Ireland will be back in 2008
Following Ireland's worst ever Eurovision result in Helsinki in May, media attention was predictably negative, with both RTÉ's decision to selection Irish traditional band Dervish, and neighbourly voting by Eastern European countries gaining most column inches and airtime. Indeed in the aftermath of the result, Ireland's future participation in the Eurovision Song Contest was questioned by many journalists and fans, but it now appears that the competition's most successful country will be back in 2008, but the selection process may be different from the past couple of years.
Among those most loudly critical of RTÉ was Louis Walsh (left), former manager of Eurovision winners Johnny Logan and Linda Martin who appears to believe that the national bradcaster needs to invest more money in the Eurovision selection, and believes that the recent choices have been old fashioned and outdated. How much coinsideration will be given to Walsh's opinion is unclear, but early rumours suggest next year may possibly see the return of an old style multi artist National Song Contest, in a new format with the possibility of specially commissioned songs by prominent songwriters. If this is to happen we can expect an announcement within the next couple of months.
Following the 2007 result, Ireland will have to qualify for the final in Belgrade in 2008, but a potential change in the format of next year's contest, may give whoever respresents Ireland in Serbia a slightly better chance of progressing. Following this year's controversial result, when Eastern European countries dominated the contest, due in no small part to neighbourly and emigrant voting, the EBU is considering only allowing the 2007 winners Serbia and Eurovision's "Big 4" (France, Germany, Spain and the U.K.) to take automatic places in the 2008 final, with the other twenty places coming from two semi-finals.
(Source: AKOE Ireland)
Among those most loudly critical of RTÉ was Louis Walsh (left), former manager of Eurovision winners Johnny Logan and Linda Martin who appears to believe that the national bradcaster needs to invest more money in the Eurovision selection, and believes that the recent choices have been old fashioned and outdated. How much coinsideration will be given to Walsh's opinion is unclear, but early rumours suggest next year may possibly see the return of an old style multi artist National Song Contest, in a new format with the possibility of specially commissioned songs by prominent songwriters. If this is to happen we can expect an announcement within the next couple of months.
Following the 2007 result, Ireland will have to qualify for the final in Belgrade in 2008, but a potential change in the format of next year's contest, may give whoever respresents Ireland in Serbia a slightly better chance of progressing. Following this year's controversial result, when Eastern European countries dominated the contest, due in no small part to neighbourly and emigrant voting, the EBU is considering only allowing the 2007 winners Serbia and Eurovision's "Big 4" (France, Germany, Spain and the U.K.) to take automatic places in the 2008 final, with the other twenty places coming from two semi-finals.
(Source: AKOE Ireland)
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