The Italian Job, the Brits went to Madrid in 1969 to give those … Continue reading Lulu – ‘Boom Bang-A-Bang’ →

29 March 1969 Fair play to Austria, who seem to have been the only country to boycott the 1969 Eurovision Song Contest. Okay, they didn't actually come out and say it was because of the contest being held in the fascist dictatorship of Franco's Spain; perhaps it was a bit too soon for the Anschluss's … Continue reading Muriel Day – ‘The Wages Of Love’ →

27 April 1968 The claim that Eurovision 1968 was rigged by Franco so that Spain as winners would host the following year's event to showcase his country and regime, denying hot favourite Cliff Richard and the UK the win in the process, gets re-aired occasionally without much in the way of hard evidence. Of course, … Continue reading Cliff Richard – ‘Congratulations’ →

20 April 1968 Representing Ireland at Eurovision 1968—the first to be televised in colour—and finishing a creditable fourth is not the most celebrated live performance by Pat McGeegan. His real name was Pat McGuigan, he was the father of '80s world champion boxer Barry, and in lieu of a national anthem he famously sang 'Danny … Continue reading Pat McGeegan – ‘Chance Of A Lifetime’ →

31 May 2012 Ireland's best Eurovision placing of the 2000s was actually in 2000, when a man with a mullet sang a soft rock power ballad called 'Millennium Of Love' and finished sixth. (Bambie Thug has since equalled that sixth-place finish in 2024.) One place above him was a German comedian in a yellow cowboy … Continue reading Loreen – ‘Euphoria’ →