Ireland, Netherlands and Malta to withdraw from contest?

Irish broadcaster, RTE, will review the country's position in the Eurovision Song Contest after finishing in last place for the first time in their history on Saturday night. An RTE spokeswoman confirmed to newspaper, The Irish Examiner yesterday.

“We will definitely be having a sit-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.”

Lead singer of Irish representative, Dervish, Cathy Jordan is quoted as saying “We were really proud of them. They performed really well on the night and we were happy with the song but it just wasn’t our night...I enjoyed the experience. The performance felt really good and the feedback from home was great but it’s not what the masses, particularly in eastern Europe, want to hear.”

Ireland hold the record for the most victories in the Eurovision Song Contest, having taken the crown seven times. Johnny Logan remains the only singer to win the competition twice as a singer and the country racked up a staggering four wins in five years in the 1990s.

Irish fortunes have turned sharply since the removal of the rule stating countries must perform in their own language, and the country has struggled in recent years to reach the final of the Eurovision Song Contest.

It seems that the race may indeed on to follow Monaco's lead in withdrawing from the Eurovision Song Contest unless there is a change in the qualification process or voting procedure. The Netherlands and Malta are both reported to be considering withdrawal after poor results in the semi final this year.

[RTE]