1.
Royal Dublin Society
–
The Royal Dublin Society is the name given in 1820 to a philanthropic organisation which was founded as the Dublin Society on 25 June 1731 to see Ireland thrive culturally and economically. The RDS is synonymous with its campus in Ballsbridge in Dublin, the society was founded by members of the Dublin Philosophical Society, chiefly Thomas Prior and Samuel Madden, as the Dublin Society for improving Husbandry, Manufactures and other Useful Arts. On 8 July 1731 – a couple of weeks after initial foundation – the designation, the Royal prefix was adopted in 1820 when George IV became Society patron. The society purchased Leinster House, home of the Duke of Leinster, in 1815, the society acquired its current premises at Ballsbridge in 1879, and has since increased from the original fifteen to forty acres. The premises consist of a number of halls, a stadium, meeting rooms, bars, restaurants. The RDS Main Hall is a centre for exhibitions, concerts. It hosts, for example, the Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition each January, Simmonscourt is where the show jumping horses are stabled during Dublin Horse Show week. The RDS Arena was developed to host equestrian events, including the annual Dublin Horse Show and it is often used for other sporting events however – primarily football and rugby. In 2007 and 2008 the arenas capacity was expanded to 18,250, the club also moved their Leinster Rugby Store to the RDS, and it is open on match days. The covered Anglesea Stand is the oldest stand in the ground below which there is an amount of terracing. Opposite the Anglesea Stand is the Grandstand which contains the TV gantry and was covered with a roof in 2008, behind the goals are the uncovered North and South stands which are removed for showjumping events to allow for extra space. The DART runs close to the RDS premises with Lansdowne and Sandymount being the closest stops, the RDS is served by bus route numbers 4,7,18 and 27x, which stop outside the Main Hall Entrance to the RDS on Merrion Road. The first solely Society-run Horse Show was held in 1868 and was one of the earliest leaping competitions ever held, over time it has become a high profile International show jumping competition, national showing competition and major entertainment event in Ireland. As an exhibitor, walking through those gates in Dublin 4, is the highlight of the year, to be able to compete in one of the four Royal Dublin Society arenas, in which you will showcase your hard work and partnership you have with your horse. If you are enough to come and watch the action at the Dublin horse show. Form equestrian stores to antiques, there is something for everybody at the Dublin Horse Show, a Great, fun-filled family day out. In recent years, the venue has used as a music venue, for many rock, heavy metal. He played for 40,000 people during The Rising Tour in May 2003,115,500 people at the arena during his Magic Tour in May 2008, in June 2008, American band Paramore played their debut Irish concert in the RDS Arena
Royal Dublin Society
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The Royal Dublin Society
Royal Dublin Society
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Front entrance
Royal Dublin Society
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Entrance arch to Leinster House, home of the RDS. Circa 1863–1880.
Royal Dublin Society
–
Main arena
2.
Dublin
–
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Ireland. Dublin is in the province of Leinster on Irelands east coast, the city has an urban area population of 1,345,402. The population of the Greater Dublin Area, as of 2016, was 1,904,806 people, founded as a Viking settlement, the Kingdom of Dublin became Irelands principal city following the Norman invasion. The city expanded rapidly from the 17th century and was briefly the second largest city in the British Empire before the Acts of Union in 1800, following the partition of Ireland in 1922, Dublin became the capital of the Irish Free State, later renamed Ireland. Dublin is administered by a City Council, the city is listed by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network as a global city, with a ranking of Alpha-, which places it amongst the top thirty cities in the world. It is a historical and contemporary centre for education, the arts, administration, economy, the name Dublin comes from the Irish word Dubhlinn, early Classical Irish Dubhlind/Duibhlind, dubh /d̪uβ/, alt. /d̪uw/, alt /d̪u, / meaning black, dark, and lind /lʲiɲ pool and this tidal pool was located where the River Poddle entered the Liffey, on the site of the castle gardens at the rear of Dublin Castle. In Modern Irish the name is Duibhlinn, and Irish rhymes from Dublin County show that in Dublin Leinster Irish it was pronounced Duílinn /d̪ˠi, other localities in Ireland also bear the name Duibhlinn, variously anglicized as Devlin, Divlin and Difflin. Historically, scribes using the Gaelic script wrote bh with a dot over the b and those without knowledge of Irish omitted the dot, spelling the name as Dublin. Variations on the name are found in traditionally Irish-speaking areas of Scotland, such as An Linne Dhubh. It is now thought that the Viking settlement was preceded by a Christian ecclesiastical settlement known as Duibhlinn, beginning in the 9th and 10th century, there were two settlements where the modern city stands. Baile Átha Cliath, meaning town of the ford, is the common name for the city in modern Irish. Áth Cliath is a name referring to a fording point of the River Liffey near Father Mathew Bridge. Baile Átha Cliath was an early Christian monastery, believed to have been in the area of Aungier Street, there are other towns of the same name, such as Àth Cliath in East Ayrshire, Scotland, which is Anglicised as Hurlford. Although the area of Dublin Bay has been inhabited by humans since prehistoric times and he called the settlement Eblana polis. It is now thought that the Viking settlement was preceded by a Christian ecclesiastical settlement known as Duibhlinn, beginning in the 9th and 10th century, there were two settlements where the modern city stands. The subsequent Scandinavian settlement centred on the River Poddle, a tributary of the Liffey in an area now known as Wood Quay, the Dubhlinn was a small lake used to moor ships, the Poddle connected the lake with the Liffey. This lake was covered during the early 18th century as the city grew, the Dubhlinn lay where the Castle Garden is now located, opposite the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin Castle
Dublin
–
Clockwise from top:
Samuel Beckett Bridge,
Trinity College,
Custom House,
Dublin Castle,
O'Connell Bridge, and
Convention Centre Dublin.
