Sia has fought off all comers to retain the No.1 position in the Irish singles charts. Her 'Cheap Thrills’, featuring Sean Paul, has been 10 weeks in the Top 40.

The closest challenger is still Mike Posner’s ‘I Took A Pill In Ibiza’, which retains the No.2 slot. What is extraordinary is the virtual absence of movement throughout the Top 40 – with no new entries whatsoever registering. The biggest mover is Drake’s 'One Dance’ (featuring Whizkid & Kyla), which jumps from No. 40 to No. 5. But otherwise, there is an eerie lack of movement, with just a tiny shuffling of the pack in evidence.

Equally strange in a chart that also includes tracks from megastars like Justin Bieber, Coldplay, Adele and Rihanna. is the complete absence of any Irish track from the Top 40 singles. “That is down to the fact that Irish singles just don’t get the kind of support they merit on Irish radio,” one industry source who preferred not to be named commented. Whatever about that, it is surely a statement that something needs to be done to encourage a far higher level of Irish music being played on Irish radio.

Presumably we need to wait for the formation of a government before any moves can be expected in that department.