Surprise! It's A Podcast (Melodifestivalen Final)

Today we are delighted to present our first podcast. This is a bit of an experiment for us and we'd love your feedback. We feel that podcasting is becoming a greater part of Eurovision fandom but also it is important to understand that we cannot write the huge pieces for things like Melodifestivalen that fully communicate my thoughts. If you have not been following Melodifestivalen up until now read our Rough Guide to Melodifestivalen 2012.



It was a delight to do this but four points I would like to make before you send feedback.

1. It ran three minutes longer than I wanted.
2. I pause a lot - I am trying to work on that.
3. I would love to add jingles or something so as it is not just voice. 
4. Before anyone from Ireland asks even though I am from Dublin I speak with a Tipperary accent. This is because most of my family is from Tipperary. Please don't stare in surprise like most Dublin people do.

I will put up an abridged script of the Podcast a later stage today. 

Please leave your comments at the bottom of this post. 

Bad Irish Accents, Mispronunciations But An Excellent Podcast

From time to time we find some nice articles and things, and normally, as those of you who follow me on Twitter know I retweet these. However I am very impressed with the Podcast from JOYEurovision by 94.9 radio in Austrialia assessing Irish Eurovision History since 1965. What I love about this is it contextualises the nature of Irish Eurovision Entries and why they were picked. The overall theme of Irish Eurovision history that I took from the podcast was that Ireland is a conservative country trying to find it's voice in an ever changing Eurovision.


As an Irish Eurovision fan I think that there are a couple of small points to mention largely to put the record straight.

• The 1965 and 1967 entries are well respected in Ireland and are still remembered by people of that era.  
• During the early nineties the shift in Eurovision juries preferences to more conservative tastes allowed Ireland who continued with more conservative tastes to flourish. Interestingly in 1996 the top three songs were all rather similar which reflected the jury voting patterns of the time.
• Despite the feelings of many fans Ireland's winner in 1994 is one the most beloved of all our winners by the average Irish non-Eurovision fan with it topping many polls of the Irish Public in terms of our winners. It remains one of my top 5 all time Eurovison songs. 
• Ireland only once gave 12 points to the UK and that was to Love Shine A Light, which a year from the Good Friday Agreement was hardly surprising.
• Ireland only once gave 

However in spite of a couple of minor flaws the podcast is worth a listen if you have some time to spare. You might even learn a thing or two.

Listen to the podcast here.