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Irish pick turkey for Eurovision
25/02/2008 20:06 - (SA)
Andras Gergely
Dublin - Ireland's rich musical tradition has acquired an unlikely ambassador for the 2008
Eurovision song contest: glove puppet Dustin the Turkey,
renowned for his burps and thick Dublin accent.
The choice of Dustin's song Irelande Douze Pointe (Ireland
12 points) played to mixed reviews on Saturday, with applause
and boos from the audience.
One judge, Dana Rosemary Scallon, a former Eurovision
winner, said: "If it's the turkey, I think we're better not to
go into the Eurovision again."
But Dustin vowed to put Ireland, which has a record seven
Eurovision wins, back on the map after several disappointing
years and finishing last place in Helsinki in 2007.
"Shake your feathers and pop your beak/ Shake it to the West
and to the East," Dustin sings as he makes fun of Riverdance, a
hugely successful Irish dance show.
Bob Geldof
He also takes on "goulash-eating" eastern countries which
tend to vote for each other's Eurovision candidates.
Irish rock star Bob Geldof, who has released a duet with
Dustin, denied he was unfit to represent the country just
because he is a turkey.
"The mere fact of his being a turkey should give Ireland the
edge," Geldof told the Irish Times.
Due to Ireland's disastrous performance last year, Dustin
will have to compete in a semi-final in May, a few days before
the final in Belgrade is watched on television by an audience of
tens of millions.
- Reuters
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South Africa
