Thank you for all the nice comments! One thing I wish I had emphasised more was about Netherlands🇳🇱 and Finland🇫🇮 turned their fortunes around. They both used to suck, made big changes and are now 2 of the strongest countries in the contest. So a big change is possible!
@patrickh3385
10 ай бұрын
Both of those countries' records also show that a Eurovision renaissance may not be linear upward trend; the Netherlands went up and down before winning in 2019 and Finland did the same prior to 2023. It wouldn't surprise me if the same happened to France, UK, Spain and eventually Ireland. On a side note, I've just heard Dance You Off in a petrol station which was a bit random!
@Masaim6
10 ай бұрын
@@patrickh3385 to be fair going from 2nd to 25th is a little bit more than going up and down, hopefully the UK comes back with force in 2025.
@regulusarcturus
11 ай бұрын
I hope someone in the Irish delegation sees this video. You’re literally way more knowledgeable and have better suggestions than people whose job it is to do Eurovision in Ireland. It’s difficult for any countries to consistently produce great results, especially for smaller countries, but there is no reason for a musically talented country like Ireland to not qualify 8 of the 9 last editions. Just send a song that will chart in Ireland and go from there 💙 I really hope we will get to see an Irish renaissance at Eurovision soon.
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
yep, our number 1 goal this year should just be to get our own song to top 10 in OUR charts. Because that also encompasses our national radios getting more involved and raising the profile of the contest as people see that artist being successful
@stevieboy666
11 ай бұрын
I think the early 2000s really damaged Irish people’s perception of Eurovision (including future Irish artists). Fair to say the contest didn’t really know where it was going at this stage- quite a few wacky entries (of course we entered this party later). General public except for Eurofans have switched off and still have this general “jokey” idea of the contest. And really we haven’t been able to shake this off. Far more concerning however, is that our artists, producers, promoters and songwriters by and large have lost touch of what Eurovision is. We saw this notion of “writing a song for Eurovision”. What does that mean? I think you’d mentioned before that we seem to have this idea that Europeans need to be spoonfed bland pop. The focus has to be on creating a sustainable quality of national final, properly financed, promoted, and staged. Anyone can fluke an incredible entry for any given year- focus has to be on changing perceptions and creating an enticing opportunity for new and established artists to come forward. How we do this with the current broadcaster? I have no idea. But for the last number of years we’ve been defeated before we’ve even left the country to travel to the hosting nation. And we can easily fall further behind…
@ImStevan
11 ай бұрын
3:53 well since it's 1956-2003 and 2004-present, i'd call them "pre-semis era" and "semis era" or just "old era" and "new/modern era"
@aengusprice8869
11 ай бұрын
I’ve been looking forward to this video for so long, great job
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
Thank you, Aengus 🙏
@devenokearney8984
10 ай бұрын
Great video, Tom. Everything you say in this video is absolutely spot on. However, I do think we need to address an elephant in the room regarding Ireland's legacy at the contest: *IT'S A FARCE!* Yes we won it seven times, but that was when we were one of the only ones allowed to sing in English and most of our wins were clustered in the 90s. Our bubble burst when the language rule was dropped. Since then, we have suffered terribly from, as you allude to, a disastrous cocktail of musical and artistic jetlag, arrogance and cynicism towards the contest (both rooted in our legacy, which, again, is bogus), and frankly a lack of proper time or financial investment into the contest by RTÉ (a s****y little NF and no socials specifically dedicated to Eurovision). It's no wonder we are now the ONLY Western European country that have yet to finish in the top 5 in the televoting era. Our Eurovision legacy is really a farce. Sad but true.
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
yea ive mentioned that in a previous video where I feel that our 7 arent the same as Sweden's 7 cos theyve won 3 of theirs during this more difficult period with a higher standard and more countries. I still think that we did very well in the 90s, but yea we just found a recipe for success and havent moved on or evolved at all
@devenokearney8984
10 ай бұрын
I agree with you regarding Terry Wogan, too. I came to Eurovision in 2010/11 and so the only commentators I really know are Graham Norton and Marty Whelan. Having said that, I have watched Terry cover the Eurovision on KZitem (particularly in the 2000s) and I did find a lot of his takes very entertaining. However, some of his other remarks about the Eurovision were condescending and the more negative comments ("it's all political, we're not going to win again any day soon, so let's just sneer at the foreigners") were taken as gospel in the UK and Ireland and it has proven very difficult for both countries to shake off those perceptions (they have also influenced Marty Whelan and Graham Norton's commentaries). Although I think Terry was largely playing to a middle England and a demographic who not only listened to his show every morning on BBC Radio 2, but who had less than favourable views about Europe as a whole and would, by and large, later go on and vote to leave the European Union in 2016. We'll never know for sure if Terry held similar opinions on Europe and the EU as a whole, but comments about scoffing and sneering at the foreigners likely went down well with many of his listeners, who would have been older and, by extension, Eurosceptic. However, I also think that as time goes by, Wogan's influence will fade out more and more, especially as Graham and Rylan are more down with the kids and appeal to a larger audience than Terry Wogan did. As for Ryan Tubridy, I completely agree with you. I don't dislike him as a broadcaster but I have found him to be quite arrogant and very Irish, and not in a good way. The likes of Terry Wogan, Graham Norton and Patrick Kielty are Irish, but they had and have lots of sticking power about them. They're all household names in Britain. Ryan Tubridy, meanwhile, is very parochial and that made him insufferable at times. Marry that with the fact that he knows sweet FA about the Eurovision and of course he's going to come out with something as obtuse as "I think we're going to win the Eurovision this year". That insufferability during Eurosong was extremely embarrassing to watch and it showed Ireland in quite a shameful light. I hope all this makes sense. I make lots of points but often they contradict each other and don't make sense.
@aoifegallagher116
8 ай бұрын
Agree ,Agree ,Agree ❤ Few questions. Do we have to go with RTE as they are our national broadcaster ?Could we be with Virgin media for example ? Is it to do with RTE owning the rights? What do other countries do?
@ESCTom
8 ай бұрын
well i think since RTe have it now, they have first right to refuse. also the EBU are more interested in them cos they have a bigger budget than TG4, so more stable
@idraote
10 ай бұрын
Sorry to disappoint, I don't really have an opinion but I still watched the video eagerly. One thing that Ireland could perhaps try is pushing hard on the ethnic heritage. No matter which genre: rock, pop, fusion or even rap (please, spare me the rap), the song should go for a distinct traditional Irish sound. It needn't be in Irish, especially if the author is aiming at European markets, but it should be instantly recognisable as Irish. I have no idea whether it will work or not, but it's worth the experiment.
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
well they did try that in 2013 and 2014 and it didnt work. tbh i think its a bit of a gimmick, and its more important how good the song is. if theres a good song with those elements, great. but if the appeal of the song is just those elements, it wont work
@declanpetermcginty
10 ай бұрын
Thanks
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
Thank you so much Declan ❤️❤️
@declanpetermcginty
10 ай бұрын
Thanks so much for continuing to make great content! Maybe Michael might play it to someone in RTE so they can ignore all the hard data you produce 😂😜
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
😂
@marsh2741
10 ай бұрын
Where can I find the full interview at 21:53?
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
If you search “Terry Wogan Eurovision“ it’s one of the first things that comes up, but it’s only two minutes long
@marsh2741
10 ай бұрын
@@ESCTom oooh okay thanks so much!
