Séamas O'Reilly: Asking the hard questions about Ireland's Eurovision decline

"My first 10 years alive saw us win five titles in that time alone, back when we were the unassailable masters of the maudlin euro hit - usually eschewing the up-tempo dynamics of our continental cousins"

Ireland's Eurovision hopefuls Wild Youth pictured at the M&S Bank Arena before heading into their final day of rehearsals at Eurovision before taking part in Semi-final 1 last Tuesday.

One thing Eurovision has taught us is that Irish people know how to lose with dignity, which I guess is something that comes with practice.

Next year it will be 30 years since we last won the competition, for which we still hold the record for most wins. If Sweden wins it this weekend, even that crown will be lost, as our Scandinavian friends will finally draw level with seven.