Welcome to Dublin - Ireland and to the 171st edition of the Forum Song Contest (FSC).
Theme: ‘Ireland: A Eurovision Story’
Winner FSC April 2023
Congratulations! ^^
The Host city for this FSC #171-edition is Dublin - Ireland . It is the capital , economic centre, and
largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey it is in the province of Leinster bor
dered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. The city has
a population of about 1.2 million inhabitants in all , & in County Dublin there are about 1.5 million.
The name Dublin derives from the Irish word Duibhlinn, early Classical Irish Dubhlind / Duibhlind,
from dubh meaning "black, dark", and linn meaning "pool", referring to a dark tidal pool. This tidal
pool was located , where the River Poddle entered the Liffey , on the site of the castle gardens at
rear of Dublin Castle. In Modern Irish the name is Duibhlinn (pronounced Duílinn in Leinster Irish)
The area of Dublin Bay has been inhabited by humans since prehistoric times, fish traps discover
ed from excavations , indicate human habitation far back as 6.000 years ago . Further traps were
discovered closer to the old settlement of the city of Dublin , on the south quays near St. James's
Gate which also indicate mesolithic (that's from the middle part of the Stone Age) human activity
The writings of Ptolemy (the GrecoRoman astronomer and cartographer) in about 140 CE provide
possibly the earliest referenc to a settlement in Dublin He called it Eblana polis. Dublin celebrated
its 'official' millennium in 1988 meaning the Irish government recognised 988 as the year in which
the city was settled & that this first settlement would years later become the capital city of Dublin
A settlement was established in the area by the Gaels , during or before the 7th century , followed
by the Vikings. As the Kingdom of Dublin grew it became Ireland's principal settlement by 12th ce
ntury Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland. Dublin Castle which became the centre of Anglo-Norman
power in Ireland, was founded in 1204, as a major defensive work on orders of English King John.
The city had a population of 21.000 in 1640 before a plague in 1649–51 wiped out almost half of
the inhabitants. However, the city prospered again soon after as a result of the wool and linen tra
de with England . As the city continued to prosper, during 18th century , Georgian Dublin became
for a short period the second-largest city of the British Empire and the fifth largest city in Europe.
Dublin grew even more dramatically during the 18th century, with construction of many new distr
icts & buildings, such as Merrion Square, Parliament House and the Royal Exchange. In 1759, the
Guinness brewery , was founded , eventually growing, to become the largest brewery in the world
& largest employer in Dublin . During the 19th century the city had political and economic decline
The Easter Rising of 1916, the Irish War of Independence, and the subsequent Irish Civil War resu
lted in a significant amount of physical destruction in central Dublin. The Government of the Irish
Free State rebuilt the city centre & located the new parliament, the Oireachtas, in Leinster House.
Since the start of Norman rule in the 12th century, the city has functioned as geopolitical capital.
‘Ireland: A Eurovision Story'
‘Dublin: the jewel in the crown of the Eurovision’
Ireland is the most successful country in the history of the Eurovision Song Contest , with its 7 wi
ns . It is also the only country to have won three times consecutively (1992 , 1993 and 1994) . Irel
and has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 55 times since making its debut at the 1965
contest in Naples , missing only 2 contests since , in 1983 and 2002. Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ)
is Ireland's representative broadcaster at the contest , and they broadcast the semi-finals and the
final on their tv-channels . In the years when the live orchestra was present in the contest , almost
all of Ireland's Eurovision entries, were conducted by Noel Kelehan . RTÉ presenter Marty Whelan
( see host information in a later section below ) , has been the national commentator since 2000.
Ireland's 7 wins were achieved by, Dana with "All Kinds of Everything" (1970) , Johnny Logan with
"What's Another Year" (1980) and "Hold Me Now" (1987) , Linda Martin with "Why Me" (1992) , Ni
amh Kavanagh with "In Your Eyes" (1993) , Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan with "Rock 'n'
Roll Kids" (1994 ) , and Eimear Quinn with "The Voice" (1996) . Ireland , who also finished second
with Sean Dunphy (1967) , Linda Martin (1984) , Liam Reilly (1990) and Marc Roberts (1997) has
a total of 18 top five results , an impressive feat , in this highly fought international song contest.
Ireland have hosted the Eurovision Song Contest on 7 occasions; all were held in the Irish capital
Dublin (3 at the Point Theatre ref. 3Arena , 2 at the RDS Simmonscourt & 1 at the Gaiety Theatre)
except for the 1993 Eurovision which was staged in Millstreet , a town in north-west County Cork
All of Ireland's entries have been performed in English language, with the exception of the -1972-
entry , "Ceol an Ghrá" , which was sung in Gaelic. Ireland's most successful decade to date in the
Eurovision Song Contest is , without doubt , the 1990s with its huge success. In the 21st century,
with the introduction of many more countries ( from much of Eastern Europe ) to the contest , as
well as Eurovision semi-finals , Ireland has fared less well , achieving considerably poorer results.
The most famous Irish Eurovision Song Contest winner , is probably Johnny Logan who won the
contest 2 times as an artist & 1 time as composer. Paul Harrington & Charlie McGettigan's "Rock
'n' Roll Kids" ( 1994 ) is also remembered fondly . That year also saw the to-become-legend River
dance Performance as interval act in the final , beginning a journey that still goes on . Dublin has
the record for most contests of all cities & can be called the jewel in the crown of the Eurovision.