@ely03cassandra
6 ай бұрын
To me it sounds a lot like the same issues that Germany has. 😅
@ESCTom
6 ай бұрын
yep basically, but minus the money and qualification issues
@ely03cassandra
6 ай бұрын
@@ESCTom Sure, but the NDR is also refusing to spend more money on Eurovision. The national selection is very minimalistic. If they would invest more and then achieve better results, then surely even more Germans would watch not only Eurovision but also the national selection - just like you said about Ireland. Also the non-Eurovision Germans blame politics and don’t take the show seriously. It’s a real shame.
@thesnesgeek
7 ай бұрын
Mutuate? Are you a scientist?
@espotpod
11 ай бұрын
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
@espotpod
11 ай бұрын
Since you asked for a spicy comment 😉
@ESCTom
11 ай бұрын
wow, that might be too spicy!
@espotpod
11 ай бұрын
@@ESCTom too spicy for the Irish 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
@someothername7886
11 ай бұрын
I nominate Tom to join the Irish delegation. It seems like he has the passion for it! 😁 In all seriousness, I’m hoping that Ireland can break this curse of not putting in the effort towards their entries/national final etc.
@GianniDN
10 ай бұрын
He could indeed make a huge change. But it’s their broadcaster who doesn’t have a clue what works and doesn’t seems to be interested in getting a great result. If you watch how their NF is staged it already says enough, don’t you think?
@thisislaurine
11 ай бұрын
Thank you for this video! As a German eurofan I can relate, the problems are similar. Looking at UK, they had similar problems than Ireland. Manifesting Ireland to have at least a Michael Schulte or Sam Ryder moment soon 💚 Or letting the JESC team/broadcaster take over, because those kind of entries have much more potential than for example 22 or We Are One
@tageholmquist3926
11 ай бұрын
Here’s another thing: BE NICE TO THE ARTISTS. Even if an artist doesn’t qualify or win, make sure they feel like they got something out of the NF.
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
and national radio stadions should be giving more airplay to the songs so incentivises the artists financially as well
@AlexTSP_
11 ай бұрын
I hope Ireland get back on their feet and return to their glory days 🇬🇧❤️🇮🇪
@carlosallen85
11 ай бұрын
I hope so too but I doubt it
@FredrikE-e8w
11 ай бұрын
@@carlosallen85 They can but Ireland is really bad at sending good songs. I mean in JESC they send the same song every year now because they ame 4th ONCE. In Esc they dont even know what they are doing
@carlosallen85
11 ай бұрын
@@FredrikE-e8w agreed.
@Rubixire_gs
2 ай бұрын
Well its happened
@thesnesgeek
2 ай бұрын
@@Rubixire_gsI will only accept if they do well another year. And another. We all hoped the Uk would get constantly great results.
@algrave
11 ай бұрын
I’m still annoyed that they (for whatever reason) decided to put Lesley Roy on a bloody treadmill in 2021.
@ar50000
11 ай бұрын
And the complicated cardboard cut-outs which she had to punch whilst on the treadmill. It definitely affected the singing.
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
it was definitely a workout!
@JH3Eurovision
11 ай бұрын
Great video, lots of good insight. Subscribed after watching it. A few comments: My main disagreement is that I think having a low budget doesn't automatically mean that the entries will be bad. I think the much bigger issue is simply that whoever is in charge of picking the Irish NF songs has no clue what they're doing. I don't know how many submissions they got last year, but I refuse to believe that songs like Hawaii and Wild are the absolute best submissions they got out of probably hundreds...there's just no way. For this reason, I think people like Michael Kealy using the low budget as an excuse is a bit of a copout. Moldova's NF is a disaster and they get great results pretty consistently, ESCZ 2023 basically had no budget at all and Czechia still made the Top 10 this year...you get the idea. Even Poland managed to qualify after their absolute trainwreck of an NF this year that was hated even by Poles themselves. The budget of the show shouldn't matter if the songs themselves are good and have some widespread appeal. Another solution that I haven't seen brought up much: if RTE doesn't want to completely give Eurovision up to TG4, why can't they at least collaborate with them? I know Germany did something like this in the 2010s and it got them some great results, including a win. I don't know why that seemingly hasn't been considered by either broadcaster. Completely agree about Terry Wogan. I imagine that he was great in the early days, but I've seen some of his 2000s commentary and he came off as so jaded and bitter during that time that I don't know how people even enjoyed listening to him lol. The fact that I already see some people defending him here in the comments even AFTER that interview clip you showed (which is literally just racist) is kinda wild. There are still some people going on about the contest being "political" because Wild Youth NQed. You simply cannot argue that Terry didn't have at least SOME effect on how the general public perceives Eurovision.
@rigelesc6904
10 ай бұрын
agree very much with the first point. i would wager that moldova has a substantially lower budget than ireland does, yet year after year they're in the final. the budget is relatively less of an issue compared to how little rte jurors know what kinds of songs are more likely to be well received.
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
I actually know some other people who were on the listening panel for last year, and most agreed that the 4 non-fast tracked ones that were picked were the best. Re: Hawaii and Wild youth - they were fast tracked. That was a strategy to try and increase the reputationn and notoriety of the contest. Agree about Moldova and Czechia. Poland have a HUGE budget, their population is almost 6 times ours. A collab with TG4 is an interesting idea, maybe pool resources. im not sure why they havent tried that. although generally we dont see broadcasters teaming up
@rigelesc6904
10 ай бұрын
@@ESCTom yeah i think midnight summer night definitely would've had a much better chance to qualify than we are one, so the talent is clearly there, but as we can clearly see sometimes it's not as simple as attracting big names to the national final
@JH3Eurovision
10 ай бұрын
@@ESCTom Can't confirm this myself but I've seen a lot of people say that Wild Youth actually has a very good discography outside of Eurovision. That means that someone along the way thought that We Are One is what would work. Whether that was RTE or someone from Wild Youth's own team, I'm not sure. That said, if the songs chosen really were the best that Ireland had to offer then yeah that's a problem lol. RTE needs to at the _very least_ find some good songwriters that can prop up the more unknown acts.
@Dominic-he7sg
10 ай бұрын
I agree that not all Irish NF songs are bad, but the lack of quality in the staging and sound mixing makes them feel worse than they actually are. I'd argue that That's Rich is actually a pretty good song... but I only realized how good it is once I've watched the studio version video, and especially after I've seen it on the Eurovision stage. I also think that Midnight Summer Night from this year is a pretty good song, with a high potential. But it didn't look nearly as impactful as I imagine it could have looked on the bigger stage, or with the proper studio cut. I am leaning on the possibility of making Ireland do a video-based NF like Czechia does. It would be cheap, yet the songs could be treated like complete products. For me, the last straw of the low production quality in The Late Late Show was when one of the judges said for one of the songs that it ''would sound good when finished in the studio''. I mean, you are telling me it wasn't already? Could you even imagine this being said at Melodifestivalen or UMK? Or MGP, or FdC, or on Dora, for that matter? That they already plan on revamping the song ahead knowing it doesn't sound properly finished. Not something you want to advertise as a broadcaster. The comparison with the Moldovan selection is actually fair. And if Ireland did the same - had 30 songs, 20 of which are bottom of the barrel unlistenable, 7 of which are fine, and 3 of which are genuinely competitive, Ireland would have been fine just like Moldova is. I don't even think that most of the Moldovan winners are that much revamped. Just choreographed well and put into a more expensive environment. You can work on your staging if you have Soarele si luna on your hands. What to do with We Are One?
