However, before delving into the depths of this year’s contest, I thought I should explain the new blog title.
Behold the origin of the term ‘Eurosong Fever’:
That clip is of course from the inimitable sitcom Father Ted, featuring a shemozzle of priests banished to a windswept island off the Irish coast.
(If you haven’t seen it, what’s wrong with you? Look it up RIGHT NOW!)
Perhaps the show’s finest episode – ‘A Song for Europe’ – centred around the hapless Father Ted and dimwitted Father Dougal entering the 1996 Eurovision Song Contest.
Now, this was of course in the midst of Ireland’s record-breaking Eurovision-winning 1990s hot streak, and rumours swirled that the country couldn’t afford to host the show yet again and so sent deliberately rubbish acts.
As a case in point, may I present Ted and Dougal’s incredible My Lovely Horse:
Given its cult status, I’m sure if Ireland brought that tune to Denmark in May they’d be racking up douze points all over the continent.
They’d just have to lose that sax solo.