Dublin
–
Father Mathew Bridge, formerly Dublin Bridge, is understood to be near the ancient "Ford of the Hurdles" (Baile Átha Cliath), the original crossing point on the River Liffey.
Dublin
–
Dublin Castle was the fortified seat of
British rule in Ireland until 1922.
Dublin
–
Henrietta Street, developed in the 1720s, is the earliest Georgian Street in Dublin.
3.
Republic of Ireland
–
Ireland, also known as the Republic of Ireland, is a sovereign state in north-western Europe occupying about five-sixths of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, which is located on the part of the island. The state shares its land border with Northern Ireland, a part of the United Kingdom. It is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the Celtic Sea to the south, Saint Georges Channel to the south-east, and it is a unitary, parliamentary republic. The head of government is the Taoiseach, who is elected by the Dáil and appointed by the President, the state was created as the Irish Free State in 1922 as a result of the Anglo-Irish Treaty. It was officially declared a republic in 1949, following the Republic of Ireland Act 1948, Ireland became a member of the United Nations in December 1955. It joined the European Economic Community, the predecessor of the European Union, after joining the EEC, Ireland enacted a series of liberal economic policies that resulted in rapid economic growth. The country achieved considerable prosperity between the years of 1995 and 2007, which known as the Celtic Tiger period. This was halted by a financial crisis that began in 2008. However, as the Irish economy was the fastest growing in the EU in 2015, Ireland is again quickly ascending league tables comparing wealth and prosperity internationally. For example, in 2015, Ireland was ranked as the joint sixth most developed country in the world by the United Nations Human Development Index and it also performs well in several national performance metrics, including freedom of the press, economic freedom and civil liberties. Ireland is a member of the European Union and is a member of the Council of Europe. The 1922 state, comprising 26 of the 32 counties of Ireland, was styled, the Constitution of Ireland, adopted in 1937, provides that the name of the State is Éire, or, in the English language, Ireland. Section 2 of the Republic of Ireland Act 1948 states, It is hereby declared that the description of the State shall be the Republic of Ireland. The 1948 Act does not name the state as Republic of Ireland, because to have done so would have put it in conflict with the Constitution. The government of the United Kingdom used the name Eire, and, from 1949, Republic of Ireland, for the state, as well as Ireland, Éire or the Republic of Ireland, the state is also referred to as the Republic, Southern Ireland or the South. In an Irish republican context it is referred to as the Free State or the 26 Counties. From the Act of Union on 1 January 1801, until 6 December 1922, during the Great Famine, from 1845 to 1849, the islands population of over 8 million fell by 30%
Republic of Ireland
–
The
Irish Parliamentary Party was formed in 1882 by
Charles Stewart Parnell (1846–1891).
Republic of Ireland
–
Flag
Republic of Ireland
–
In 1922 a new parliament called the
Oireachtas was established, of which
Dáil Éireann became the
lower house.
Republic of Ireland
–
Éamon de Valera (1882–1975)
4.
Pat Kenny
–
Patrick Pat Kenny is a veteran Irish broadcaster, who currently hosts the daily radio show The Pat Kenny Show on Newstalk and the current affairs show Pat Kenny Tonight on TV3. Prior to this, Kenny had a 41 year high-profile career at RTÉ and he presented radio show Today with Pat Kenny on RTÉ Radio 1 each weekday morning between 10,00 and midday until 2013. He hosted The Late Late Show from September 1999 until May 2009 and he presented the current affairs programme, The Frontline, each Monday night from 2009 until its axing in 2013. He is the holder of a Jacobs Award and was cited as the highest paid employee in RTÉs possession. He was named 23rd most influential person of 2009 by the magazine Village and he began his broadcasting career in parallel to his academic day-job by working as a continuity announcer on RTÉ radio in the mid-1970s. He subsequently became a disc jockey. In 1986, Kenny won a Jacobs Award for his versatility in presenting three diverse radio shows, Saturday View on RTÉ Radio 1, and, on RTÉ 2fm, The Kenny Report. Kenny became a broadcaster on RTÉs Today Tonight, a current affairs programme in the mid-1980s. He moved in a direction for a current affairs presenter when he filled the role of co-presenter of the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest. This he did alongside Michelle Rocca at the Royal Dublin Societys Simmonscourt Pavilion, Kenny continued to be associated with Eurovision, providing television commentary for Irish viewers of the event on nine occasions from 1991 to 1999. He was criticised for referring on-air to the transsexual Israeli singer Dana International as he, she or it during the 1998 edition of the contest and he presented The Pat Kenny Show. Subsequently, he had a guest slot on the chat show Saturday Live. He went on to host the show permanently and its title was changed to Kenny Live, there was a much publicised rivalry between Kenny Live. Broadcast on Saturday nights and The Late Late Show, broadcast on Friday nights, had been conceived as preserving the weekend slot on a Saturday night to prevent loss of viewers and corresponding loss of advertising revenue. Gay Byrne retired from presenting The Late Late Show in 1999, Kenny was announced as Byrnes replacement on 24 May 1999. He was in Israel for the 1999 Eurovision Song Contest when the announcement was made that he was taking over at the age of 51, at the same time, he can never quite let go of that urge in him that we know how smart he is. Among the highlights of Kennys career in presenting The Late Late Show was his Toy Show interview with comedian Jerry Seinfeld, Seinfeld, who had previously lashed out at Larry King over his ignorance, remained tight-lipped, even as Pat Kenny referred to him as Jerry Sein-field. Kenny also came under fire after an interview on The Late Late Show with Babyshambles lead singer Pete Doherty, Kenny repeatedly questioned Doherty over his much talked about drug habits, with Doherty appearing visibly uncomfortable
Pat Kenny
–
Pat Kenny in 2011
5.