@juhajaara5525
4 ай бұрын
All your wishes fulfilled now? Personally, I'm thankful Irish professional jury gave Next in Line just two points in the national preselection. They perhaps had watched your video?
@ESCTom
4 ай бұрын
I don’t know. But it they absolutely saved us
@MrStephenplynch
11 ай бұрын
Thoughts... 1. It's depressing to think that the budget for Eurovision is about the same as two hours of Fair City. Makes it hard to believe that they can't find some more budget to spend on a national final/selection process/permanent Eurovision staff. (In 2016, Fair City costs added up to €10.7m annually - Wikipedia) 2. Given the restrictions of Eurosong having to be on the Late Late, why not at least be more creative with it? Give each artist the studio, a director, art department, graphics and a camera crew and pre-record their performances in front of a standing crowd. Then play those videos on the Late Late Eurosong special. Ukraine put on a really professional national final in an underground station during a war for crying out loud. 3. Why can't they release the songs on RTE Radio 1 and 2fm first and RTE-owned social media. Put them on rotation for the week in the run up to the Late Late and don't say they are for Eurovision. 4. Establish other channels to diversify the voting pool e.g. an online vote, a 2fm listeners vote, a Radio 1 vote. Give each of them a jury score. 5. RTE is already involved in the Choice Music Prize with awards for Breakthrough Artist and Irish Song of the Year. Why not make a show out of that and change the entry mechanic to allow a new song award and give the winner the option to represent at Eurovision?
@JH3Eurovision
11 ай бұрын
Suggestion 3 is really interesting. I don't know if other countries do that but it sounds like it could work really well. The time period might need to be longer than a week, though.
@myrawatters1036
11 ай бұрын
Some really great ideas! ❤🇮🇪
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
I particularly love idea 5! also they could give the winner "first refusal" so they arent committed to going to eurovision if they dont want
@anndesmond2000
10 ай бұрын
Brilliant points, #2 is the key I think.
@lindadumitru
9 ай бұрын
I entered a song entirely in Irish with a big fiddle solo that I'm soooo proud of but they weren't interested unfortunately but I'd LOVE if anyone wanted to have a listen to "Tar Liom" on my channel! It's about a siren luring men to their watery grave and has a big operatic climax 🎶😁
@MrMike855
11 ай бұрын
Ireland is acting like a lot of Western European countries did in the 2000s. They send mediocre songs which inevitably finish badly and they blame politics. The difference is that Western countries stepped up their game in the 2010s and, as of the last 10 years, Ukraine is the only ex Eastern Bloc country to win. I really think Ireland needs a big artist to participate and do well. Anouk from the Netherlands participated in 2013, didn’t care about failing, did great, and now the Dutch got enraged when they didn’t qualify.
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
i dont think our established artists want to go on the Late late show and be judged by jedward tbh or risk losing I reckon we need to offer the big names an internal selection secretly, and if they say no, continue with the National Final. TBH michael is probably doin that already, he just cant talk about it
@yodenman
10 ай бұрын
Agree totally with the negatives surrounding Terry Wogan. He did his utmost to make a mockery of the contest and highlight the silliness and not the high quality of many of the songs. His comments bordered on xenophobia and to be honest I'm surprised the BBC let him get away with it. There again he was almost worshipped by the upper management. Once again a brilliant post by you Tom but I'm surprised you didn't mention the fact that Graham Norton has more or less taken the baton from Wogan and continued in the same vain. He's not as cynical but still has a tendency to ridicule some countries. I don't really think he did the UK any favours by doing so. The point you made about the Irish public not liking their own songs is very true and the same applies to the UK. Why do we have a pop at other countries not voting for us when they bomb in the UK charts. Very informative and entertaining as ever. Keep up the great work mate.
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
I did think about mentioning Graham,but i wasnt sure how controversial the Terry comments were going to be received, and i didnt want to go too off topic. I brought up Terry to explain the mentality in my generation, and although Graham has continued it on a bit, I dont think hes as bad and overall i find him more positive towards the contest (but i agree, he could cut out the bitchy stuff). So i dont think hes influenced my generation as much
@yodenman
10 ай бұрын
Thanks for the reply. Very good of you.
@tallemajas
8 ай бұрын
Late response, but I will say that at least Graham is quite well-liked internationally for his dry humour. He's a bit mean sure but in a much more harmless way. Wogan did things like call Marija (Serbia 2007) ugly at least four times, he referred to Hungarians as "gypsies", said things like "Oh no one even knows where Moldova is" when they came on screen, and spent the entire time during the announcement of the points talking about political voting. Even when he ended up being wrong repeatedly. He was much, much more malicious than Graham and much more focused on his ideas about political voting, whereas Graham's comments come across as mostly light-hearted and very rarely political, unless it's something obviously silly like Greece and Cyprus giving each other 12 points for a good while
@davidhughes2453
11 ай бұрын
I’m not going to say that this will fix all problems but as a gaeilge speaker myself I find it ridiculous how we don’t get any Irish language entries I believe this will intrigue other countries to vote for us because it’s a language they probably haven’t heard before and seeing a country do something different will spark a big interest Trad music is big in the gaeilteacht and in schools around Ireland so I think they should reach out and find this talent The genre of music we keep coming out with is perceiving us a sh*t UK which some countries perhaps already think of us when they think about Ireland We literally cannot do worse Take every risk imaginable
@silencestation557
11 ай бұрын
Absolutely agree. In my opinion, it's such a shame that during almost 60 years of participation, Ireland has sent only ONE song in Irish to Eurovision. What an unused potential, especially now when different languages are fortunately more appreciated again in the contest.
@deadzoo
10 ай бұрын
Totally agree. The recent success of Måneskin, Kalush and Käärijä shows that the audience is more than keen to hear non-English language songs. I know IMLÉ (Irish language collective) were interested in submitting a song this year, hopefully they did. Also, Cruachan's song submission is partially in Irish as far as I know
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
yea I dont know how we attract the talent in the Gaeltachts to come forward and apply. last year there was only ONE irish song submitted to Eurosong
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
I agree with SilenceStation that ONE irish song in 60+ years is absolutely crazy. We definitely sung more in English until 99 because it gave us a bigger advantage with lyric comprehension
@veritasvanburen_
11 ай бұрын
You’re so spot on about the need to build up trust over the the next years, especially by having a more diverse range of genres be represented in a national final for example. When Mae Muller came 25th, sure many Brits got all stroppy and said that Sam Ryder was a fluke, but many didn’t. There were TONS of people saying ‘we’re still on the right trajectory, we just had a bump in the road on the night’, pointing to the fact that I Wrote a Song still ranked on the music charts. The public appreciated the higher level of effort put in by the BBC (helped by the fantastic show they put on), Mae’s likeable personality, and the fact that she was still an upgrade from the 2015-2021 years. Ireland can do it too. They probably won’t do well next year, but 2025 and 2026? It could get more likely every year with the right changes.
@Ruinwyn
10 ай бұрын
The important part was that Mae benefitted from participating, dispite not succeeding in the final. That means that if another artist has a song they belive in, they have an interest in trying for Eurovision. Seeing artist benefiting from Eurovision win or good rank is a big draw, but not getting punished for weaker rank is also important. If you are too scared to fail, you will not take any risks.
