Celebrating 30 Years of Eurovision

By Caleb O'Connor

On the night of Linda Martin’s 1992 Eurovision win, Noel C. Duggan wrote to RTÉ to propose the use of the Green Glen’s Arena. This year marks 30 years since the 1993 Eurovision.

At the time, Millstreet had a population of just 1,500 but everyone pulled togetherbusinesses, local authorities, and everyone in between.

Yugoslavia had just broken up, so Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Slovenia all competed for the first time that year, alongside another 22 countries. The town was buzzing!

For the smallest Eurovision town, it was the biggest event in history. In the spirit of things, each shop and pub - all 45 - divided up the countries and dressed up in the country colours.

“Velkom” said the sign on O’Connor’s Shoe Shop. A windmill and tulips dressed the windows, and their look was completed with some cardboard clogs.

Dave Curtin of The Boston Bar (Now Capabu Foods) had a whale of a time with the Finnish crew. While the Embassy had sent some Finnish Vodka, “they wanted to drink black porter” said Dave. While most were rigid with their country’s theme, some got extra creative. Pat and Ann’s Hair Care took a little of everything - from Toblerones to Spaghetti, from Bordeaux to Russian Nesting Dolls, they had it all.

For all the excitement of the contest, it was not all joy. Bosnian band Fazla told of their experience. The band, fronted by Muhamad Fazlagic, recorded their track while living in the besieged Sarajevo with no water, little food, and no electricity. They bought black market fuel to power a generator in the basement of the radio and television station. This alone is an incredible and brave feat. However, on their way to the airport to get to the qualifier in Slovenia, the runway was bombarded by Serbian military. Their 17 person entourage ran across the runway but unfortunately 5 of their group died. This didn’t deter their love song to their country.

IRD Duhallow were intrinsically involved in the preparation. They had representatives on the steering committee and a development officer stayed on site for preparation.

In an innovative move, the doors were taken off the stables and a food village was set up - the first of its kind!

The then chairman of IRD Duhallow Jerry Sheehan and CEO Maura Walsh were invited to the event and attended the final to great excitement. They had promoted and distributed the tape of In Your Eyes for Niamh Kavanagh, and she was generous with her time following her win.

Millstreet has grown exponentially in the 30 years since the Eurovision. There are fond memories throughout the region, and photos capture the excitement in the town. The energy is electric, even through photos.

At 3,500 capacity, it’s quite the change from the 10,000 expected of Eurovision venues today, but some would say it was for the better. Millstreet remains the smallest venue to ever hold the Eurovision, but the spirit of the town rivals even the largest events.

Niamh Kavanagh herself echoes this sentiment;

“I cannot think of a better place I could have got to represent Ireland in Eurovision, than Millstreet. It was full of heart and joy. I was lucky enough to be embraced by the whole town as a member of their family. I still carry that in my heart to this day.

The generosity of Millstreet, was evident in so many ways in all the visits I have made over the years. It always amazed me that, not only did they hold one of the biggest events in Europe, but that they did it so well, and with so much heart.”