Michelle Rocca
–
Michelle Rocca is an Irish former model, television presenter, and beauty queen who, in 1980, won the Miss Ireland title. She is the daughter of Paddy and Maureen Rocca and granddaughter of Italian immigrant Egidio Rocca who founded the successful business, Rocca grew up in a large family with two brothers and three sisters. Rocca attended University College Dublin studying Greek and Roman Civilization and Italian, Rocca is fluent in several languages and has earned an MA degree from Trinity College in Dublin and also a degree from Bristol University in Bristol, England. She entered won the Miss Ireland title in 1980 and was number 3 finalist in the Miss International 1981 pageant, Rocca worked in the family business and also modelled until she joined RTÉ in 1987 as a television presenter. In 1988, she co-hosted the Eurovision Song Contest with Pat Kenny in front of a audience of 600 million viewers. She continued to model, with occasional presenting jobs, such as the Miss World 1990 contest in London, Rocca now works as a psychology and motivational teacher with a masters degree in philosophy and English. She began dating Arsenal and Irish International footballer John Devine when she was 17 and they were married in 1981, the couple had two daughters, Danielle and Natasha, but were separated in 1987 and she returned to Dublin with the children. She was engaged to Cathal Ryan, son of multi-millionaire Tony Ryan who co-founded Ryanair, after living together for two years, they separated when Michelle was expecting their child, Claudia, who was born in April 1991. Rocca met Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison in the summer of 1992, Rocca was the second woman to appear on one of his album covers—1995s Days Like This. Rocca also appeared on the cover of the October 1994 tribute album, No Prima Donna and she also has a granddaughter, who was born in February 2001. List of Eurovision Song Contest presenters Rogan, Johnny, Van Morrison, No Surrender, London, Irish Examiner –30 August 1999 BP Fallon, Van and Michelle in New Orleans,1996 Michelle Rocca @ IMDb
Michelle Rocca
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1994: Michelle Rocca as album cover model
Michelle Rocca
–
Van Morrison and Michelle Rocca: 1995's Days Like This
6.
Johnny Logan (singer)
–
Johnny Logan is an Australian-born Irish singer and composer. He is known as being the performer to have won the Eurovision Song Contest twice. He also composed the song in 1992. Logan first won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1980, with the song Whats Another Year written by Shay Healy, in 1984, Logan composed the song Terminal 3 which placed second at Eurovision, performed by Linda Martin. He won the contest for a time in 1987 with Hold Me Now. His third win came in 1992, as composer of Linda Martins winning entry Why Me, Johnny Logan was born Seán Patrick Michael Sherrard in Frankston, Victoria, Australia. Logans father was Derry-born Irish tenor Patrick OHagan, the family moved back to Ireland when Logan was three years old. He learnt the guitar and began composing his own songs by the age of thirteen, on leaving school he apprenticed as an electrician, while performing in folk and blues clubs. His earliest claim to fame was starring as Adam in the 1977 Irish musical Adam and he adopted the stage name Johnny Logan for the main character of the film Johnny Guitar. He released his first single in 1978 and he first attempted to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1979, when he placed third in the Irish National Final with the song Angie. In 1980, Logan again entered the Irish National selection for the Eurovision Song Contest with the Shay Healy song Whats Another Year, representing Ireland in the Netherlands, Logan won the Eurovision Song Contest on 19 April. The song became a hit all over Europe and reached number one in the UK, owing to a mix-up, two follow-up singles were released almost simultaneously, Save Me and In London. With confusion by radio stations over which to play, both singles flopped, Logan blames his lack of success in the UK on poor management and his inexperience. Logan was actually classed as a One-hit Wonder with Whats Another Year in the UK until his second Eurovision winning song was released, seven years later. In 1987, he decided to make another attempt at Eurovision and with his song, Hold Me Now. The song won the contest and again, Logan had a major European hit with the song, keen to continue this success, Logan released a cover of the 10cc song Im Not in Love, produced by Paul Hardcastle as a follow-up, and an album. The single made the UK charts but was not significant enough to sustain a continued chart career, the following year, Logan released his next single, Heartland which became a hit in the Irish charts and from then on, concentrated on his career in Ireland and Europe. Having composed the Irish Eurovision Song Contest 1984 entry for Linda Martin, Terminal 3, Logan repeated the collaboration in 1992 when he gave Martin another of his songs, the song became the Irish entry at the finals in Sweden
Johnny Logan (singer)
–
Logan performing in
Vienna in 2009
Johnny Logan (singer)
–
Johnny Logan at the
Eurovision Song Contest 1980
7.