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
yep, really the best way to attract the best songs/artists in the future is to associate the contest with success
@thlimpq8840
10 ай бұрын
If RTE is broke, they should just take a break like Bulgaria until they can afford a proper participation attempt 😅
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
thats not how Bulgaria works, they dont "save up" money to compete again. their entries have sponsorship from someone or fund themselves
@kierno9468
10 ай бұрын
The late late show is the cause of the problem and Louie Walsh
@raymondvandoorn5723
10 ай бұрын
Ireland only won with ballads and less strong on up tempo pop songs (except Lipstick). Also missing now the advantage of singing in English as most countries do now. 🇳🇱 had also a bad track record but Anouk changed the pattern with Birds in 2013. The only way out is to ask a big name to write a song or even better, to participate. So call Bono, Hozier or Niall Horan! It’s not political because everybody likes your beautiful country, but you need a reasonable song☺️
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
yep, the problem now is in just working out HOW do we get these people to agree to come. because they have all these myths and perceptions about the contest.
@silencestation557
11 ай бұрын
I started to watch ESC in mid-90s, just around the time when Ireland absolutely OWNED Eurovision and won year after year after year... I didn't know much about the history of the contest back then and I genuinely thought that the domination of Ireland is a part of the very nature of this contest 😊. I hope so much that Ireland will find themselves in Eurovision again soon and will rise like a phoenix one day/year 😊. I'm pretty sure they have the potential, I refuse to believe that Ireland's good times are gone for ever. It's actually one of my biggest wishes about Eurovision, Ireland doing well again. Edit: After writing the comment, I actually watched the video. Excellent analysis, so comprehensive and well argued!
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
Thank you Silence 🙏🏻
@TheContrarianMind
8 ай бұрын
My concern revolves around the lack of genuine choice in the Eurovision selection process by RTE. They handpick six songs from a vast pool of talented artists, seemingly influenced by certain factors. The public or panel then chooses from this limited selection, creating the illusion of choice. Additionally, the trend of submitting pop-type music that prioritises beats and lights over meaningful lyrics, melody, or live performance further diminishes the quality. While we do submit amateur entries, my knowledge of prominent Irish artists is very limited today if at all, as reflected in the Spotify 2020 most listened to artists in Ireland which is dominated by international names. This leads me to believe that the Eurovision issue mirrors a broader trend in Irish music, where we now import rather than export music. In the '90s and early 2000s, Ireland boasted renowned artists like Enya, Boyzone, U2, the Pogues, the Corrs and the Cranberries and many more massive net exporters of music. Their success inspired generations of singers and songwriters, contributing to our previous Eurovision achievements. In fact the Dubliners was an early inspiration to Johnny Logan, It seems that a decline in fostering local talent has impacted our ability to compete on the international music stage. A rising tide lifts all ships. Great video btw, it was nice to get this of my chest. liked and subscribed.
@tommycorbett6769
11 ай бұрын
Am idea...let's think outside the box and do something no one else is really doing. Essentially Eurovision is creating a live music video...but it could really be any kind of artistic 'piece'. Get some creative to define some concepts and commission a production company to produce our 3 minute showstopper. Kinda like the songwriting camp route, but on steroids, with the intentional use of an experienced production company who how how to use the tech at esc.
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
some of what youre saying sounds a bit like the involvement of that Gaiety art group in 2020 - i cant remember their name. but they were brought in to do our staging before the contest was cancelled.
@JH3Eurovision
10 ай бұрын
I feel like Ireland tried to do what you're suggesting in 2021. It looked good but was far too ambitious in the end (at least for the song/singer)
@jmch2186
11 ай бұрын
It should be given to TG4, their production for Junior Eurovision is excellent.
@patrickh3385
11 ай бұрын
Brilliant video! As a Brit, I was keen to see if there were any parallels with the UK's record in the contest post 2000 given how rapidly we went downhill and there are plenty! - Could RTE try to work directly with a record label or talent management agency or is that what they tried before with little success? If the budget is limited, would it be better used to find the best song available? But yes, a song that gets decent streaming figures despite a low placement could provide the necessary encouragement. - I was really shocked to see those comments from Terry Wogan in 1997, especially as Katrina Leskanich was in the audience and had recently won. I think Graham Norton has struck a better balance of sassy and respectful. After Wild Youth failed to qualify this year, an article about it from an Irish media outlet appeared in my Facebook feed; when reading the comments, it was hilarious to see the same sort of moaning we've seen from British viewers for years. Now I know why! - Definitely agree with the need to widen the field to different genres. If Eurovision attracts a lot of viewers in Ireland anyway and that lowers the pressure as far as RTE are concerned, then surely that provides an opportunity to experiment. I've said elsewhere that the BBC should try a similar approach and it may just take trial and error to get good results again. Maybe internal selection us a better route to take for experimenting with genres? Anyway, I hope you guys manage to become competitive again soon - best of luck! 🇬🇧🇮🇪
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
Well we already tried internal selection before and it didn't work very well. I would love to see RTÉ try to develop a national musical festival type of contest, like Albania Sweden and Italy have. That way we will get more diverse applicants and start to build up a tradition and reputation for the contest and have a better quality of submitted songs. The crazy thing about those comments from Terry Wogan is that they were made in 1997 when they had just one and before all the eastern European countries started being successful
@domenicmaselli
11 ай бұрын
Amazing video Tom! Probably the most comprehensive explanation of how to do well in Eurovision I have seen.
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
Thank you Domenic! ❤️
@axejudge
11 ай бұрын
I'm a fairly new, but now devoted, Eurovision fan. So much so that I've made it a point to watch all (yes, all) of the previous contests. Many of the broadcasts available have the English commentary, and I agree with you that Terry Wogan was toxic. Some of what he said was lighthearted; much of it was inappropriate, unprofessional, dismissive, and mean-spirited. I know times were different then, and things you could get away with then you can't now. Still, I had times listening to him that I wished I could reach through time and punch him in the face - he was so offensive. Talk about not knowing how to read the room. Graham Norton can run close to the ragged edge, but he's generally not an asshole.
@Elessar543
11 ай бұрын
I feel like that about the german commentator, too. Although to a lesser extent. He wasn't as offensive. I watched it this year for the first time in years on the german broadcast instead of the Internet because I watched it with other people and I felt some comments were really unnessissaryly mean. He retired with this year's Eurovision so I guess we see where it's heading now. In general, I watched the non-commented version here on youtube of all of the years back to 2010 and for me that is so much cleaner, less annoying and focused on the show. I prefer it that way.
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
I think one part of it is that when the UK and Germany have bad results, they can't really blame the broadcaster because that who is paying them! so they have to come up with other excuses Itll be interesting to see in the future how Grahams comments age. Maybe there will be less tolerance for the meanness in the future. but generally I feel Graham is better, although he does still have his bitchy moments
@TheFloon
11 ай бұрын
I think you are onto something with the Wogan commentary having a big effect. I was finally going back to watch some ESC's I hadn't seen and ended up watching in reverse order. Swapping from Norton to Wogan commentary was a little startling. After several of them I ended up switching to versions without his commentary because I just got tired of him crapping on something I love so much (not to mention the gross xenophobia). I could easily see how that attitude shaped public opinion. Also, RTE absolutely should reach out for help from the fans. I know so many of us would gladly help for free just for the chance to see Ireland actually do itself proud again! In the short term, I'm hoping for a groundswell of local support that makes RTE up their game, as well as hoping this new host of the Late Late Show does a proper job of hosting the NF. It's hard to really expect much with how they've treated it in the past, but I'll always hold out hope they can make an effort in this contest, even if it's just small improvements that might add up to something eventually. Or they get a huge Irish artist to just Anouk it! If it worked for the Dutch, it can work for the Irish!🤣
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
yea even small changes mean that were moving in the right direction. I think the goal should be to have a big national in 5-10 years time that showcases the best of irish music
@nocturne7371
10 ай бұрын
I also think that another reason for Ireland being so successful in the 90s is a combination of them singing in English in combination with new Eastern European countries ebtering with public and jury being more knowledgabe in English than in any other language. When other countries could also sing in English (1999), the result of the Irish end British entries immediately tanked.
