Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

Now as Ireland has withdrawn from Eurovision song contest at least in 2026, let's have a look of some Irish favorites of mine over the year. Among them quite a few winners as usually Ireland has won with their best efforts. My favorite of them all is however a  completely forgotten runner up, Mysterious woman.  Enjoy! 1980 Johnny Logan - What's another year (1st) 1981 Sheeba - Horoscopes (5th) 1993 Niamh Kavanagh - In your eyes (1st) 1986 Luv Bug - You can count on me (4th) 1997 Marc Roberts - Mysterious woman (2nd) 1984 Linda Martin - Terminal 3 (2nd) 2018 Ryan O'Shaughnessy - Togerher (16th) Paul Harrington & Charlie McGettigan - Rock'n'roll kids (1st) 1987 Johnny Logan - Hold me now (1st) There would have been quite a few to pick up as well but these sounded the ones at this time and space.  Special mentions go to: 2013 Ryan Dolan - Only love survives (26th) 1965 Butch Moore - I'm walking the streets in the rain (6th) 1991 Kim Jackson - Could it be that I...

Loreen of Sweden is the 15th previous Eurovision song contest winner who has decided and/or managed give it another try. Only Ireland's Johnny Logan has managed to win twice, as we all know. One can't really do a ranking however as the contest had changed so much from the 1950's with maybe a dozen songs to the approx 40 we have these days. In coming days I will feature the winners who decided to come back  after  winning the contest as there also many winners who have won with their second or third try.   Ireland dominated Eurovision in the 1990's and Niamh Kavanagh (55) scored the second win of their triplet in 1993 at home in Millstreet with In your eyes. She dropped her plans to move to the US and instead released a successful album and enjoyed her newfound fame for a while before settling into quiet family life and children a few years later. Occasionally she was involved in the Eurovision celebrations until she was convinced back to the Irish selection in 2010. She...

Every now and then Eurovision song contest winners come back to the contest and looking back quite often it hasn't been such a good idea. A total of 14 previous winners have managed to return (and even more have tried but failed to win the national final. Latest of them is Swedish Loreen last year). In this series I have a brief look at them and how did it go..... Niamh Kavanagh first came to Eurovision in 1993 giving Ireland the second of its third consegutive wins with In your eyes . Niamh was rather unknown back then even if she had already sung in The Commitments soundtrack but no doubt it one of the finest vocalists in the contest ever. She battled it with UK's Sonia until the end but secured a 23 point lead with seven 12s and votes from each and every country. In 2010 she was back with It's for you . Placing 9th in her semifinal (12 points from Switzerland and 10 from UK clearly saved her) she qualified for the final where she collected 25 points and ...

Ireland joins in with its artists and songs (tomorrow) and soon we have run out of countries we have no confirmed news yet (Russia, Poland, Slovenia) or hot gossip like Greece, Portugal and UK. Once again the irish Tv uses the same mentor-artist approach and the names are: Mentor Valerie Roe: Patricia Roe - Don't hold on Mentor Mark Murphy: Eoghan Quigg - The movie song Mentor Hazel Kaneswaran: Can-linn feat Kasey Smith - Hearbeat Mentor Cormac battle: Andrew Mann - Be mine Mentor Billy McGuinness: Laura O'Neill - You don't remember me The line up includes two runner ups; Patricia Roe was the runner up both in 1992 and 1993 when the Irish winners Linda Maertin and Niamh Kavanagh went on to win the whole thing, will she be third time lucky? Andrew Mann lost to Jedward in 2012.  Eoghan and Laura have X factor past

Many artists have represanted their country in Eurovision twice. Some even three or four times or maybe even more in various duos, trios or groups and we don't even want to talk about backing singers and so on. Only Johnny Logan has won twice as a singer but we have four artists that nearly made it as well: Lys Assia, Gigliola Cinquetti, Linda Martin and Dima Bilan . On the other hand one can wonder if Linda and Diman ever came back if they won the first time? Lys and Gigliola made it to second after being a winner already before. Then we have Anne-Marie David who came third the second time around and Carola who won after being already third previously. For example. On the other hand we have recent examples from Charlotte Perrelli, Niamh Kavanagh and Dana International that previous winners are not treated with due respect anymore (in this blogger's opinion each deserved better) and it might even be more difficult for them to impress voters these days. Or what do you thi...

