“Democracy gone mad”

After months and months of speculation and nail-biting apprehension, Ireland has voted on its favourite new star.

Last weekend’s You’re A Star finale saw the culmination of a contest which had seen singers and songwriters from across the country all vying for the coveted spot in the Eurovision Song Contest in Latvia. Through a flurry of screaming fans and text message madness, Mickey Joe Harte emerged the victor by beating out Simon Casey in the final competition on Sunday night. The Lifford, Co Donegal native donned his green guitar and re-took the stage as champion, thus ending the massive commercial hype surrounding the contest for the past 20 weeks.

But popular as the show has been in TV terms, critics have charged that this year’s format acted more as a showcase of pop idolatry than pure singer/songwriter talent. Two-time Eurovision winner Brendan Graham believes it is a step in the wrong direction.

“The emphasis of the format seems more geared towards selling a load of records and picking the type of song demanded by record labels,” he says. “Eurovision before was never like that.”

In contrast, Shay Healy, another former Eurovision winner, feels this year’s restructuring has had a positive effect on the competition.

“I think it’s a good thing for Eurovision,” he says. “It has generated enthusiasm and interest that had been waning somewhat and it’s brought Eurovision to a whole new generation. Nobody could have anticipated the number of kids who would vote.”

Over 1.3 million voters phoned in their votes for Ireland’s new pop prince, he points out.

“It has been very entertaining television in that someone gets to be an instant celebrity and everyone else gets humiliated,” Healy adds. “It’s democracy gone mad.”