On Saturday 20 June, almost 20 Irish Eurovision personalities from yesteryear will come together to help raise money for frontline workers battling the coronavirus pandemic. Ireland’s Lockdown Eurovision Fundraiser aims to raise €5,000 for the Irish Health Service Executive (HSE) to help provide health workers with PPE.
Ireland’s Lockdown Eurovision Fundraiser
One of the project organisers Mick Lynch tells wiwibloggs:
“Like every other place on this planet, we’ve all been affected by COVID-19 in one way or another, and our front line staff have been the real heroes. That’s why we’re raising funds for our frontline workers, and would love everyone worldwide to tune in and watch this programme.”
The one-hour event will showcase previously unseen material from Irish Eurovision artists, including performances of classic Eurovision hits. Lynch tells us: “One collaboration hasn’t been performed in over 40 years, another is a first-time duet between a mother and son, and another is an exclusive new full performance of a winning Eurovision song.”
Lynch also says that the performers will tell some anecdotes about their time at Eurovision: “almost everyone has a little story to tell.”
The trailer promises appearances from Eurovision greats including Dana, who won for Ireland with “All Kinds of Everything” in 1970. Other Irish representatives including Marc Roberts, Mickey Joe Harte and Eamonn Toal are set to appear.
Secret Garden, who won with “Nocturne” for Norway in 1995, will also feature. The duo’s violinist and vocalist Fionnuala Sherry was born and raised in Ireland.
All money raised from Ireland’s Lockdown Eurovision Fundraiser will go directly to HSE. See the event’s GoFundMe page for more information. Europe, start donating now!
You can watch the full show on YouTube on Saturday 20 June at 20:00 IST.
Ireland’s Lockdown Eurovision Fundraiser line-up
A total of 18 personalities are featured in the trailer. In order of appearance, they are:
- Fionnuala Sherry of Secret Garden “Nocturne” (1995 winner for Norway)
- Marc Roberts “Mysterious Woman” (1997)
- June Cunningham of Luv Bug “You Can Count On Me” (1986)
- Eamonn Toal “Millenium Of Love” (2000)
- Dana “All Kinds Of Everything” (1970 winner)
- Paul Lyttle composer of “Cross Your Heart” (1974)
- Maxi “Do I Dream” (1973) and “Horoscopes” with Sheeba (1981)
- Jimmy Walsh composer of “In Your Eyes” (1993 winner)
- Alma Carroll of The Swarbriggs Plus Two “It’s Nice To Be In Love Again” (1977)
- Mickey Joe Harte “We’ve Got The World” (2003)
- The Swarbriggs “That’s What Friends Are For” (1975) and “It’s Nice To Be In Love Again” (1977)
- Sandy Kelly of The Duskeys “Here Today Gone Tomorrow” (1982)
- Marty Whelan — RTÉ Eurovision commentator
- Rolf Løvland of Secret Garden “Nocturne” (1995 winner for Norway)
- Rowland Soper composer of “Come Back To Stay”(1966)
- Kim Jackson “Could It Be That I’m In Love” (1991)
- Cathal Dunne “Happy Man” (1979)
- Phil Coulter composer of “Puppet On A String” (1967 winner for the UK), “Congratulations” (1968 for the UK) and “Toi” (1975 for Luxembourg)
Ireland’s Lockdown Eurovision Fundraiser is one of many alternative Eurovision shows to take place this year. In May, British comedian Tom Taylor hosted the Isolation Song Contest. Mel Giedroyc, Måns Zelmerlöw and many others took part to help raise more than £38,000 for various UK charities.
We also held our own Wiwi Jam At Home which featured over 50 acts from across the world of Eurovision — including Dana and Ireland’s 2020 singer Lesley Roy.
Will you be tuning into Ireland’s Lockdown Eurovision Fundraiser? Who are you most excited to see? Let us know in the comments.
We want Brendan Murray!
um whattt big news they just announced next year there will be pre-recorded backing vocals allowed, thnx martin and sweden for melfestifying the contest even more
You ever think there should be a Eurovision Hall of Fame? I can already think of people I’d consider for different categories (scrutineers, executive supervisors, hosts, commentators, songwriters, conductors, and of course performers). Hate to go off on another list, but some names I’d consider off the top of my head: Commentators: Andri Xhahu (Albania), Julia Zemiro and Sam Peng (Australia), Andi Knoll (Austria), Andre Vermuelen (Belgium), Jørgen de Mylius (Denmark), the 2006 Finnish commentating group (for getting to call the most exciting and unexpected Eurovision victory ever), Peter Urban (Germany), Dafni Bokota (Greece), Marty Whelan (Ireland), Daniel Dekker… Read more »
That’s a neat idea! I would also add Marcel Bezençon, Richard Oesterreicher, Olli Ahvenlahti, Nurit Hirsch, Fernardo Paggi, Paula Farrell, Ehud Manor, Pierre Cour, Keld Heick, Barbara Dex, Nathalie Pâque, Emil Ramsauer, Jetty Paerl, Brian Kennedy, Valentina Monetta, Fud Leclerc, Jahn Teigen, Mocedades and Hot Eyes.
