Eurovision 2010.

Fits Morris wrote: »

You know, winning is one thing, but even more important is the way you win. As an Irishman and a Dubliner, I’m delighted to say that this year, we’re doing it right. We’re doing it honest. We're doing it with real style. It’s about upholding the values and the traditions that once made this nation and this contest great. Hard work. Talent. And wonderful, wonderful music.

We had sunk so low. A couple of years ago, we showed we had lost the run of ourselves. We entered a turkey, literally. That black night in Belgrade in one way was a night to forget, but in another way, a night to remember, to store in the memory bank and learn the lessons that were so painfully and deservedly dished out to us. They called it "the massacre on the banks of the Danube". It was the night the Celtic Tiger ended, a vulgar, ugly beast dying a painful, humiliating death. But once dead, no tears were shed for this vile creature. It enabled a cleansing of sorts to occur, a redemption.

Last year this redemption began, when Sinead Mulvey and Black Daisy’s fine effort was cruelly and undeservedly overlooked. I’m not ashamed to say I shed a tear for Sinead that night. It was a tough one to take and it summed up the mood of the country at the time, seemingly trapped in a dark pit of despair, with no way out. But Sinead was the one who took those first, unsteady steps which enabled us to learn how to walk again.

This year, the light at the end of the tunnel is almost blinding. We're fighting back. We will emerge. We can feel it. We can smell it. It’s almost like drugs, tantalising, intoxicating. Yes we can, Yes we can, Yes we can.

And as I said at the top, the most important thing is that we’re doing it the right way. We’re not parading some tart dressed in a skimpy top, flashing her tits to the sound of a cheesy europop dance track. We’re not embarrassing ourselves by having some dancing gym monkeys jumping spastically around like Boyzone on the Late Late Show.

Niamh Kavanagh is a diva. A real woman. The Billie Holiday, the Ella Fitzgerald of Eurovision. Seeing her up there on stage brings a reassuring feeling of constancy. The changes our country have gone through over the last 17 years are frightening. All the highs and the lows and the tos and the fros, as Pete Doherty sang. Niamh’s return indicates a return to the traditional values that served us so well for so long. She is the wine that was put into the cellar in 1993 and now has matured into something very special.

Can anybody forget the May night a small village in West Cork had the eyes of Europe on it? The night it came down to the final douze points. Tension on a par with Stuttgart ’88. Irlande contre Royaume Uni. Ireland versus the UK. Niamh gave us revenge for Skibbereen, 50 miles up the road in Millstreet. One of the great moments.

Tonight, it felt like nothing had ever changed. People said traditional values couldn’t work in the modern era. That the contest was different. That you needed gimmicks. Tonight they were proved wrong. What a performance.

Society is a word that is often overlooked in this country. The cancer of individualism has taken over. Materialism, selfishness, me, me, me. As John F. Kennedy said, “ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” Well after tonight, I know that there’s at least one woman who has taken those inspirational words to heart. As Niamh herself sings, “It’s For You”.

On Saturday, a victory that would the lift the nation is on the cards. Whatever happens, it'll be a communal occasion to unite us. I’m backing Niamh to win. Let’s all get behind her.

COME ON IRELAND!

jaffa20 wrote: »

Calm down Marty!

JonathanAnon wrote: »

As of now. Paddy power. Paddy Power Odds
2010 Outright Winner
Azerbaijan 2/1
Germany 3/1
Armenia 6/1
Israel 10/1
Turkey 12/1
Belgium 14/1
Denmark 14/1
Ireland 20/1
Greece 20/1
Norway 25/1
Iceland 33/1
Georgia 33/1
Romania 40/1
Cyprus 50/1
France 66/1
Ukraine 66/1
Portugal 66/1
Serbia 80/1
Spain 80/1
Albania 80/1
Moldova 80/1
Russia 125/1
UK 150/1
Belarus 200/1
B&H 200/1

DKZ wrote: »

Azerbaijan is an extremely deserving winner in my opinion. Although her performance was a tad disappointing last night, the song is absolutely fantastic. Drawn to perform in 1st place though will hinder them I imagine.