In this week’s episode, Dara looks at Ireland’s storied relationship with the Eurovision Song Contest, a competition in which Ireland were once utterly dominant but has long since become an arena in which they are serial losers. He recalls his own experiences of watching the event as a child and how it was a source of great national pride and fascination. Ireland was a different country then, a different entity in a very different stage of its development and one that was about to change beyond all recognition.
When Riverdance exploded onto the national consciousness during the halftime entertainment at the 1994 Eurovision, it was a line drawn in the sand between old and new Ireland. Dara argues that as Ireland entered the Celtic Tiger era, a national confidence blossomed in a way that rendered our Eurovision successes less significant than was once believed. It is a theory of cultural insecurity and low self-esteem that can be placed in a small nation context – especially when the small nation lives in the shadow of a large nation.
Dara discusses the colonial footprint on the Irish national psyche and how that may have informed our Eurovision triumphs. He draws a comparison with Australia and its relationship to sporting excellence, particularly when playing the ‘mother country’.
Regarding last week’s coronation of King Charles, Dara explains why he dislikes the fallacy of humanising the royal family. Also included this week: GAA controversy, Dana epitomising Northern Irish safety, and why the sweaters worn by Bucks Fizz were so special…