Why I Love Love Love…..Ireland

After many years in the wilderness and not even on the periphery of the Eurovision score board, having failed to qualify for the final since Brian Kennedy’s “Every Song Is A Cry For Love” (the less said about Dervish, the better), Ireland has brought it back to basics to remind Europe that we are still relevant in this contest.

The song is a simple ballad, sung beautifully by Niamh Kavanagh who after having two adorable looking kids (who funnily enough share the same names as two of my nephews – coincidence, I think not) has decided to come back to the contest to try her luck again. The contest this year is very ballad heavy, but what makes this song stand out, is that while it is a simple ballad there is something uniquely Irish about it. From the lyrical content to the use of the tin whistle between verses, the song exudes charm and simplicity while at the same time leaving the listener under no doubt that they are listening to the Irish entry.

Niamh herself is also part of the reason why I love our entry this year. She has taken her duties as Ireland’s representative seriously, travelling around Europe promoting the song, taking time out to talk to ourselves here at escireland.com, not only has she done this with the gravitas it deserves but she has done it with a great sense of humour and humility. Her interviews show her as warm, funny, confident and with a cheeky look in her eye. As she states herself, she is already a winner of the contest so as far as she is concerned, she has nothing to lose.

With this song and with this calibre of singer, Ireland deserves to qualify this year. Not only that but Ireland deserves to be well placed in the leader board when the final scores are announced on Saturday 29th May. I will be cheering Ireland on whole heartedly when the song is sung by Niamh in Oslo.

The rehearsal video below gives an indication of how polished Niamh’s performance will be, based on this video courtesy of All Kinds of Everything,  I think we may just have something to celebrate after the 29th May!

Irlande Douze Points!