HEAVEN HELP us had Jedward won the Eurovision on Saturday night. Given the sense of expectation at home about the twins’ chances of success, there was relative disappointment that they only managed to finish eighth.
But you would not think it had you visited Terminal 2 at Dublin airport yesterday morning. The phalanx of screaming teenage girls, who style themselves “the Jedheads”, gathered early to greet their returning, if slightly vanquished, idols.
They wore Jedward headgear and carried posters and Tricolours. They chanted "Jedward, Jedward, Jedward", and sang every word of the twins' Eurovision entry Lipstick, Under Pressureand – bizarrely – Amhrán na bhFiann, transformed into a teenybopper number for the day.
They screamed at every bemused passenger who passed their way, at Jedward manager Louis Walsh and mentor Caroline Downey, and even at the luggage trolley carrying the twins’ belongings.
The cause of all the fuss arrived just after midday from Düsseldorf. Neither John nor Edward had got any sleep after Saturday night’s performance, but they remained as irrepressible as ever.
The cacophony of screams reached a crescendo as the pair came bounding through the duty-free goods hall next door to the arrivals gate.
They embraced their fans and both did handstands.
The pair were supposed to repair to the corner of the terminal for a press conference, but the airport police proved to be no match for the Jedheads.
They broke through the cordon and so John and Edward found themselves pursued by the media, airport police and hundreds of screaming fans through the terminal as passengers stood open-mouthed gawking at all the fuss.
They began their press conference by standing on the tables, to the delight of their fans.
It was difficult to hear above the din of screaming fans and whirring cameras. It was, as John said, “full-on Jedmania”.
They hadn’t slept for 24 hours or was it 48? Edward said: “We just went from night-time to daytime and now we’re all sweaty.”
They did go to the Eurovision after-show party, but only for 30 minutes, in keeping with their image as not only the best-known teenagers in the country, but also the most abstemious.
They thanked RTÉ, Louis Walsh, Caroline Downey, their fans, “everybody”. There did not seem to be a trace of disappointment. Why should there be? “We’re in the charts all over Europe,” said John. “We’re No 1 in Sweden.”
They have plans for a television show with ITV and a new album. When asked whether they were victims of neighbouring countries voting for each other, Edward responded: “We’re never victims. We always come out on top.”
Manager Louis Walsh held out the possibility that the twins may enter the Eurovision next year. “This is the start of their international career. Next year we’re going to have an even better song which will appeal to the eastern Europeans.”