@localpie2435
4 ай бұрын
32:30 Watching this in 2024 makes me feel very hopeful
@nikolag.-rb5ql
11 ай бұрын
Wow,great video,as usual. I really hope that Ireland🇮🇪 will come back on top, where should be. I'm sad that country with such a tradition and really great artists all these years is on margins last 9 years. For me (Croatian🇭🇷) your Irish language is really beautiful and sounds exotic (ofc, because I don't understand it at all😂😂). Maybe you should try with ethnic entry entirely on Irish language.I think Europe would like it and I would really happy to hear a good song on your Irish language. For example, Moldova sent ethnic entries on their own language a couple of times it worked pretty well. Cheers from 🇭🇷 and good luck on ESC 2024.😀😀
@dasmysteryman12
9 ай бұрын
After a month this premiered I've finally watched the entire thing! I agree 100% with your prognosis of Ireland's downfall. Most of these problems are well-entrenched, and like the UK I think they needed a wake-up call or huge shock to really start to take Eurovision seriously again.
@jeroenmeuleman8110
11 ай бұрын
Wonderful video Tom. I'm from the same age cohort as you are and from Belgium, so I was there to experience the era of Irish dominance! My home country never got complacent because it pretty much sucked at ESC for decades (~30 years until our first win!), and in the '90s and '00s cynicism completely took over, with much of the same faux arguments you're now hearing in Ireland ("it's all an Eastern European conspiracy", "it's a freakshow anyway", "we're a small country so people forget us") but hitting rock bottom actually was a kick in the pants. Both the Dutch- and French-speaking broadcasters began experimenting because they had nothing to lose. Plus, while the general audience and tv commentators treated ESC with the same sense of irony as the late Terry Wogan did in the UK and Ireland, I think my home country also understood the value of camp and kitsch (we're the birthplace of surrealism, after all), and the commentaries were not as caustic as Wogan's were. So we now had an environment where experimentation was encouraged, performers wouldn't feel burnt if they didn't achieve great results, the camp/kitsch was a recognised and elementary part of the package, and things started trending upwards. I think Austria is a nation that was/is in a somewhat similar boat as Belgium and Ireland and that Austria went through a similar trajectory as Belgium did. Like Belgium and Ireland, Austria is often seen as a "little brother" nation (don't come at me, nationalists) and had similar ESC issues, but began experimenting when there was no other direction left to turn to. Sometimes it worked, like with Conchita Wurst, and sometimes it was embarrassing (Woki mit dem Popo, anyone?), but now people look forward to Austrian ESC entries. I think Ireland had the unfortunate curse of being super-dominant in the '90s so they remain stuck in a Principal Skinner "no, it's the kids who are wrong"-moment. What I'm trying to get at is that while the possible solutions you describe all sound like good paths to follow, it could be simpler than that and may simply take some years of sustained experimentation. Ireland is a lovely country with a great music tradition, so I'm sure that one day it will have its 'Sam Ryder moment' and catch up!
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
yep some great points there, and austria and belgium are 2 other great examples of countries who made some changes and turned things around. Belgium is particlar during 2015-17 has 3 top 10s in a row, which was really amazing
@brunochauvel7628
10 ай бұрын
Fantastic analysis, absolutely spot on! I am not Irish but it seems to me that the one and only reason Ireland is not doing well at the ESC nowadays is that NO ONE at RTE cares... coupled with the fact that there's no real public interest in the country. I would even say that the Irish broadcaster doesn't want to take the risk to send an entry that might win and then have to suffer the financial burden to organise the contest, which would also probably not be well viewed by Irish people considering their perception of the show. There's just no will whatsoever to even send something that could do well because there's no incentive at all for the broadcaster. I am French, and for a long time the ESC was dismissed by French people as being a joke, synonymous with cheesy music and bad outfits... Knowing that, the French broadcaster had no reason to invest in something that had not or would not get the support of the public as a whole. That also meant, no successful artist wanted to be associated with this contest... Over the last few years, a lot of work and marketing has been done by the French delegation (same one for ESC and JESC) to turn things around. General perception of the ESC in France is still not great but it is going in the right direction and It all started with a will from someone to do so, and where there's a will, there's a way! Right investments and decisions have been made, good results started to appear which made the general public take notice. French people are very competitive and if they see there is a potential to win, they're all for it. Of course, we all know that MONEY is the key factor here. The broadcaster needs to see revenue streams from advertisers or else, and that will only come if more people from the general public are engaged in the contest in a way, either because they really are proud of their national entry, or because the artist is a big name, or just because they want their country to be in the top! This year, France is sending Slimane, arguably the number 1 artist in France right now, and that says a lot! Wether he does well or not, the French broadcaster will bank on it. It's been a long process. It will take time for Ireland too, but only if someone has the will to get there. P.S : Totally agree with you about Terry Wogan...
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
Yea France did a great example in how you can turn public perception around but really it takes years to do so. It’s hard to do it quickly. And the French delegation have been really excellent not only at ESC but also JESC
@JescGirl
11 ай бұрын
I didn't expect the Terry Wogan direction, but excellent points. the irony when he said eurovision gets worse every year. no Terry, you got worse every year. when I watched the 80s for the first time I did it with his commentary and discovered he was excellent back then, before it started going down hill.
@Piia2023
11 ай бұрын
As Eurovision is today it needs a chake up, it doesn't serve the audience, the crowd, the people the contest is supposed to be for. I hope what happened in Liverpool will never happen again.
@jonatanborowicz
7 ай бұрын
I just thought Ireland topped in the 90s because it were new age times, something Ireland is great at.
@randomamericansescreaction1590
9 ай бұрын
This is so insightful and well reasoned! Thank you for the time you put into this. I think Ireland also benefited from English only being allowed from the UK and Malta among its competitors; 1999 and after threw open the floodgates for English language earworms from anywhere, making competition more vast and overwhelming seemingly overnight.
@Dominic-he7sg
10 ай бұрын
Very informative and interesting video, Tom! I agree with the analysis you've given. As for the format of the national final - Has Ireland considered having a video-based national finals like Czechia? Instead of a small stage with sound mixing issues you could present 6 or 7 HQ videos with the studio versions of those songs. Some of which could be big names also. I like the idea of diversifying the finals too in terms of genre, and also adding some songs in the Irish language. 50% of the vote could, just like in Czechia, come from the foreign fans, which could immediately draw them more to the selection they can actually influence. The time span between presenting the songs and ending the public vote could also be around one week, during which these songs could be given some time to chart, both locally and internationally. This format has given Czechia four out of five years qualifying, with two top 10 results.