It seems a bit family affair in Ireland this year. Four out of the five acts in the national final are out and we have The Vard Ssters, the Jedward twins, Nikki Kavanagh, who is Ireland's last year's entrant Niamh Kavanagh's cousin and her backing singer in Oslo. Then we have also Don Mescall who apparently has no family ties with anyone involved it seems but he has written hits to everybody from Lulu to Backstreet Boys and Boyzone. The one missing act is unnamed foursome of two guys and two girls. I wouldn't be surprised if that's going to be a family affair, too...

If you have no plans tonight you can always get ready for five (5) hours of Romanian final! The fun starts at 8pm CET and well in to the 2011. You can follow it here . If you want to read my review it's here . Thirteen songs. An international jury (Chiara, Johnny Logan and Niamh Kavanagh are amongst the judges) and last year's Paula Selig and Ovi hosting it all. They played with fire last year and scored third place in Oslo 2010, Romania's best to date (along with Let me try in 2005) so the Eurovision fever in the country is high. The voting is 50-50 jury-televoe and the jurors and hosts are also going to give a miniconcert during the night - after all you have five hours to fill, don't you? Btw, the Finnish viisukuppila's minipoll mostly agrees with me putting Bang bang on top followed by Change, I want u to want me, Dreaming of you, Open your eyes, It's so fine, One by one and Cinema love . It also made me think if Finland had its final tonight - what kin...

Eurovision queen and apaprently everybody's darling Niamh Kavanagh managed to meet Kuunkuiskaajat ja they talked about everything between accordeon and king craps. And they also met Harel Skaat who thanks Finns for sending them to show everybody how Eurovision should be done: having fun.. And Bobbysocks.They say "three minutes can change your life". So true.  Here .

Ever funny and ready to joke and fool around Niamh had her second rehearsals but didn't wear her dress yet. It's gonna be purple with Swarovski, and fabulous shoes to match. (Which makes me think if the dress is long and hides even the podium she's standing on as they say what's the point?) The stage looks pretty and fitting to the song in its green & golden shades with some smoke effects. All in all it sounds and looks perfect and I trust she will be singing like never before when it counts. Video .

Many dance versions have been released from the ballady entries in Eurovision 2010 and here's one for the Irish entry It's for you by previous winner Niamh Kavanagh who is charming socks off from the fans in Oslo 2010. And here she is in action in the Russian party last night.

Every now and then previous Eurovision winners want to try it again and this year we have Ireland's Niamh Kavanagh. She won back in 1993 with wonderful In your eyes and tries again this year with It's for you. Let's see how it has been for the previous returning winners in the past.... So far only Johnny Logan, also for Ireland, has managed to win Eurovision twice; in 1980 with What's another year and in 1987 with Hold me now . Italy's Gigliola Cinquetti came close in 1974 with Si as she was only beaten by ABBA. She won ten years earlier with Non ho l'etá . Also Lys Assia for Switzerland and Elisabeth Andreasson for Norway have scored a second place after their win. Lys took part three years in a row and came 1-8-2 in 1956, 1957 and 1958. Elisabeth on the other hand won with Hanne Krogh in 1985, came 6th with Jan Wener in 1994 and finally went solo in 1996 and scored a 2nd place.  Isabelle Aubret won in 1962 for France with Un premier amour and went on to ...

Ireland sends the 1993 winner Niamh Kavanagh back to Eurovision with full marks as expected. It's for you is a real Irish ballad and might get Ireland back on track! 1. Niamh Kavanagh    144 2. Mikey Graham   120 3. Monika Ivkic   98 4. Leanne Moore   78 5. Lee Bradshaw   50

RTÉ is supposed to reveal the five finalist in the Irish final tomorrow, a month before the final where we will find out who's going to sing for Ireland in Oslo 2010. Some names have leaked already who are in the running. Boyzone guys Ronan Keating (who has also a song in the Danish final again) and Mikey Graham have both submitted a song. Ronan's would be sung by British Justin Lee-Collins while Mikey will sing his own song if selected. Last year's winners Niall Mooney and Swedish Jonas Gladnikoff are back, this time their song would be sung by the 1993 Eurovision winner Niamh Kavanagh. Other previous winners have also submitted songs: Brendan Graham (Eurovision 1993 and 1996 winner), Karl Broderick (Irish winner 2005), John Waters (Irish winner 2007). Swedish Alexander Bard (Army of Lovers, BWO etc) has also sent a song, so has LaGaylia Frazer (after not winning in Sweden and Romania previously). And yes, good old Ralph Siegel is back at it, too. He's aiming to gp for...