Agreed on all of them (I thought about Nathalie Paque, and I counted Nurit Hirsch as a songwriter but you could probably count her for conducting as well, especially since she was the only woman to conduct a winning entry). And hey, while we’re rolling, here’s some more: Dick Bakker – songwriter/arranger/conductor (Netherlands) Nicola Caligiore – former Head of Delegation for Italy Edoardo Grassi – former Head of Delegation for France Jan Bors – former Head of Delegation for the Czech Republic Eduardo Lleiva – frequent conductor for Spain Sandie Jones – only singer to ever perform in Irish Serge… Read more »
Don’t forget Melodifestivalen had a debut Hall of Fame this year – fifty new inductees each year from now on. I think today proved that contest’s influence, so it could happen!
And in the same way that I think a fair few of the ideas that traveled over from Melfest weren’t necessarily bad ideas at all, this might be a good one too!
Huh, 50 is quite a lot. That means that by 2060 every single Melodifestivalen entry will be inducted into the Hall Of Fame, which sorta defeats the purpose of the entire thing.
Kinda. They seem to be doing it by categories, so it’s not so much entries as it is performers, hosts, conductors, songwriters, and even individual moments.
OK, that makes a lot more sense. I still think that number is a bit to high – the more inductees you have, the less prestigious the award becomes.
Yeah, I thought the same thing. There’s a ten-year exclusion zone, though, so I suppose time itself is enough to give prestige. Sorry, that means no Serhat.
So, we’re very nearly at the point of Valentina too. But also, good! Gives people more time to put things in perspective, what with the way it feels certain acts are ballyhooed like they’re the second coming when in the long term I don’t know how much their songs will hold up.
Ireland in Eurovision ranked: Rock ‘n’ Roll Kids (1994) The Voice (1996) If I Could Choose (1967) Hold Me Now (1987) Playing with Numbers (2015) What’s Another Year? (1980) Ceol an Ghra (1972) In Your Eyes (1993) Take Him Home (1989) Wait Until the Weekend Comes (1985) Terminal 3 (1984) Et Cetera (2009) Walking the Streets in the Rain (1965) Could It Be That I’m in Love? (1991) Together (2018) Dreamin’ (1995) Why Me? (1992) You Can Count on Me (1986) Chance of a Lifetime (1968) Mysterious Woman (1997) We’ve Got the World (2003) Lipstick (2011) Horoscopes (1981) Born to… Read more »
(I might’ve honestly been generous with The Real Me but that song is the most unexpected of earworms and it’s a borderline guilty pleasure for me)
rly surprised that heartbeat isn’t higher, that song should’ve been in the final. And also, Dana is so low, especially since she won!!! But low-key I agree with that
It was fine. Too busy for me. And All Kinds of Everything is just too syrupy-sweet for me in the same way most Irish entries before the late ’70s were.
Brendan Graham is doing very well to have 3 in your top 10, including your top 2. His other one flopped, but we’ll let him off I guess…
Guy just knows how to make a good song for Ireland. The humanity that comes through in his songs is part of what separates Ireland’s showy ballads from other countries’ (also part of why Johnny Logan’s songs have held up so well). You hear “The Voice” or “Rock ‘n’ Roll Kids” and they come across as clear character sketches, born of human experience and appreciation for his country’s musical heritage (OK, I suppose it’s easier to make that case for “Rock ‘n’ Roll Kids” than for a song about the literal personification of Mother Nature, but still). “When” is the… Read more »
I also hope people realize it’s very lonely being the one person who thinks “Rock ‘n’ Roll Kids” deserved its win. I’m actually Facebook friends with Charlie McGettigan and had a lovely conversation with him a while back. Says he’s working on a memoir, which I’ll totally get when it comes out. Also (plug time, forgive me) part of why I was talking with him was because over the last few months I’ve been recruiting people to be part of a jury to determine who should’ve won Eurovision. The project started out as a very ambitious simulation of the… Read more »
Yeah, I can’t argue that it was for sure a deserved winner. Maybe not my personal favourite of that year, but I can’t deny its quality. Paul & Charlie’s performance made a crucial difference too, I think – have you ever heard the Olsen’s rendition? Despite also being Eurovision winners, I doubt they would have won with that. YouTube it!
