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RTÉ launch investigation
Ireland: Controversy and viewing figures
However after the disappointing results were announced, Boyzone singer and co-host of the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 as too co-writer of the danish Eurovision Song Contest 2009 entry, Ronan Keating, has said that Irish broadcaster RTÉ were set on Niamh Kavanagh only, to represent Ireland this year despite other competitors.
Keating claims that Kavanagh's selection was a foregone conclusion. Despite this claim RTÉ have hit back saying "RTE Television absolutely rejects any suggestion that the selection of Ireland's entrant for the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 was anything less than fair, transparent and above board."
"The full selection process from the public competition call to enter on December 10th 2009, through to the Late Late Show Eurosong Special selection process on March 5th, 2010, was independently adjudicated by Price WaterHouse Cooper (PWC)."
RTÉ have since launched an investigation into the selection process and the poor result in Oslo finishing 23rd out of 25 countries in the final and scraping through the second semi final.
Despite all the controversy, the Eurovision Song Contest scored well in the ratings in Ireland with figures for the final almost double on last year. However Ireland had no representative in the final in 2009. Also, numbers had fallen in both semi finals.
- Semi final 1 - 139.000 (In 2009: 208,000)
- Semi final 2 - 397,000 (In 2009: 438,000)
- Grand Final - 719,000 (In 2009: 438,000)
Ireland's Niamh Kavanagh performing 'It's for you' at Eurovision 2010.
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What RTÉ thought was an advantage proved that it was not.
Niamh Kavanagh had already won -- and the low result also
shows that ESC fans did not vote for a song performed by
an artist, who has --not only participated before-- but
one whose SONG already won at ESC before. The song
was nice, decent, her performance was wonderful and
Niamh Kavanagh had the best female voice, this year.
BUT song was also a bit old-fashioned and not exactly what
one would call a "winning song" in a competition with other
better songs. Even Sweden's Carola tried again, in 2006
... she did not win then either.
However, there are two artists, who participated twice(!!)
and BOTH had a Top 3 result and a ESC victory!!
Greece's Helena Paparizou 
(2001 - won 3rd place) and
.............................. ..... (2005 - ESC winner
.............................. ..... and her song "My Number One"
.............................. ..... was also voted, in same year,
.............................. ..... as the 4th Best Ever Song
.............................. ..... in the 50 years of ESC!!!!
Russia's Dima Bilan (2006 - won 2nd place)
........................ (2008 - ESC winner with "Believe" 
As a ESC winner, Niamh Kavanagh, she is also in the ESC hall of fame
and that is something she should hold dearly to her heart!!!
Congratulations!
I am even surprised Ireland reached the final.
One asks ,what is a superior song.Everyone has different music tastes,I thought all the songs had a certain charm about them.There are a lot of people who would have thought that Niamh's song was dated and boring yet there were just as many who thought it should have won.There were an awful amount of people that thought the UK song was awful and it finished last.
My feeling is that eurovision is not about the song contest anymore,its about wither or not the country really wants to win the contest.I don't believe for one minute that The BBC are interested in The eurovision enough to want to win it.You need to only look at the shambles of a show they put on at song for europe to show that.Can you honestly tell me that that was a performance by the BBC that displayed interest in this event.How could the BBC possibly have come to a conclusion that the format they used this year by getting someone to write a song.Choose a group of solo singers male and female and groups,asuming that the winning singer is going to be the right person or group to sing that song.ITS IMPOSSIBLE.When Josh eventually emerged as the winning singer,he was faced with a song that he had to sing that was clearly not suited to him at all,hence the awful performance by him on that night causing the rest of europe to loo at the show on the interned on u tube and laugh at the performance.That to me was when the UK lost the eurovision,proving that the formula for choosing the song was not the correct one.However some weeks later the writers decided to try to mould the song to suit Josh and it was only a few days really befor eurovision, that people heard that maybe it is a bit of a song after all.But for me, judgement of that song was made of the uk entry long before eurovision night.However,i would dread to think what the song would have sounded like if one of the groups had to have been chosen to sing the song.It would have been the laugh and stock of the universe never mind the uk and europe.So BBC, you are not fooling me,you may be thinking that you are fooling the rest of the uk.I don't believe for one minute that you are serious about eurovision,and i think there are a few other countries that are in the same boat.And i think for countries like the uk and ireland,eurovision is a headache,its an event that costs too much to stage,and they don't want it,but they have to be seen to make an effort though it be a lame one, to put a song forward either an average song average every year or to make sure that they dont win or a really bad song.
So in conclusion...
We made a mistake, we apologise. We'll never do it again.
"It's for you" was just a Swedish ballad... with a flute.
We'll send something better and modern next year.
The End.
Satisfied now?
And yeah... 
! The songwriters of "It's for you" were mostly Swedes, but they chose that over a songwriter who's actually Irish AND had a better song... 
@Francis Peters
Oh I forgot about that! 
Yes, then I can understand his criticism because that song, even if sung by a "comedian", was in fact better than Niamh's song... they probably wanted her to be the clear winner then.
single charts in ireland 
39 ALLEZ OLA OLE JESSY MATADOR
12 GLOW MADCON
2 SATELLITE LENA
Laila lvs Peter Nalitch - Keating was presumably referring to the song he entered (sung by Justin Lee Collins) called 'All I Ever Want is You'. It didn't make the final five, which was suspicious because it was clearly superior to all of the songs that did make it with the possible exception of Niamh's.
