Dublin? Where?
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2003
(Try to gloss over the fact that I actually watched part of the Eurovision if you could, whilst reading this)
As always, during the voting in the Eurovision as each country delivers their votes, there prevails a magnificent backdrop to each presenter from every country, of their capital: baroque 17th century buildings, or floodlit fountains, or gleaming spires and cathedrals, illuminated office buildings or live scenes of brightly lit squares and piazzas.
And Ireland…
Need I even say any more…The most pathetic, egregiously ludicrous, most terrible, awful, incomprehensible & unrecognisable backdrop concievable.
A darkened freezeframe of a minute section, (the south western end) of O’ Connell Street, replete with blazing red traffic lights and Champion Sports dominating the shot, the rest, the central part of the shot, an unrecognisable black lump of nothingness.
What a spectacular scene a pure white-floodlit Spire would have been, with O ‘Connell St spread out around it, or our stunning Custom House or Four Courts illuminated with the Liffey shimmering in the city lights below.
Instead a shambles. Primarily RTÉ’s fault, and considering their devotion to Eurovision it’s surprising, but also the CC’s fault, or the OPW, for the abominable floodlighting of most of our major public buildings.
RTÉ probobly looked at all the options for Dublin backdrops, but couldn’t find anything remotely suitable in this city.What a shame.
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I agree too……It was not a selling point for the country……the backdrop was forgettable. We should brand Ireland more professionally to sell it. It’s the likes of all these little things that add up affecting our image abroad…..and image is everything nowadays.
At least they did have the lovely Pamela Flood delivering the results of the votes and not quirkey old Anne Doyle or Eileen Dunne as they had on past occasions. Sharon Ni Bhealon….and Liz Bonin two more hot contenders. -
Bloody hell lads, get a grip.
Do you really think anyone watching the Eurovision is looking at what’s behind the presenter as they read the scores and then deciding where to go on holidays?What do you want, an image of her hovering over the Cliffs of Moher?
It was at least better than some countries that had images of traffic behind them.
And to Ireland’s credit nobody puts on as good a show as the Irish, regarding presentation, interval performance (who could beat Riverdance) and the picture postcards.
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I was going to mention the lovely Pamela, only I thought most people would’nt know who she was, and yes, she was the only saving grace for Ireland.
I don’t agree the backdrop is insignificant, I think most people look to it for a reference to the country featuring, and virtually every participating country go to great lengths to carefully select, compose and frame their backgrounds to promote a good image, even bloody Russia gets in on the act!
Indeed the fact that some here did’nt even notice the backdrop is evidence of how pathetic it was, you’d certainly notice, not to mention remember a spectacular floodlit scene such as the Spire or even the Four Courts, lit in white and seen from that classic raking angle with the trees lining Inns Quay.
The only reason I watch Eurovision is to see how countries convey themselves to the rest of Europe, not least the host country, and yes Latvia did a terrible job in promoting themselves, esp in contrast with ourselves or Estonia last year, or Sweden etc.
The song is important of course, but the Eurovision has long been used as a vehicle for home-promotion and we should have utilised what little time we had to it’s greatest extent.
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If Bord Failte was to take out an ad, even if it was just a picture of Dublin, broadcasting to every country in Eurpoe simultaneously for a minute in a prime Saturday slot, it would have been charged tonnes and I’m sure it would have chosen the image carefully…
Instead of the grim vista RTE gave us.
Oops! Also admitted watching Eurovision! -
Well it’s about time theres a bit of Cork opinion amongst the dubs here, like! Anyway just agreeing that the chromakey backdrop on the Eurovision vote slot was utterly appaling. It the worst shot imaginable available from the stock pics probably normally used for those ‘lil picture windows next to the Anne Doyle’s noggin on Dublin Today sorry… i mean… the main evening news. I thought it was actually Spar on Dame street mainly in the picture.
A rare chance for free advertising lost. But the crimes of Latvian TV were far greater. They used what appeared to be security footage for their postcard slots. How could they have let such an opportunity slip away… millions of viewers tuned in mostly not knowing much about Latvia… an apparantly beautiful country with some incredible old architecture… and not a single shot of any part of the country was shown! Just a nice suspension bridge which appeared accidentally in the background. sad…
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Anyone see the footage on the news of the beautiful Russian city of St. Petersburgh over the weekend as all the head honcho’s of the world were invited there to celebrate it’s anniversary. It contains some of the most spectacular architectural jewels and the Russian government has rightly spent millions on their restoration……the Hermitage Museum, onion domed cathedrals, various palaces….etc….
Ok, there are still shoddy impoverished areas of the city which were masked from public view…..but fair play to Peter the Great for the wonderful achitectural legacy he left Russia and the world.
Peter, Tzar of Russia heavily taxed his citizens to fund his great building programmes…..a bit like our great leader Bertie today…..(Peter who was a bit uncouth like Bertie, even taxed the wearing of beards, he stood nearly 7 feet tall and had a nervous..t….t… tic, he liked the auld gargle and encouraged his ministers to do so too)…..however for such a coarse character credit can be given to him for westernising and modernizing Russia…..just like Bertie today ….ahem!
How unlike Sadaam Hussein, Peter and Bertie are …..for Saddam ‘robbed’ his country and citizens blind and had nothing to show for it when he was run out of office. What a decrepit kip Iraq is for a supposedly super rich state……unlike the marvellous architectural jewels that St Petersburgh and Dublin have….thanks to the great visionary political leadership of Peter and Bertie………ahem! -
Yes, I saw the pictures, a truly spectacular place thats never been appreciated until now.
Russia’s backdrop was a river scene in Moscow (admittedly I don’t know what river) flanked by illuminated spires etc. They’ve used this for a number of years now.
How much would it have cost RTE to send out an OB unit to shoot a live scene from Dublin city centre.
(Dont start whinging over Cork, capitals have always been used by every country)
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Ah, yes those dizzying years cruising along on the crest the Eurovision wave until the UK slashed it from under us in 1997.
Interesting that some of the best architecture built in this country during the boom years was RTE’s Eurovision sets, not least 1997 for those who recall, for those who don’t, just look to Latvia this year who blatently ripped it off – suffice to say, not not very well.
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23/5/2005
Arrrggh – those flippin College Green trees in the way again!! And this time 100 million people looking at them! 😀
Even so it was still our best effort in recent years, and the first ever live backdrop RTÉ have ever provided for Eurovision as far as I’m aware! Only a bit too live – for most of the link the 14A was sitting at the pedestrian lights completely obliterating the BoI :rolleyes:
Just typical, you stand at those lights for a solid minute every single day, and the only time they instantly change and hold the traffic up is in full view of half of Europe! – when they’re needed to keep it flowing!Also Trinity’s floodlighting useless as per usual. Indeed some of their lights are facing downwards lighting the grass cause the hinges have gone! If I was that OB director now I’d have brought a handful fo bricks along – not to prop the lights up, but to chuck at the manager of the Maintenance Dept at Trinity College 😡
(I think it’s best for all concerned that we gloss over how I acquired that image :D)
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I was in company having a meal 50 metres from where it was being shot and the gang nearly ran out to heckle our Dana, of all the angles and settings that could have been used for Eurovision this was as you say the worst of both worlds. Although in some ways it was refreshing that they didn’t use Georges Quay with the loopline thrown in for effect. The perfect setting would have been use of the Plaza on O’Connell St taking in the Spire in some way with Ann Summers as the main background. :p
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