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
Yea basically I’ve heard that these types of ideas are floated to Rte but the answer is always no and the resources are so limited. Michael really seems to be so constantly limited in what he is allowed to do. We need to be thinking outside the box like Czechia are
@Andre_stats_0111
11 ай бұрын
One of the issues for Ireland (and also the UK) is that from 1999 onwards the countries were allowed to sing in English. That made the songs of former non-English singing countries much more understandable and a bigger audience could immediately relate to the song. Before 1999, English, French and German spoken songs (28 out of 46 winners since 1956) were leading the way. So nowadays you have to really stand out with your song to have a chance of qualifying, let alone winning. About Terry Wogan: I'm Dutch so I don't know anything much about this, but from what I've seen, heard and read about it, it seems Graham Norton is keeping the Terry Wogan tradition very much alive. But it's unfair to blame those two entirely. Nowadays, people have very strong own opinions (a bit too strong if you ask me) and they investigate everything by themselves on the internet. I haven't dived into it yet, but I suspect the Eastern European countries did support eachother during their first years in Eurovision. That's a lot less in this day and age. And as for the solutions: I agree with the short term solution of getting foreign writers and producers to collaborate with Irish singers. Wouter Hardy is a good example. He won in 2019 with Duncan Laurence, came 3rd in 2021 with Gjon's Tears for Switzerland and this year (2023) he contributed to Estonia's song. For the long term, RTE should be willing to invest in a national final with great songs. In the first couple of years they probably would lose money on it, but if the results would come up, so would the revenues of a national final. No reward without risk, right? And come on, who wouldn't love to see Ireland climbing up the animated bar charts again? 😉
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
well thats the thing - RTE arent willing to make that investment that youre speaking about As for Wouter, I would LOVE him to write a song for us. I saw He was one of the writers on Alika's song last year, so he does write for other countries still. I actually messaged him on social media asking him to submit something for our national final this yer
@hanslagewaard5083
5 ай бұрын
I don't know if you are old enough, but maybe you remember the outright vicious attack by Paul de Leeuw on Barbara (Belgium, 1993) and that treatment for basically the entire field. I hold him responsible very much for what happened in the UK and Ireland. Consistently drip feeding your audience venom has this type of result.
@musikkritisk
11 ай бұрын
Ireland just lost their anger to win ESC, we hope that the tie with Sweden reignite the engine and finally we'll have them back in the game. Ireland has great musicians and a pretty decent music industry it would be amazing to see that in ESC, adaptability is the key, even Lithuania is working now in order to get better results and it's working. Eurovision is now in its neutral era, people is voting what they actually like over "this is my neighbour's song" and jury has helped to balance and lead to that place. That's why we've seen the top3 in Romance languages in 2021 or a tie race in 2019, and a "polemic", but I think, a very fair result this year. Ireland is not the only lost in that smoke, there are others in that path too, and others walking out of there.
@Leon54david
11 ай бұрын
Ireland and UK have such a diverse and rich music industry, so they have potential and can achieve best results every year if they WANT! Finland really showed how a national selection should be nowadays and how to achieve amazing results. I really want Ireland to come back stronger! P.s. If Ryan could qualify in 2018 (in that competitive Semi-Final), I believe that formula of staging should be a good example how to elevate a Mid-Tempo song! Above that, irish songs at JESC recently are great ❤
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
yea 2018 was particularly impressive because of how CRAZY difficult that SF was. it was amazing when he was called last
@stefanenglishman954
11 ай бұрын
It's quite sad what is happening with Ireland at Eurovision nowadays. From one of the strongest to one of the weakest countries at Eurovision. They need to try with something else, they need to send a song completely in Irish language because these sweet radio friendly songs didn't madc any favor to Ireland even Ryan O'Shaughnessy qualified in final beacuse of the two male dancers not because of his songs. They need to send a song like: 1.Anna Kearney - Banshee (JESC 2019) 2.Sophie Lennon - Solas (JESC 2022) or 3.Jessica McKean - Aisling (JESC 2023)' if they want to qualify in final. I really like to see Ireland to be as good as they were in the 90's.
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
there just arent very artists in ireland who write songs in irish
@luukjoling1
10 ай бұрын
Go the Dutch route and get a bad B*tch star to raise the whole profile, thanks again Anouk!!
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
yea someone like CMAT could do that but all the Irish artists have excuses why they wont do it
@Jeffreypennings8
11 ай бұрын
The RTÉ should hire you. Would love to see something new in the Gealic language, something like Shum Go_A in Irish would be awesome.
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
haha, they are financially in terrible situation right now, but ive offered to volunteer with them this year
@CookieFonster
11 ай бұрын
Aside from Germany (personal bias), the number one country that I really hope scores high in 2024 is Ireland. You guys need that boost of encouragement even more than Germans do. I think it will just take the right kind of person confident in sending a good enough song. If there's any genre I can see Ireland scoring high in, it'd be Irish folk music. Fans love the ethnic entries from countries like Moldova and Ukraine.
@XSunacX
11 ай бұрын
if it makes you feel any better this is how ireland did in my personal rankinks in the "dark ages"😁 2014-21st 2015-11th 2016-24th 2017-39th 2018-40th 2019-2nd🥈 2020-1st🥇 2021-13th 2022-10th 2023-25th
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
we need you on the Slovenian jury voting for us 😂
@johnobrien921
10 ай бұрын
I wonder if people in Europe know about the scandal with RTE.
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
I’d say almost certainly not 🤷♂️
@ESCHayden
11 ай бұрын
Another well-rounded video - and certainly worth the wait! I feel that since Ireland and the UK have experienced similar issues (eg. meh songs, "it's all political") maybe RTE should approach the BBC for some advice. I remember Lee S saying on a podcast a year or two ago that Rachael Ashdown having been on the Reference Group (and she is again, I believe) was a great help and it gave them extra insights into what other countries do. He also said somehing about how getting a record label involved meant they could beef up the budget, as the artist's label would inject some cash too. Maybe BMG were a bit stingy 😭, but Parlophone and Capitol certainly took it more seriously and opened up the purse strings.
@ESCTom
11 ай бұрын
yea UK doing well again could actually have a massive impact on us. We used to be bitching buddies, but if you guys get another good result v soon, it'll kinda just leave us on our own to bitch, and that just makes us look sad and crazy. So UK doing well could be a massive blessing
@j.t.5178
10 ай бұрын
I think Ireland lost their way when the language rule was dropped in 1999, and televoting was introduced in the late 90s and early 2000s. RTE was coasting on their wins in the 90s while everyone else was getting angry at the contest with its regulation systems and strict rules by that point. Also, I believe the UK and BBC got its act together was that double nul point in 2021. It was the proper kick in yhe arse the BBC needed to finally wake up, and the in following year, they succeeded. RTE doesnt need to be publically shamed because the non-qualfication is mostly silent, as the results of the semis are not announced until after the contest.
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
I've also some interesting opinions talking about how Ireland was trying to promote itself as a culture and country in the 90s so they were putting a lot more effort into the entries then
@Χρήστος-χ7ψ
9 ай бұрын
I agree with all of your points !! I think an international jury can really help Ireland. Having a rubric for the evaluation of the songs and the performers is also something Ireland might want to take into account
@sarahenchanted
11 ай бұрын
Question for you Tom, when you were a kid watching Ireland slay in the 90s, did you ever think the legend that is Dustin the Turkey would happen 10-15 years later? 😆 Ireland in Eurovision is just strange to me and I'm glad you gave a simple explanation of things. Another puzzling aspect is how countries like Moldova have almost 0 budget and lots of political issues (moreso before their current president was elected), a low quality national final, etc and still manage to bring at least competent staging and performances to Eurovision.