Pretty good viewing figures I suppose. I don't think there's any reason for Keating to be criticising anything because it was pretty obvious, to me at least, that Niamh was the best of the rather poor choices in their selection this year.
At least RTÉ will be happy about the surge in viewing figures.
But after the terrible and rather unexpected result this year, watch the figures plunge in 2011 if RTÉ stands by and does nothing to encourage interest. The only people left watching it will be me and Linda Martin.
Nice analysis, who voted for countries: http://eurovisiontim(...)ho-voted-for-turkey/
Irish entry didn't do anything to me. I can hardly remember how did it sound. It's funny how some great ESC nations do not feel the time, the changes, the age in which the contest evolves. They keep sending old-fashioned, dated stuff. Hope next year Ireland, UK will surprise us with decent more daring and quality stuff. 
So the Irish entry.
Niamh got through the Irish selection primarily because she is very well respected and because Irish people are outdated re the ESC. Winning 7 times has led Irish people to think all they need is another Johnny Logan. I think that we do need to move on. Johnny Logan could never win ESC again even if he did a strip tease, (HELP).
Yes move the selection away from the Late Late Show. I suspect the demographics of text voters are predominitlry below 25. So our selection process should be through media that reflects that demographic.
As a person I like Niamh, who couldn't, but she is outdated re the ESC, & yes she didn't look the part. Of course that shouldn't matter but unfortuinitly it does matter.
But Ireland does have hope in that it has a wealth of young gifted singers and song writers. Getting them intereted is the problem, but ESC is moving in the right direction for these people.
AS for Ronan Keating?, so what!
And just for those who know me well BAN THE BIG 4.
I love Irish music so much, i could spend a complete evening listening to a celtic music radio station and i would like almost every song, but Ireland´s entry this year was like... ok i got my pillow beside me i was sleepy specially if Ireland was singing after the Belarus entry omg! i was almost snoring.... Ireland can do better, Niamh sings gorgeous but the song was like Celine Dion ballad or... a whatever it was, next year Ireland should do better.
oh well , ireland should know that the stuff that helped them win 4 times the 90's is nowdays only good enough to pass into finals and end up in bottom 5 . iliked the song though . i wish she scored higher
SpiderMan
That's what I thought when I saw how little points Ireland got in the end.
I think the juries and the public are looking for a modern song when they decide who to give their points to.
Daniel
Yes, that's what some people think about it, because of the comic side of it, but if we want to win, then we've clearly got to start changing some of our attitudes towards the Contest.
Eurovision isn't naff. If it was naff, I wouldn't have watched it all these years. It is actually a world-class event when people treat it seriously, whilst of course keeping with the Eurovision spirit.
She should be happy she atleast qualified. The song was dated and boring and her voice was off key, we turned the sound off on her in the final after she attempted the big notes.. styling was atrocious. Irish should not complain for the low position.
Good luck next year, Ireland. 
A little research doesn't hurt. 
@Ki.var .
Well, Ireland got ticket for the final in 2006 and places 10th there. They were also in the finals in 2004, 2007 and 2010.
If you have good song you can always score good. Look at Belgium - they won first semifinal this year and placed 6th in the finals.
Hello
I wish Ireland the best of lucks.
Ireland is the new Andorra from semifinals... nearly never will get the pass to the big final... and, if they get it,... they will be condemned to finish last (if Spain is not the last one).
On the Channel 5 documentary "Eurovision A Song For Justin!". Ronan was filmed the day after the announcement of the Irish finalists declaring that RTE had already decided on Niamh. This was before the final. So maybe he was correct
The problem we have in Ireland (as in the UK) is that because Eurovision is seen as so naff, there is not a hope that anyone 'big' would even consider taking part, so we are left with middle of the road entertainers Niamh, Brian Kennedy etc or complete newcomers eg Sinead Mulvey.
Nothing wrong with newcomers but instead of looking for a good song that people would listen to, RTE looks for a 'Eurovision' song (whatever that is).
As previous posters have pointed out 5 songs is just not enough to choose from, I really don't believe that were 295 songs worse than the other 4 we had to choose from in this years national final. Either RTE get serious and get rid of the horrendous Linda Martin from the selection process (she was suggesting Jedward!) or they should do an Austria and bow out.
Nothing against Niamh, she gave a great performance of an old fashioned song and if she really really wanted to have another go at Eurovision I'm glad that she had the opportunity
Niahm is an ESC diva, i deeply respect her, but i think that the good old ESC days for Ireland are over. She belongs to an old esc ERA.
The song was very average, just a "deja-vu" Irish entry. Listening to the song, i had the feeling that Ireland comes every year in ESC with the same recipe. Total lack of new ideas and sounds.
IT is nice song but Nianh wasnt good enough that night as I expected and I think this kind of songs will be fail next years too.....I think should be like that.....we need some fresh and energic songs even could be lowtempo....like Ucraine....She was very strong and different....also Tom was like that.....
low tv ratings for Ireland.
it seems that juries are so different compared to 90s.
i voted for Niamh, she didn't deserve to be so low.
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