Oh, and your project sounds great! I will for sure be interested to see who wins. As for Donna McCaul, her 2005 entry is absolutely awful, I’m sorry…but her 2012 attempt, Mercy, is a vast improvement! Do you know it? If you need to praise her, use that…
I mean…yeah, but you’re right about Mercy!
(And full disclosure: Charlie politely declined to judge, but he was very nice about it.)
I believe I’ve heard it! Checks out that they did it really well. It’s practically their story, given how they’d been touring since the late ’60s.
I’m overthinking things as usual, but why did it take two to sing it? Couldn’t Paul have sung it solo? Also, he wasn’t 16 in 1962, he was only 2. Does this matter? The Olsens are a little closer to the right age. It seems like Paul & Charlie are singing to each other, but I take it they’re actually singing to a romantic interest. Or maybe not. Obviously the main character in the song is Brendan Graham himself.
That’s so cool, I’m definitely going to tune in for the reveal (I wonder if Iceland is gonna score another win, they have been by far the most successful act so far when it comes to the alternative Eurovision shows).
Unfortunately I am also one of those who don’t share your love of “Rock n’ Roll Kids”, Nina Morato is my personal winner of 1994.
Without spoiling anything (but this shouldn’t be a huge surprise), from the results I’ve calculated so far, it’s a horse race for the winner of the first semi-final, but Dadi is absolutely sweeping the second semi. The final will be where things get interesting.
Eh, is what it is. For what it’s worth, there are days when I think Hungary should’ve won, but I come back to Ireland more (also Friderika has turned out to be one of the people supporting the anti-LGBT movement in Hungary so that’s very unfortunate).
Also, it’s my pleasure to report that neither semi-final has a “nil points” situation going on, so everyone’s leaving with something.
I have to be in the right mood to really appreciate Hungary’s song, “Kinek mondjam…” demands full concentration and a meditative state of mind. The lyrics are absolutely striking – it’s a very spiritual and intimate piece, the type of entry you don’t see at Eurovision anymore. And it’s not that I dislike “Rock n’ Roll Kids”, it’s just that I grew ever so slightly tired of it as time went by. 5 years ago I would pick it as my favourite Irish entry, but today I prefer “In Your Eyes”. My love for “Irelande Douze Points” is eternal, though.
It’s also a fantastic example of a Eurovision song that follows absolutely no Eurovision stereotypes, like the kind of song you’d play when someone makes a sweeping generalization of what Eurovision is like.
I really wish I could enjoy “Irlande Douze Points” but I don’t think it’s catchy as a song or clever as a joke. 2008 had one clever novelty act (France) and two cute novelty acts (Latvia and legitimately good song “Pokusaj” from Bosnia) but between them was a whole lot of very stereotypically Eurovision crap.
Explaining why I enjoy “Irelande Douze Points” is like explaing why I like Hawaiian pizza or Frank Zappa’s songs – I just know I do. It’s so wonderfully absurd and childish that it keeps me captivated for the entire 3 minutes and I still listen to it every once in a while (which I can’t say about the overwhelming majority of ESC 2008 songs). It’s not clever and it doesn’t pretend to be anything more than a silly, “haha, Europe doesn’t like us” tune.
Fair enough!
what about dustin the turkey ??
Probably being sanitized.
Friendly reminder looking at this lineup that Ireland have killed the game for decades at Eurovision. Ireland at their peak is like watching Jordan’s Game 6 on a loop.
We also have Ireland to thank for Secret Garden, seeing as the 1994 contest is where they met. Ireland can even have a member of the orchestra go on and win the next year! Okay, for a different country, but still…
It’s cool going back to the ’93 contest and being able to pick out Fionnuala Sherry among the rows of violins whenever they cut to the orchestra (and wouldn’t you know it, she performed under the baton of bandmate Rolf Løvland for Norway’s entry!). Of course, she was there in ’94, but that was the first Irish edition to have them be really allergic of showing orchestra shots (maybe to make up for the overabundance of them in ’93?).
I’m so happy to see Secret Garden a bit more active in the Eurovision bubble 🙂
I love them so much and I want more people to know them
Best Eurovision song ever, and I stand by that.