Conference tallis::celt

1218.0. "Millstreet summary..." by TALLIS::DARCY () Fri May 21 1993 14:23

Article: 17380
Path: sousa.tay.dec.com!pa.dec.com!decwrl!wupost!howland.reston.ans.net!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!caen!jxm
From: [email protected] (John Murray)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.celtic
Subject: EuroSongs in Millstreet
Date: 14 May 1993 17:59:40 GMT
Organization: University of Michigan Engineering, Ann Arbor
Lines: 61
Distribution: world
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
NNTP-Posting-Host: metonymy.engin.umich.edu
 
Here's a few well-chosen thoughts I just received from Dublin.
Enjoy! (With apologies to those who have no idea what it's about! 
 
John Murray, Univ. of Michigan
 
==================================================================
 
                       Mumblings on Millstreet
                      Copyright Lar Duffy, 1993
                      -------------------------
 
The Eurovision Song Contest is on the morrow. From all over the nations
of our dear European community (and from Turkey, Morocco, Cyprus and Israel
too) have flocked delegations of musical merit to Millstreet, Co. Cork, the
location of this year's contest. True to form, the Irish have found a
venue so obscure that even the honcho in RTE who took the backhander from
Millstreet's finest Fianna Failer is pained to find it on a map with 
magnifying glass.
 
The watering holes of Dubln are for their part preparing for the legions of
normally-teetotal Irish music fans who, for the special occasion above-
mentioned, have been tempted out on a Saturday night to sing "Get your 
tits out for the lads" when Niamh, our ludicrously-homely and red-haired
representative, takes to the stage in her little green cocktail number to
intone "In Your Eyes" to the misty-eyed throng who are still trying to get 
over the fact that Johnny Logan has nothing to do with any of it this year.
 
Bigotry, always a factor in the continuing success of at least the voting 
part of the broadcast, is already running at fever pitch (a cliche, you'll
note, even more hackneyed than 'hackneyed cliche') after the TV AM presenter
introduced his link with the words "Good morning from the cow barn that 
this year will host the Eurosong contest."  Opinion was divided between 
people who felt indignant at this obvious slur(ry) on the Irish nation, and
those who thought that any decent journalist worth his/her salt would be 
able to tell the difference between cows and horses, especially as the
latter, being disposessed of their homestead, were to be found wandering
between the beer tents in a most indecorous fashion. 
 
In any case, all agreed that having to sit through forty-five Eurosongs in 
a row (plus a reprise for the worst, and consequently winning, ditty) was a
little too lenient a punishment for the offending hack. England's entry,
"Better the Devil You Know" will therefore go down somewhat less well than 
a ton of bricks (although it must be noted that even a proverbial ton of 
bricks can be quite successful at going down, an attribute shared, it is 
held, by last year's British contributor, one Michael Ball), which is a
disappointment to the British contingent, who usually rely on a strong 
positive reaction from Irish audiences--cf. Buck's Fizz, Dublin 1981--
for that extra push.
 
While Ireland's entry is not currently the favourite for winning, the home
advantage is expected to pick up momentum on the night, although at present
the song is not very popular and the karma is not positive due to the
collective bad vibes of a population dreading the prospect of sitting
through inexpensive home-produced television for another year so that RTE can
afford to host the contest again, a condition of winning which is what, it is
thought, prompts countries like Norway to enter retarded folk songs sung by
Bergmannesque outcasts with -ssohn at the end of their names. 
 
But, as Johnny Logan once sang, What's another year?                   
 
=====================================================================

    
    What's another year is right.
    The time is approaching again for all of Europe to sit down and watch
    Ireland for an evening.
    
    The 1994 Eurovision Song Contest broadcast from the Point Depot on
    the 30th of April.
    Hosted by Gerry Ryan (theman is brillant on rte radio 2FM on weekday
    mornings) with the queer one Cynthia (I can't pronounce her surname
    or spell it ).
    
    Bord Failte's best bit of advertising. 
    
    Anyone got any spare tickets please ?

>    The 1994 Eurovision Song Contest broadcast from the Point Depot on
>    the 30th of April.

Shit, I will miss it this year. I will probably be in midair on my way to
the Philippines, what a shame. I really mean this, the part I enjoy most
is the voting. I will try to get somebody to tape it for me.

Ren