Large parts of Georgian Dublin were demolished or substantially redeveloped in the mid-20th cen
tury during a boom in office building . After this boom, the recessions of the 1970s and 1980s slo
wed down the pace of building. Since 1997, the landscape of Dublin has changed. The city was at
the forefront of Ireland's economic expansion during the 1990s to late 2000s (Celtic Tiger Period)
As the capital city, Dublin is the seat of the national parliament of Ireland, the Oireachtas. It is co
mposed of the President of Ireland, Dáil Éireann as the house of representatives, and Seanad Éir
eann as the upper house. The President resides in Áras an Uachtaráin in Phoenix Park, while the
houses of the Oireachtas meet in Leinster House, a former ducal residence on the Kildare Street
Similar to much of the rest of north-western Europe , Dublin experiences a 'maritime climate' with
mild-warm summers, cool winters, and a lack of temperature extremes. Dublin has an abundance
of parks and green spaces. Well known public parks include the Phoenix Park (a large urban park
about 3 kms west of the city), Herbert Park, St Stephen's Green, Saint Anne's Park and Bull Island.
Dublin is the largest centre of education in Ireland, and is home to four universities and a number
of other higher education institutions. It was the European Capital of Science in 2012. The Univer
sity of Dublin is the oldest university in Ireland, dating from the 16th century, and is located in the
city centre. Its sole constituent college, Trinity College was established in 1592 under Elizabeth I.
Public art galleries are found across the city of Dublin and are free to visit including the Irish Mus
eum of Modern Art , the National Gallery, the Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery, the Douglas Hyde Gall
ery, the Project Arts Centre and the exchibition space of the Royal Hibernian Academy . Three bra
nches of the National Museum of Ireland are located in Dublin: Archaeology, Arts, Natural History
Dublin has a vibrant nightlife & is reputedly one of Europe's most youthful cities . There are lots of
pubs and nightclubs across the city centre. The best known area for nightlife is Temple Bar, south
of the River Liffey. Live music is played on streets & at venues throughout Dublin, and the city has
produced several musicians & groups of international success with U2 perhaps the most famous
Dublin city centre is a popular shopping destination . There are plenty hotels , restaurants , cafes,
pubs all with modern amenities . The capital is also the centre of both media, & communications
in Ireland. Sights incl.: Old Library & Book of Kells, Kilmainham Gaol, Famine Memorial, Trinity Co
llege , EPIC , Guinness Storehouse , St. Patrick’s Cathedral , Croke Park Stadium , & Dublin Castle.
Early Irish myths blend mythology and history by describing how Ireland was settled by different
groups of Celtic deities (gods) & humans. Filled with magic & excitement the tales tell of battles
between forces of light and darkness . They describe a time, when gods lived not in the heavens
but on earth , using their powers to create civilization in Ireland , and to bring fertility to the land.
The Host venue for FSC #171 May 2023 is: the 3Arena , an indoor amphitheatre in Dublin, Ireland.
The venue opened as The O2 on 16th December 2008 . It was a re-development of the former Poi
nt Theatre (where ESC 1994 was held and which included the infamous Riverdance Performance)
a smaller music venue which operated from 1988 to 2007 retaining only some of the outer facade
The Point Theatre was branded as "The Point Depot", in recognition of its original role as a railway
goods handling station. The venue was re-branded on 4th September 2014 due to the takeover of
O2 Ireland by Three Ireland . The venue is among the top ten busiest music arenas by ticket sales
in the world. The seating capacity is now 9.300 or 13.000 standing. Many famous pop-artists and
bands have played here through the years including Adele, Mariah Carey, Demi Lovato & Christina
Aguilera. U2 performed four homecoming concerts in November 2015, as part of their Innocence
+ Experience Tour. Since December 2015, the Arena has hosted the "RTÉ 2fm Xmas Ball", a yearly
charity gig in aid of ISPCC. Over the years headliners of the ball have included acts such as Koda-
line , Hozier , Picture This and The Script. They are proud to host this evening’s edition of the FSC.
Our wonderful Hosts this evening are:
Joanne McNally , Marty Whelan and Vogue Williams
Joanne McNally is an Irish stand-up comedian , writer and actress. She is a native of Killiney, Cou
nty Dublin . She was the co-host of "Republic of Telly" for RTÉ and has appeared on The Late Late
Show and Ireland AM . She also co-hosts a podcast called "My Therapist Ghosted Me" with friend
Vogue Williams . She is very proud to co-host this evening’s edition of the - Forum Song Contest -
Marty Whelan is an Irish radio and tv personality currently working for RTÉ. He was born in Dublin
His early tv credits included the game shows Millionaire, and Fame and Fortune. In 1997 he beca
me host of 'The Rose of Tralee' contest . In 1987 , and since 2000 , he has been the commentator
for RTÉ tv in ESC . He is very proud to co-host this evening’s edition of the - Forum Song Contest -
Vogue Williams is an Irish model & media personality specially known for participating in Dancing
with the Stars , Stepping Out and , more recently , as presenter of reality talent show The Big Deal.
She was born in Dublin She also co-hosts a podcast called "My Therapist Ghosted Me" with friend
Joanne McNally . She is very proud to co-host this evening’s edition of the - Forum Song Contest -
And we are now pleased to announce
The Opening Acts
Exclusive International Guest Appearances
Alessandra (ESC 2023: Norway)
Loreen (ESC 2023: Sweden)
-
’Queen of Kings’
’Tattoo’
's entry is even better 
But this month is a bloodbath.