Hold Me Now (Johnny Logan song)
–
Hold Me Now is a song composed and performed by Irish singer Johnny Logan. It became the winner of the 1987 Eurovision Song Contest, Logan had previously won with Whats Another Year. in the 1980 Contest and would go on to write the winner of the 1992 Contest. The song is sung by Bohemians at home matches in Dalymount Park. The song was performed twentieth on the night, following Denmarks Anne-Cathrine Herdorf & Drengene with En lille melodi, at the close of voting, it had received 172 points, placing 1st in a field of 22. After Logan had been proclaimed the winner with this song, he was overcome with emotion during the reprise and was unable to reach the notes in this part of the song. As he had when he won in 1980 with Whats Another Year and he shouted I still love you, Ireland. Lyrically, the song is a ballad sung from the point of view of a man whose love interest is leaving him for someone else. The singer pleads with his girlfriend to touch, touch me the way you used to do in order to him with good memories of their relationship. The chorus then tells the girl dont say a word, as they prepare to part, despite the sad nature of the parting, the singer says that I will know/though were apart/well always be together, which implies some sort of optimism on his part. The music is that of a typical Eurovision power ballad, with the chorus being introduced by a chorus of backing singers before they are joined by Logans voice again. The song was succeeded as winner in 1988 by Celine Dion representing Switzerland with Ne partez pas sans moi and it was succeeded as Irish representative at the 1988 contest by Jump The Gun with Take Him Home. Hold Me Now is regarded by fans as one of the high points of Contest history. The song has been covered by performers, including a reggae version by Tanya Stephens. It has also updated by Belgian rapper Kaye Styles as Dont Cry. This cover also features Logan performing the chorus of the song at a faster tempo than the traditional version. The late Macedonian superstar Toše Proeski covered this song during his concerts, the song was also used in an Irish advertising campaign launched by McDonalds toward the end of 2007. These ads feature Logan bursting into the room with a McDonalds bag in an effort to cheer a series of teens in humorous predicaments, Logan interrupts his singing to pose the question Twisty Fries. Original version 2001 version Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
Hold Me Now (Johnny Logan song)
–
"Hold Me Now"
8.
Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest
–
Cyprus has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 33 times since making its debut in 1981. Cyprus first entry was the group Island, who finished sixth, the countrys best result in the contest is three fifth-place finishes, in 1982 with Anna Vissi,1997 with Hara & Andreas Constantinou and 2004 with Lisa Andreas. Since 2006, Cyprus failed to qualify from the round for six out of eight years. On 14 July 2014, Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation officially confirmed their return to the contest in 2015, since its first entry, Cyprus has participated every year except 1988,2001 and 2014. In 2001, the country did not qualify for the contest due to insufficiently high average scores in previous contests, in 2014, the broadcaster decided to withdraw from the contest and cited public indifference and the economic crisis for not taking part. On 3 October 2013, the Cypriot broadcaster Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation withdrew from the 2014 contest, reasons that were cited are public opinion regarding the 2012–13 Cypriot financial crisis and budget restrictions as factors that influenced this decision. Cyprus is famous for always exchanging 12 points with Greece in the Semi Final and Final, the last time Cyprus gave Greece less than 12 points was in 2015. Cyprus and Turkey never voted for each other until 2004, a taboo attributed to the ongoing Cyprus dispute, since its first entry in 1981, Cyprus has had a mixture of good and bad results. The best result achieved so far is a place, reached by Anna Vissi in 1982, Hara and Andreas Constantinou in 1997. The lowest result was a last place in 1986, with the song Tora Zo sung by Elpida, in the 1980s and 1990s, Cyprus had managed to reach the top 10 a number of times, something which made the Contest become popular in the Cypriot public. Since the last best result of the country in 2004, Cyprus performance has dropped notably, from 2006 to 2009 and again in 2011 &2013, the country didnt manage to reach the final. At the same time when Cyprus performance in the contest dropped vertically, Greeces performance improved very fast by one win and this created a shift of interest, with the Cypriot public being more interested in the success of the Greek entry. In May 2014, the radio station London Greek Radio announced that Cyprus were planning a return to the contest after a one-year break. A few weeks later Eurovision website Wiwibloggs announced that Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation had confirmed their return, on 14 July 2014, CyBC officially confirmed their return to the contest in 2015. Cyprus hosted the Eurovision Song Project, which included 2 semi-finals,1 second chance round, if a country had won the previous year, they did not have to compete in the semi-finals the following year. In addition, back in 2004-2007, the top ten countries who were not members of the big four did not have to compete in the finals the following year. As of 2016, Cyprus voting history is as follows, Composer Award In addition, since 2009, British writer and TV presenter Nathan Morley has provided the CyBC Radio commentary. Cyprus in the Eurovision Young Musicians Cyprus in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest National Final Cyprus Points to and from Cyprus eurovisioncovers. co. uk Music. net. cy - Cyprus National Finals 2010
Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest
–
Alex Panayi at
Dublin (
1995)
Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest
Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest
–
Lisa Andreas at
Istanbul (
2004)
Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest
–
Evridiki at
Helsinki (
2007)
9.
