Best of luck to Bambie Thug as they fly our flag at Eurovision

The closing act of the second Eurovision semi-final on Thursday night provided a trip down Memory Lane. The winners 40 years ago for Sweden were three brothers named Herreys, with a catchy pop tune called Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley. They wore gold-coloured shoes, which were part of the song. The choreography was naff, the outfits were of the time and the audience in Luxembourg’s Theatre Municipal were sedate and wearing black tie.

The voting was a nail-biter as Sweden fended off a challenge from Ireland’s Linda Martin with a ballad called Terminal 3, written by Eurovision legend Johnny Logan. Martin and Logan returned in 1992 to win with Why Me?, kicking off a record-breaking run of three consecutive wins. Niamh Kavanagh’s In Your Eyes won in 1993, followed by Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan’s Rock ’n’ Roll Kids in 1994 on a night also remembered for the debut of an interval act called Riverdance.

Those were the days when Ireland was Eurovision royalty. In the 1980s, there were two wins, two runnerup spots and another two top-five finishes. The 1990s delivered a stunning four wins and another runner-up. Then we fell off a cliff.

Since Eamonn Toal finished sixth in 2000 with Millennium of Love, Eurovision audiences have fallen out of love with us. In 2011, Jedward sang Lipstick,

which finished eighth. From seemingly unbeatable to only two top-10 finishes in a quarter-of-a-century, how the mighty have fallen. Our Midas touch has deserted us and we have appeared out of touch with the tastes of audiences.

Now, after a run of six years without reaching the final, Ireland has “sent the witch” to cast a spell on the contest. Bambie Thug is a self-described queer “ouija pop” star, who goes by the pronouns they and them. The Macroom native is performing the genre-defying Doomsday Blue and their performance is quite the spectacle, wowing audiences. We’re a long way from Dana sitting on the stool singing All Kinds of Everything.

But it has worked, because Bambie Thug is not only in the final, but in the bookies’ top five favourites. Nobody is confidently predicting they will win, but a high-placed finish is a realistic expectation. Ireland and Sweden have seven Eurovision wins each, and the hosts in Malmo want to be out front.

Bambie Thug has come in for some deeply unpleasant treatment on social media, but has risen above it to show great character.

The inclusion of Israel in the contest this year has cast a shadow over proceedings amid protests and calls for boycotts. Bambie Thug has made their views on the war in Gaza known.

The artist was told by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to change the pro-Palestinian markings in Ogham displayed on their face and legs. RTÉ, as an EBU member, has decided to take part in this year’s contest, so it is unfair to criticise Bambie Thug for performing when their views on the conflict are evident.