| Humiliated Ireland hit bum Euro
note  RTÉ
WILL review its Eurovision entry selection process after the disastrous
showing by Ireland at the weekend final in Helsinki.
Traditional music group Dervish clocked up Ireland’s worst-ever
performance in the event coming last and scoring a mere five points.
Ireland’s meagre tally came courtesy of Albania the only country to
vote for them.
Now RTÉ officials are to review how they select the country’s
entry to try to get a winning song.
Spokeswoman Tara O’Brien said: “We will definitely be sitting
down and looking at our geographical position and going through the whole
process.
“Without doubt that’s going to happen. It was a long night.”
But she said Dervish and the song They Can’t Stop The Spring had
RTÉ’s full backing and were not to blame for the flop.
“We were really proud of them,” she said. “They performed
really well on the night and we were happy with the song but it just wasn’t
our night.”
Dervish frontwoman Cathy Jordan also defended the choice of song written
by journalist John Waters and Tommy Moran.
She said: “We tried something completely different that represented
the ethnic music of Ireland but it wasn’t what the voters wanted.
“I enjoyed the experience. The performance felt really good and
the feedback from home was great but it’s not what the masses want
to hear.”
Cathy said the band were overwhelmed by the encouragement they had received
from family, friends and fellow musicians at home as well as the 200-strong
band of supporters from their home county of Sligo who travelled to Finland
with them.
But composer John Waters admitted all involved were upset.
“We were very disappointed,” he said. “We were crushed.
In football manager’s speak I am gutted.”
Contest winner Marija Serifovic from Serbia beat favourites Ukraine to
win the competition on 268 points with the ballad Molitva (Prayer).
With five points Ireland were well beaten by joint second-last Britain
and France who scored 19 points. |
