The winner takes it all — if in Eurovision semi-final

Call it pop psychology, but new research indicates that our chances of winning the Eurovision song contest are influenced by whether we appear in the semi-final and where we lie in the running order.

In fact, research psychologist Derek Laffan believes enlisting the help of a psychologist may in fact boost our chance of winning Europe’s biggest cheesefest.

Mr Laffan will present his case today at the annual conference of the Psychological Society of Ireland in Kilkenny under the heading: “We’re the best at it, but we don’t care about it: The not-so-loving relationship between Irish psychology and the Eurovision Song Contest.”