For many years, success in the Eurovision was just a given for Ireland. It seems that we sent a decent song every year, selecting entries that were quite often good enough to win the whole thing.
By the time Eimear Quinn secured Ireland's record breaking seventh victory in 1996 (our fourth in five years), there seemed little doubt that the Irish would continue to dominate the event moving forward.
However, that certainly did not come to fruition.
Not only are Ireland no longer one of the strongest performing countries in Eurovision, they have actually now become one of the least successful. Our entry has failed to reach the final in eight of the nine last years, with Ryan O'Shaughnessy's song in 2018 being the only exception during this period.
Sweden have even equalled our tally of seven victories after their latest win in 2023.
What are the reasons for such a stark reversal in fortunes? There are a few.
More countries take part in Eurovision now than ever before, meaning the sheer number of entries each year make it far more difficult to actually win the competition. This is evidenced by the fact that only three countries have won the event more than once since the turn of the century.
However, the main reason has been Ireland's own failings.
Year after year, we continue to send completely forgettable songs that fall completely flat on stage. Most of them have been bubblegum pop songs that have mixed together a bad song with poor vocals, bog standard staging, and an overall lack of quality and imagination.
How many of our songs can you name offhand from the last 15 years? Therein lies the problem.
Thankfully, much of these issues have been dealt with for 2024.
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Ireland's 2024 Eurovision entry is a welcome change
Ireland entry to this year's Eurovision was selected on The Late Late Show last night, with Barbie Thug's Doomsday Blue coming out on top after a voting process that incorporated public votes, as well as both an Irish and international jury.
You can hear the song below.
You can already imagine how the Joe Duffy Show is going to go on Monday morning, with the reaction to this song from some quarters being incredibly predictable.
Some have wondered why Ireland have chosen such a bizarre song, one some have gone as far to claim has 'satanic' elements and that its success is a damning indictment of the current state of the country.
Of course, that's all bollocks.
There have also been more balanced criticisms.
Some feel that the song is too out there, with many pointing out similarities to Dustin The Turkey's disastrous entry back in 2007. Others have said that the song is just downright bad, something they are entitled to believe.
The truth of the matter is that this exactly the type of song Ireland needed to send to the Eurovision.
Doomsday Blue is unlikely to be a song that becomes big hit in the charts or dominates the airwaves over the coming months. However, it has all of the elements that are needed to be a success at Europe's biggest song contest.
Firstly, it is certainly memorable. That is the most important aspect when it comes to Eurovision voting, with too many Irish songs completely lacking this quality in recent times.
It also has the potential to feature brilliant staging. Even last night's performance featured striking visuals, something that should increase even further with a big stage, a sizeable budget, and a few months of planning behind it.
The song itself is deceptively catchy and will stand out during the recaps at the end of shows that so often sway the voters.
Pushing Down Doors!!! pic.twitter.com/CIWEE2aFyP
— #SENDTHEWITCH (@Bambiethug) January 27, 2024
Those complaining about the selection will probably claim that it does not fit their musical taste, something that is completely fair.
It's also likely that those same people don't really watch the Eurovision.
For those that do, it is obvious that this song is an ideal fit for the competition in the modern day. While we have yet to hear the entries of most other nations, the trend is recent years would suggest that Doomday Blue is nailed on to reach the final. That in itself would be a success when you consider that Ireland have only gotten beyond the semis once in the last nine years.
How much further it could go remains to be seen. We have seen songs similar to this one finish in top ten or even top five over the last decade.
Bambie Thug will give Ireland the opportunity to perform well at the Eurovision once again, even if the song has divided opinion.
It seems we are finally learning from our mistakes. That is something that has been long overdue.
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