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
haha nah i wouldnt have. but then again when it happened in 2008, it wasnt really a surprise, cos there was already the atmosphere that the contest wasnt to be taken seriously, so i wasnt hugely surprised
@catarinavh1835
11 ай бұрын
Interesting video, had no idea about Terry Wogan for example... yikes
@kierancrossland9956
11 ай бұрын
I knew he had a negative impact on the UK's perception of Eurovision, but I didn't know it was the same for Ireland as well. Though it makes sense.
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
the RTE commentator in the 90s was Pat Kenny who is just 😑, so i dont blame people for watching Terry instead
@ivaneurope
2 ай бұрын
It wasn't just the "Those savages from Eastern Europe collude with each other" conspiracy that Terry Wogan was preaching when it comes to the mostly negative perception of the contest in modern days on the British Isles (Great Britain and Ireland). Wogan had pretty negative view on the LGBTQ+ community. He called the 2007 winner Marija Šerifović (who would later come out as lesbian) 'ugly' and after Conchita Wurst won in 2014, he called the drag queen a 'freakshow' and decrying the contest as a 'farce'. In addition to his more or less homophobic remarks he also called Paul de Leeuw, Dutch spokesperson for the 2006 contest as 'eejit' (a.k.a. idiot), called the 2001 hosts Søren Pilmark and Natasja Crone Back, as "Doctor Death and the Tooth Fairy" and criticized other acts that finished right in front of the UK, when those nations were just sending better songs than what the UK was sending. I think some of the blame should also be put on Johnny Logan. In 1999 the requirement to sing your song in your native language was no longer required which allowed Eastern European countries to sing in English and in the following year the live orchestra accompanying the acts was dropped. This caused Logan to criticise the direction of the contest as nothing more than a 'live karaoke show'.
@thesnesgeek
21 күн бұрын
You didn't mention how Terry's tone went more sour when the orchestra was abolished, comparing playback to karaoke.
@FeeESC
11 ай бұрын
The fact that I literally screamed when I saw this
@espotpod
11 ай бұрын
Me whenever I see Tom has a video 😍🥳🤩
@andrewzielinski8845
10 ай бұрын
Blimey, I'd never thought of Terry as negative, I'd always just laughed along with him, not thinking about it, but you're absolutely right. Huh! You never know when you're being conditioned do you?!!!
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
Yeah, I was exactly the same when I was watching in the 90s 🤷♂️
@jonathanbrett-warren2031
10 ай бұрын
Well Norways song in 95 WAS very Celtic in sound
@iaindj
10 ай бұрын
Until accommodation crises is solved I don't think that RTE will be willing to change anything in case of victory they would not have accomodation for all delegations and tourists. It would reveal all negative things about Irish economy and become national embarrassment.
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
i hope they arent delusional to think that they can win out of nowhere. but yea i agree that i dont expect any changes while they are in so much trouble right now
@iaindj
10 ай бұрын
@@ESCTom That would be to much if they do, but Ireland should give up hosting in case she wins but focus to have better quality songs.
@proper_charlie
11 ай бұрын
During the glory decade of the 1990s, Ireland had a national final - Eurosong - that toured the theatres and concert halls of Ireland with 8-10 songs each year. There was nearly always an Irish/Gaeilge language entry and even though most were ballads there was some variety with folk and rock. It was very much of its time, but the format was good. What happened to that and why did it stop? Is that all down to Father Ted? Or was it the Celtic Tiger comedown?
@ESCTom
11 ай бұрын
im not sure why. but i feel like we need a "irish song festival" like many countries have so the emphasis is on the best of irish music, and then the winner happesn to go to ESC
@Gravysushi
11 ай бұрын
A lot of years I agree with the non-qualification but that Brooke got robbed. Still one of the songs that gets me strutting down the street the most when it pops up on my Spotify
@alycecollett5022
8 ай бұрын
Love, love, love this! I'm Aussie but a long suffering Irish stan, and it frustrates me the loop Ireland seems to be stuck in. You've hit the nail on the head with everything you've said, and I think the thing that's going to open things right up for Ireland is finances unfortunately. If RTE can get their finances in order and really invest in the National Final and the whole participation, things could really improve. I am hopeful about the two front runners for Eurosong this year though. I just hope that the positive reaction translates better at the actual contest than they did in 2021
@kenneththom9165
11 ай бұрын
The ESC changes...it goes through trends with some countries on a high and some on a low. I am sadly old enough to recall the 90s and it was frustrating when Ireland went on that winning streak...oh AGAIN!!! They got very cocky to the point they sent a turkey to represent them. They have been sending turkeys ever since and most really didn't deserve to qualify. I think social media has a factor in that a lot of influence comes from the "experts" months before the competition. Top 3 , winner non qualifiers all decided in advance. Hey it's a song contest ....fun so just enjoy. It brings us all together and I can't wait for Sweden24. Good luck Ireland and ALL nations that enter. Tom I notice we are STILL mentioning Brexit.....please make it STOP!!!.....8years!!!!!!
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
yes you mentioned about the Brexit thing before, so i specifically changed how i referenced it to say it was a minority. in the context of this topic, I had to bring it up as its extremely relevant. The Irish people who are blaming politics are our equivalent of those Brexit excuse people and they are diverting pressure away from RTe, so its a huge factor in our problem.
@kenneththom9165
10 ай бұрын
@@ESCTom Thanks and I really do appreciate your response. Your feedback is always brilliant and so knowledgeable. My wish would be for the competition to be non political and just pure entertainment ......a fantasy I know. Can't wait for both the JESC and of course the big event in May.
@beatriceposada7504
10 ай бұрын
Wow Tom! Another brilliant piece of analysis and research. By the way, I think we all agree that RTE need to give you a full-time role to help Michael 🤗
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
Thank you Beatrice ❤️
@ImStevan
11 ай бұрын
It's a random crazy idea but Michael should try pitching a show that requires a stage and a studio like the Masked singer to RTÉ and if it gets accepted, try using that stage for the national final 😂
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
yea that could work as a short term solution. long term, we need to make an annual music festival like you, ITA, ALB, SWE etc
@ronaldobrien6870
11 ай бұрын
We're missing a trick by not submitting an Irish language entry. It would be eye catching and attract a lot of attention, much more so than the bland Europop we've been sending.
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
I agree if the song is good enough but if the gimmick is just that it's in Irish, then I don't think that's enough
@ronaldobrien6870
10 ай бұрын
@@ESCTom For sure, but I don't think we've been putting any effort in even trying to source Irish language NF entries. It's noticeable that we haven't seen one in an Irish Final in many years, never mind having one as the actual entry.
@Okurka.
4 ай бұрын
Everything changed after they entered "My Lovely Horse".
@alexissandren1884
10 ай бұрын
An interesting aspect of how Sweden attracts our biggest artists has to do with record-sales (yeah, in this day and age). The compilation record for the Swedish competition is usually one of the biggest seller every year and the constributions get their profit share based upon the placement of the song in the competition. So a good placement directly translates into cash and not only "exposure".
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
Yeah, it’s a very good business model for attracting good artists and it’s also a consistent system with longevity
@Elias-zg7jv
11 ай бұрын
Great analysis and realistic solutions! I especially appreciated the point about intentionally including different music genres :)
@gainal9080
5 ай бұрын
Ireland 2021 and 2022 were so bad they were almost comedy sketches.
