FOR THE second year running, Ireland has failed to qualify for the final of the Eurovision Song Contest.
The girl band Sinead Mulvey and Black Daisy was not among the 10 of 19 acts competing last night which were chosen to perform in Saturday’s final.
As has become the norm in Eurovision over the past decade, voters last night favoured high-concept and ethnically- themed presentations such as Greece's high-tech This is our Night;Azerbaijan's fiery, Middle Eastern-inflected Always; Albania's Kejsi Tola, with backup singers in clown makeup; and the fast-stepping dancers of Moldova's Hora Din Moldova.
By contrast, Ireland’s simple staging did not seem to win voters’ attention.
The other entrant last night of Irish interest, Denmark's Believe Again, co-written by Boyzone star Ronan Keating, qualified for the final.
Some 25 entrants will compete in Saturday night's final, including the much-talked-about UK entry, It's My Time,composed by Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, who will accompany singer Jade Ewen on piano. Over 100 million viewers watch the Eurovision each year in countries throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Australasia.