Monaco in the Eurovision Song Contest
–
Monaco has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 24 times since its debut in 1959. The countrys only win in the contest came in 1971 when Séverine performed Un banc, un arbre, in 1972, Monaco was expected to host the contest, but declined. Monaco is still today, the only microstate which has won the Eurovision Song Contest, Monaco finished last at its first contest in 1959 before achieving three top three results in the 1960s. Two of these were achieved by François Deguelt, who finished third in 1960, romuald also finished third in 1964. Severines victory in 1971 was the first of five top four results in eight years, the others were achieved by Romauld, Mary Christy who was third in 1976, Michèle Torr, fourth in 1977 and Caline & Olivier Toussaint who were fourth in 1978. After participating in 1979, Monaco was absent from the contest for 25 years, Monaco returned to the contest for three years from 2004 to 2006 but failed to qualify from the semi-finals. The Monegasque broadcaster then withdrew from the contest saying that regional voting patterns in the contest have effectively given Monaco no chance of qualifying for the final, Monaco participated in the contest 21 times between its debut in 1959 and 1979. Afterwards the country withdrew from the contest for financial reasons and it only returned in 2004,25 years after its last participation. It withdrew again in 2007, after failing to qualify for the final for three consecutive years, Monaco won the contest in 1971, with the song Un banc, un arbre, une rue, performed by Séverine. The Monegasque victory is rather particular in the history of Eurovision because the songwriter, the singer and the director were not from the country they represented, Séverine even declared to journalists that she had never set foot in Monaco, forgetting that the video-clip was filmed there. Séverines producer was dishonest with her and stole her prize, thus she never got paid for her victory, nevertheless, the singer is still a great fan of the contest. Monacos next best placing has been second which it has achieved once at the 1962 and it has been third three times, in 1960,1964 and 1976, and last twice, in 1959 and 1966. Monaco is among the eight countries which finished last on their first participation, the others being Austria, Portugal, Malta, Turkey, Lithuania, the Czech Republic and San Marino. After winning in 1971, the decided to organise the 1972 contest as an open-air show. However, because of a lack of funds and material, Télé Monte Carlo sought help from the French public broadcaster, ORTF, because TMC wanted the show to be held in Monaco while ORTF wanted it in France, negotiations never succeeded. Monaco left it up to the EBU, the EBU asked Spain and Germany, who respectively finished second and third at the 1971 contest, but the countries were not interested in organising the 1972 contest. It was eventually organised by the BBC in Edinburgh, Monaco was absent from the contest between 1980 and 2003, before returning for three years from 2004–2006, but Maryon, Lise Darly and Séverine Ferrer all failed to progress from the semi-finals. TMC broadcast the 2007 contest opening the way for participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008, despite this, Monaco did not compete in Moscow in 2009
Monaco in the Eurovision Song Contest
–
Marjorie Noël performing "
Va dire à l'amour " in Naples
Monaco in the Eurovision Song Contest
10.
Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest
–
Malta has never won the contest, although it has twice finished second and twice finished third. Maltas two seconds and two thirds, make it the most successful country not to win the contest, in the last 10 contests, Malta has only once reached the top 10, when Gianluca Bezzina finished eighth in 2013. Together with France, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom, the only use of the Maltese language was three lines in the 2000 entry Desire, performed by Claudette Pace. The Maltese broadcasters of the show are the Public Broadcasting Services, all shows are transmitted live on TVM and Radio Malta. Also, along with Croatia and Sweden it was the country to never be relegated, under the previous rules of the contest. If a country had won the year, they did not have to compete in the semi-finals the following year. In addition, back in 2004-2007, the top ten countries who were not members of the big four did not have to compete in the finals the following year. If, for example, Germany and France placed inside the top ten, ^ Spain originally gave its 12 points to Israel and 10 to Norway. After the broadcast it was announced that Spanish broadcaster wrongly tallied the votes and Germany should have got the top mark -12 points - instead of being snubbed, the mistake was corrected and so Germany was placed 7th over Norway
Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest
–
Julie and Ludwig at Istanbul (
2004)
Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest
Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest
–
Olivia Lewis at Helsinki (
2007)
Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest
–
Morena at Belgrade (
2008)
11.
Morocco in the Eurovision Song Contest
–
Morocco entered the Eurovision Song Contest for the first, and so far only, time at the Eurovision Song Contest 1980 with the song Bitaqat Hob, performed by Samira Bensaïd in the Arabic language. Their debut entry also marked the first time that Arabic was performed in the contest and their song for the contest was Bitaqat Khub, performed by famous Moroccan singer Samira Bensaïd. The song only received 7 points, all from Italy, and placed 18th, after their poor placing in the contest, SNRT announced that they would be withdrawing from the 1981 contest, and have never returned since. A rival Moroccan broadcaster to SNRT, 2M TV, has expressed their intention to join the European Broadcasting Union, should their application be successful, 2M TV, could potentially return Morocco to the contest. Table key As of 1980, Moroccos voting history is as follows, Points to and from Morocco eurovisioncovers. co. uk
Morocco in the Eurovision Song Contest
–
Morocco
12.