@Oliver_S
11 ай бұрын
I think it would be good if Ireland sent something different I think if they do something in the Irish language they may have a better chance to qualify for the final.
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
I agree if this song is strong enough, but if the only gimmick is that it's in Irish and the song isnt great then it won't work
@iaindj
10 ай бұрын
Since Irish mostly have negative view of Eurovision and won't come near it, I think Ireland should invite singers with Irish roots from USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand etc to come to compete for Eurovision in big national final in 3 Arena, as they do Rose of Tralee but grand as Scandinavian finals. That could turn public negative opinion about Eurovision. I don't think that Ireland would want some foreigners who have no connection to Ireland to represent her.
@ar50000
11 ай бұрын
Wogan's comments were iconic. I don't remember anything Norton had said.
@patrickmackin2941
11 ай бұрын
The plan and simple truth is the national broadcaster RTE can not afford to host the contest and until they can they will just put any song in
@frankscales7295
7 ай бұрын
Outstanding stats Tom , Lets hope we quilify this year, One Sub added
@Segalocus
11 ай бұрын
Why doesn't RTE do something like ESCZ in Czechia. Have each artist perform on the Late Late (Late?) Show and then people vote, and the next week announce the results. Cut the "judging" panel, replace that bit with the artist introducing themselves like a postcard. I think that'll reduce the cringe factor by a lot.
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
yea possibly. i still dont think thatll increase the reputation of our NF. its still a side act on a small stage on another TV show. I think the format will still turn off established acts
@Dashew
11 ай бұрын
Thanks for the video! As always, amazing work. Very happy that you're doing this off season as well!
@ESCTom
11 ай бұрын
Thanks Dashew
@MichaelYianni-sn3wm
10 ай бұрын
Great video. I'm a fan in Scotland so growing up in the 90s I was always envious of Ireland's success & when the UK got their 5th win in 97, which was the first UK win that I witnessed. It was a big deal to me. 2022 was a bit of a redemption story for both the UK & Spain. While the UK & Ireland had a lot of similar problems I also think that their issues are different in a lot of ways. For the UK if you look at the statistics, we we're really strong in the 60s , then a little weaker in the 70s. Weaker again in the 80s then again in the 90s, then again in the 2000nds & finally in the next decade it was a disaster. This decade despite the fact that we are only near the beginning & also had no 2020 contest to compete in, the UK for the first time in history has actually done better than the previous decade. You could argue that it is the best time to be a UK fan because we have finally escaped the steady decline that we were on. Ireland on the other hand did ok in the 60s then did better in the 70s & then even better in the 80s then hit a massive peak in the 90s before finally dropping off a cliff ever since. I think that you need to have a goal to keep you motivated while it would be nice to win & then maybe even win again on home soil. For me I personally care about protecting the records that we already have. The main one that people talk about is the UK having the most second place finishes. We also hold a record that no one ever talks about which is that we are the only country to have won at least once in 4 consecutive decades. Twice in the 60s & once in the 70s, 80s & 90s. I think the main problem that Ireland have is that they were way too successful at one point & have lacked the motivation to do better because they didn't really have anything else to accomplish. But they should start getting their act together because sooner or later Sweden is going to get that next win & take the lead. Wouldn't it be something if Ireland came back with avengance & got that record braking 8th win in Sweden. PS while I'm here bring back Morocco, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Monaco, Andorra & anyone else I'm forgetting. Also bring Kazakhstan into the contest.😊
@annekeroorda8425
10 ай бұрын
Bedankt
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
Ontzettend bedankt Anneke 🙏🏻❤️
@dv2483
11 ай бұрын
fingers crossed for a return of Ireland to the final. there are some great songs in their history and a well deserved spot at the top of the rankings.
@OakSky
11 ай бұрын
All the best to Ireland in Eurovision!!!
@Wailmur
3 ай бұрын
And now here's Bambie
@marksmyth5505
7 ай бұрын
Wow have to say amazing video,i watched it from start to end.Your knowledge on Eurovision is second to none and every topic you spoke about is spot on,12 points from me 😊
@ESCTom
7 ай бұрын
Wow, thank you!
@michaelmahon6437
9 ай бұрын
Fantastic presentation.
@ESCTom
9 ай бұрын
Thank you Michael 🙏🏻
@kareneggenschwiler5075
10 ай бұрын
I think you are completely right 👍 yes they need to improve the profile of ESC in Ireland is the key ❤🇮🇪
@neconeconeco
11 ай бұрын
i've got a tea and snacks for this one!!! long anticipated and well worth the wait!! ☘
@neconeconeco
11 ай бұрын
also totally in agreement with your ideas and realistic projections on how things can be fixed. i'm really hoping for your Sam Ryder (Somhairle Ríodar????) moment soon, I would LOVE to see the beginning of another golden or other similar sparkly metal era for Ireland 💚
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
Somhairle Ríodar 😂
@leendertjanw7540
11 ай бұрын
Fantastic analysis Tom, your opinions on the state of Ireland in Eurovision are so well thought out. I really hope that Ireland can make the turnaround other countries have already made. That may be someone well-known stepping up (as happened in the Netherlands), or taking a different approach (as happened in Portugal and Switzerland). I'm quite surprised though that the attitude in Ireland seems to be that Europeans don't like Ireland, what would anybody have against Ireland?
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
its not so much "Europeans dont like us", thats more the Brexit crew. In IReland its more "its all political and everyone just votes for their neighbours". They have no response though if you point out then "why arent the results the same every year if everyone is just voting for their friends?"
@leendertjanw7540
10 ай бұрын
@@ESCTom ah OK, I know what you mean. In our dark period that was something you heard a lot here as well
@kinetsievarvenfloot1237
11 ай бұрын
Why can't RTÉ collaborate with an independent production company to produce a national final like they did with ShinAwil for _You're A Star?_
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
im not sure why they decided to break away from that model. Perhaps those types of shows werent bring in enough ratings? Or could be that the talent pool in Ireland wasnt big enough to sustain having a new season every year like the UK could
@kinetsievarvenfloot1237
10 ай бұрын
@@ESCTom I remember _You're A Star_ being event television. The whole country seemed to be talking about it. I think it ultimately failed because as popular as it was it was essentially a mixture of two formats: talent show and national final, and the national final part (the most important bit) felt tacked on at the very end almost as an afterthought. But it was extremely well produced.
@12irissu14
11 ай бұрын
Where is your Reaction to this years Irish Junior Eurovision Entry?
@ESCTom
11 ай бұрын
ive filmed it, but i was working non stop on this, so i havent had a chance to edit it yet
@santo68721
4 ай бұрын
I hope Ireland win this year.
@alexhodder4129
11 ай бұрын
controversial opinion alert Terry Wogan was kinda right based on the pure fact the contest quality was getting worse now I don't agree with the sneery attitude or the political claims but were the late 90s early 2000s really the glory days? I think not I do actually think we might have changed his mind looking at the contest now mind you. Ireland haven't got through their heads yet that the contest has changed massively and adapt in the uk the penny has finally dropped cause after our poor result this year our anger was directed at the BBC so turning a brilliant song into a shit show that is a massive massive difference between uk and Ireland rn
@ESCTom
10 ай бұрын
yea the UK is a perfect template for how things can be changed, if we can change the public perception. but right now RTE has ZERO pressure, in comparison to the BBC as you say. Finland and Netherlands too turned things around massively, so its totally possible, but there has to be a motivation there in the broadcaster to do that
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