Voting at the Eurovision Song Contest
–
The winner of the Eurovision Song Contest is selected by a positional voting system. Each country awards two sets of 12,10, 8–1 points to their 10 favourite songs, one from their professional jury, the current system has been in place since 2016. In 2003, Eircoms telephone polling system malfunction, irish broadcaster RTÉ did not receive the polling results from Eircom in time, and substituted votes by a panel of judges. Between 1997 and 2003, lines were opened to the public for five minutes after the performance. Between 2004 and 2006 the lines were opened for 10 minutes, in 2010 viewers were allowed to vote during the performances, but this was rescinded for the 2012 contest. The BBC contacted regional juries by telephone to choose the 1956 winners, and this method continued to be used until 1993. The following year saw the first satellite linkup to juries, to announce the votes, the contests presenters connect by satellite to each country in turn and inviting a spokesperson to read the countrys votes in French or English. The presenters originally repeated the votes in both languages, but since 2004 the votes have been translated due to time constraints, the scoreboard displays the number of points each country has received and, since 2008, a progress bar indicating the number of countries which have voted. Note The most-used voting system was last used for the 1969 contest and this system was used from 1957 to 1961 and from 1967 to 1969. Ten jurors in each country each cast one vote for their favourite song, in 1969 this resulted in a four-way tie for first place, with no tie-breaking procedure. A second round of voting in the event of a tie was introduced to this system the following year, from 1962 to 1966, a voting system similar to the current one was used. With the latter system, a country could choose to give points to two instead of three, in 1965, Belgium awarded the United Kingdom six points and Italy three. Although it was possible to one country nine points, this never occurred. The 1971,1972, and 1973 contests saw the jurors in vision for the first time, each country was represented by two jurors, one older than 25 and one younger, with at least ten years difference in their ages. Each juror gave a minimum of one point and a maximum of five points to each song, in 1974 the previous system of ten jurors was used, and the following year the current system was introduced. Spokespeople were next seen on screen in 1994 with a link to the venue. The 2004 contest had its first semifinal, with a change in voting. This resulted in Ukraines Ruslana finishing first, with a record 280 points, to date, non-qualifying countries are still allowed to vote in the final
Voting at the Eurovision Song Contest
–
"The Pyrenean Axis" (Andorra and Spain)
13.
Ne partez pas sans moi
–
Ne partez pas sans moi is the Swiss winning entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1988, performed by the Canadian Celine Dion. It was released as a single in Europe in May 1988, Dion performed Ne partez pas sans moi for 600 million viewers worldwide at the contest. The song was composed by Turkish songwriter Atilla Şereftuğ and Swiss composer Nella Martinetti and it won Eurovision with 137 points, beating the United Kingdom entry Go performed by Scott Fitzgerald by just one point in one of the closest finishes in Eurovision history. It is considered to be one of the most popular Eurovision entries, while the single sold 200,000 copies in Europe in two days and over 300,000 copies in total, it is one of the less commercially successful Eurovision winners. It was the first winning song not to be released in the UK or in Ireland, Ne partez pas sans moi was also included on Dions 1988 album The Best of Celine Dion released in Europe. The song appeared in Canada as B-side to Dabord, cest quoi lamour and it also appeared on the French version of Dions Incognito album. Later, it was included in her French compilation album On ne change pas, a music video was released in 1988. Dion also recorded a German version of Ne partez pas sans moi, called Hand in Hand. European 7 single Ne partez pas sans moi –3,07 Ne partez pas sans moi –3,07 German 7 single Hand in Hand –3,07 Hand in Hand –3,07 Celine Dion, Ne partez pas sans moi on YouTube
Ne partez pas sans moi
–
"Ne partez pas sans moi"
14.
Eurovision Song Contest 1987
–
The Eurovision Song Contest 1987 was the 32nd Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 9 May 1987 in Brussels, Belgium after Sandra Kims win the previous year. Johnny Logan was the winner for Ireland with the song Hold Me Now and that made him the first performer to win the contest twice, as he had won also in 1980. The 1987 Eurovision was the biggest contest at that time, with 22 countries taking part, only Malta, Monaco and Morocco failed to compete out of all the countries which had entered the contest in the past. Due to the number of countries, and the time it took for the contest to be held and this became problematic over the next few years as new and returning nations indicated an interest in participating, but could not be accommodated. Controversy erupted in Israel after their song was selected, Shir Habatlanim by the Lazy Bums, the comedic performance was criticised by the countrys culture minister, who threatened to resign should the duo proceed to Brussels. They went on to perform for Israel, placing eighth, however the culture ministers threat was left unfulfilled, host conductor in bold Notes 1. ^ Contains some phrases in English
Eurovision Song Contest 1987
15.
Eurovision Song Contest
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The competition was based upon the existing Sanremo Music Festival held in Italy since 1951. The contest has been broadcast every year for sixty years, since its inauguration in 1956 and it is also one of the most watched non-sporting events in the world, with audience figures having been quoted in recent years as anything between 100 million and 600 million internationally. Eurovision has also been broadcast outside Europe to several countries that do not compete, such as the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and China. An exception was made in 2015, when Australia was allowed to compete as a guest entrant as part of the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the event. In November 2015, the EBU announced that Australia was invited back as a participant in the 2016 contest after their success in 2015, following their success again in 2016, Australia will compete again in 2017. Since 2000, the contest has also been broadcast over the Internet via the Eurovision website, winning the Eurovision Song Contest provides a short-term boost to the winning artists career, but rarely results in long-term success. Notable exceptions are ABBA, Bucks Fizz and Céline Dion, all of whom launched successful careers after their wins. Ireland holds the record for the highest number of wins, having won the contest seven times—including four times in five years in 1992,1993,1994 and 1996. Under the current voting system, the highest scoring winner is Jamala of Ukraine who won the 2016 contest in Stockholm, under the previous system, in place from 1975 to 2015, the highest scoring winner is Alexander Rybak of Norway with 387 points in 2009. Satellite television did not exist, and the Eurovision Network comprised a terrestrial microwave network, the name Eurovision was first used in relation to the EBUs network by British journalist George Campey in the London Evening Standard in 1951. The first contest was held in the town of Lugano, Switzerland, seven countries participated—each submitting two songs, for a total of 14. This was the only contest in more than one song per country was performed, since 1957. The 1956 contest was won by the host nation, Switzerland, the programme was first known as the Eurovision Grand Prix. This Grand Prix name was adopted by Denmark, Norway and the Francophone countries, the Grand Prix has since been dropped and replaced with Concours in French, but not in Danish or Norwegian. The Eurovision network is used to carry news and sports programmes internationally. However, in the minds of the public, the name Eurovision is most closely associated with the Song Contest, a country as a participant is represented by one television broadcaster from that country, typically, but not always, that countrys national public broadcasting organisation. The programme is hosted by one of the participant countries, during this programme, after all the songs have been performed, the countries then proceed to cast votes for the other countries songs, nations are not allowed to vote for their own song. At the end of the programme, the song with the most points is declared as the winner, the programme is invariably opened by one or more presenters, welcoming viewers to the show
Eurovision Song Contest
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Opening act in Düsseldorf in 2011
Eurovision Song Contest
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Entered at least once
Eurovision Song Contest
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Eurovision Song Contest in Copenhagen 2014
Eurovision Song Contest
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Lena, representing Germany, performing
Satellite during a rehearsal in 2010
16.
Eurovision Song Contest 1989
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The Eurovision Song Contest 1989 was the 34th annual Eurovision Song Contest. It was held on 6 May 1989 in Lausanne, Switzerland, the program was presented by Lolita Morena and Jacques Deschenaux. Riva, representing Yugoslavia, won with the song Rock Me and this was the only victory for Yugoslavia as a unified state. The United Kingdoms Ray Caruana, lead singer with Live Report was outspoken about coming second to what he considered a less worthy song. They had been defeated by 7 points, two of the performers, Nathalie Pâque and Gili Natanael were respectively 11 and 12 years old at their time of competing. Due to bad publicity surrounding their participation, the European Broadcasting Union introduced the rule stating no performer is allowed to take part before the year of their 16th birthday. The previous years winner, Celine Dion, opened the show with a performance of her winning song. The song went on to become a top ten hit in the US a year later - effectively launching her into international success. Each country had a jury who awarded 12,10,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 point for their top ten songs
Eurovision Song Contest 1989
17.
Dublin, Ireland
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Dublin is the capital and largest city of Ireland. Dublin is in the province of Leinster on Irelands east coast, the city has an urban area population of 1,345,402. The population of the Greater Dublin Area, as of 2016, was 1,904,806 people, founded as a Viking settlement, the Kingdom of Dublin became Irelands principal city following the Norman invasion. The city expanded rapidly from the 17th century and was briefly the second largest city in the British Empire before the Acts of Union in 1800, following the partition of Ireland in 1922, Dublin became the capital of the Irish Free State, later renamed Ireland. Dublin is administered by a City Council, the city is listed by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network as a global city, with a ranking of Alpha-, which places it amongst the top thirty cities in the world. It is a historical and contemporary centre for education, the arts, administration, economy, the name Dublin comes from the Irish word Dubhlinn, early Classical Irish Dubhlind/Duibhlind, dubh /d̪uβ/, alt. /d̪uw/, alt /d̪u, / meaning black, dark, and lind /lʲiɲ pool and this tidal pool was located where the River Poddle entered the Liffey, on the site of the castle gardens at the rear of Dublin Castle. In Modern Irish the name is Duibhlinn, and Irish rhymes from Dublin County show that in Dublin Leinster Irish it was pronounced Duílinn /d̪ˠi, other localities in Ireland also bear the name Duibhlinn, variously anglicized as Devlin, Divlin and Difflin. Historically, scribes using the Gaelic script wrote bh with a dot over the b and those without knowledge of Irish omitted the dot, spelling the name as Dublin. Variations on the name are found in traditionally Irish-speaking areas of Scotland, such as An Linne Dhubh. It is now thought that the Viking settlement was preceded by a Christian ecclesiastical settlement known as Duibhlinn, beginning in the 9th and 10th century, there were two settlements where the modern city stands. Baile Átha Cliath, meaning town of the ford, is the common name for the city in modern Irish. Áth Cliath is a name referring to a fording point of the River Liffey near Father Mathew Bridge. Baile Átha Cliath was an early Christian monastery, believed to have been in the area of Aungier Street, there are other towns of the same name, such as Àth Cliath in East Ayrshire, Scotland, which is Anglicised as Hurlford. Although the area of Dublin Bay has been inhabited by humans since prehistoric times and he called the settlement Eblana polis. It is now thought that the Viking settlement was preceded by a Christian ecclesiastical settlement known as Duibhlinn, beginning in the 9th and 10th century, there were two settlements where the modern city stands. The subsequent Scandinavian settlement centred on the River Poddle, a tributary of the Liffey in an area now known as Wood Quay, the Dubhlinn was a small lake used to moor ships, the Poddle connected the lake with the Liffey. This lake was covered during the early 18th century as the city grew, the Dubhlinn lay where the Castle Garden is now located, opposite the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin Castle
Dublin, Ireland
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Clockwise from top:
Samuel Beckett Bridge,
Trinity College,
Custom House,
Dublin Castle,
O'Connell Bridge, and
Convention Centre Dublin.
Dublin, Ireland
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Father Mathew Bridge, formerly Dublin Bridge, is understood to be near the ancient "Ford of the Hurdles" (Baile Átha Cliath), the original crossing point on the River Liffey.
Dublin, Ireland
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Dublin Castle was the fortified seat of
British rule in Ireland until 1922.
Dublin, Ireland
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Henrietta Street, developed in the 1720s, is the earliest Georgian Street in Dublin.
18.
1987 Eurovision Song Contest
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The Eurovision Song Contest 1987 was the 32nd Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 9 May 1987 in Brussels, Belgium after Sandra Kims win the previous year. Johnny Logan was the winner for Ireland with the song Hold Me Now and that made him the first performer to win the contest twice, as he had won also in 1980. The 1987 Eurovision was the biggest contest at that time, with 22 countries taking part, only Malta, Monaco and Morocco failed to compete out of all the countries which had entered the contest in the past. Due to the number of countries, and the time it took for the contest to be held and this became problematic over the next few years as new and returning nations indicated an interest in participating, but could not be accommodated. Controversy erupted in Israel after their song was selected, Shir Habatlanim by the Lazy Bums, the comedic performance was criticised by the countrys culture minister, who threatened to resign should the duo proceed to Brussels. They went on to perform for Israel, placing eighth, however the culture ministers threat was left unfulfilled, host conductor in bold Notes 1. ^ Contains some phrases in English
1987 Eurovision Song Contest
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Eurovision Song Contest 1987
19.
Celine Dion
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Céline Marie Claudette Dion, CC OQ ChLD is a Canadian singer and businesswoman. Dion first gained recognition in the 1980s by winning both the 1982 Yamaha World Popular Song Festival and the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest where she represented Switzerland. Following a series of French albums during the 1980s, she signed on to Epic Records in the United States, in 1990, Dion released her debut English-language album, Unison, establishing herself as a viable pop artist in North America and other English-speaking areas of the world. During the 1990s, with the help of Angélil, she achieved fame after releasing several English albums along with additional French albums. Her albums, Falling into You and Lets Talk About Love, were certified diamond in the US while Deux became the best-selling French-language album of all time. However, in 1999 at the height of her success, Dion announced a hiatus from entertainment to start a family and spend time with her husband and she returned to the top of pop music in 2002 and signed to perform nightly in A New Day. A five-star theatrical show at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Paradise and it became the most successful residency show of all time, grossing US $385 million. Dions music has influenced by genres ranging from rock and R&B to gospel. Her recordings are mainly in French and English, although she sings in Spanish, Italian, German, Latin, Japanese. While her releases have received mixed critical reception, she is regarded as one of pop musics most influential voices. Dion has won five Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year and she is the second best-selling female artist in the US during the Nielsen SoundScan era. In 2003, Dion was honoured by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry for selling over 50 million albums in Europe, Dion remains the best-selling Canadian artist and one of the best-selling artists of all time with record sales of over 200 million copies worldwide. Dion was born in Charlemagne, Quebec, Canada, the youngest of 14 children of Thérèse, a homemaker, and Adhémar Dion, Dion was raised a Roman Catholic in a poverty-stricken, but, by her own account, happy home in Charlemagne. Music had always been a part of the Dion family, indeed, Dion herself was named after the song Céline. Thereafter, she continued to perform with her siblings in her parentss small piano bar called Le Vieux Baril, from an early age, Dion had dreamed of being a performer. In a 1994 interview with People magazine, she recalled, I missed my family and my home, I had one dream, I wanted to be a singer. At age 12, Dion collaborated with her mother and her brother Jacques to write and compose her first song, Ce nétait quun rêve, whose title translates as It Was Only a Dream or Nothing But A Dream. Her brother, Michel Dion, sent the recording to music manager René Angélil, Angélil was moved to tears by Dions voice and decided to make her a star
Celine Dion
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Celine Dion, 2012
Celine Dion
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Céline Dion on stage with her dancers performing "
River Deep – Mountain High " on the Taking Chances World Tour in September 2008.
Celine Dion
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Dion performing "
God Bless America " with members of the Band of the
U.S. Air Force Reserve, 2002.
Celine Dion
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Dion during her
Taking Chances Tour concert in
Bell Centre, Montréal, on 19 August 2008.
Cyprus
Austria
Switzerland
Iceland – No conductor
Sweden – Anders Berglund
Finland – Ossi Runne
United Kingdom – Ronnie Hazlehurst
Turkey – Turhan Yükseler
Spain – Javier de Juan
Netherlands – Harry van Hoof
Israel – Eldad Shrem
Switzerland – Atilla Şereftuğ
Ireland – Noel Kelehan
Germany – Michael Thatcher
Austria – Harald Neuwirth
Denmark – Henrik Krogsgård
Greece – Charis Andreadis
Norway – Arild Stav
Belgium – Daniel Willem
Luxembourg – Régis Dupré
Italy – No conductor
France – Guy Matteoni
Portugal – José Calvário
Yugoslavia – Nikica Kalogjera
