Eurovision euphoria: Bambie Thug ‘did Cork proud’

CORK is still riding the wave of Eurovision euphoria today, emphatic that while Bambie Thug missed out on the coveted trophy, they did “Ireland, Cork, and Macroom proud”.

The ‘ouji pop’ star secured sixth place in Ireland’s first Eurovision grand final since 2018.

Thousands flocked to Bambie’s native Macroom on Saturday for a mega Eurovision watch party in the town square, organised by local people with the support of Cork County Council.

“It was fantastic,” one of the organisers, James O’Sullivan, told The Echo. “There was a huge turnout; even better than what we expected. We had the weather and we had the crowd. It was absolutely electric is the only word for it.

“All the businesses made a huge effort — every window you walked past there were displays of stuff that took time to do… everybody jumped on board, wanting to do it.”

The Mayor of County Cork Frank O’Flynn said the local authority was proud to support the event, the success of which he said was a “testament to the strong sense of community spirit and pride that thrives in Macroom and throughout the county”.

Mr O’Flynn commended Bambie on their Eurovision performance, saying they had done “Ireland, Cork, and Macroom proud”, and wished them all the best in the future.

Tánaiste Micheál Martin, in a post on X, also said Bambie had done their native Macroom, and the wider country, proud, following a “wonderful performance” and securing the best result Ireland has had in years.

Meanwhile, Fianna Fáil TD for Cork North West Aindrias Moynihan, who lives in Ballyvourney, just west of Macroom, and who attended Saturday’s watch party, said it was a tremendous occasion.

“It was a great night in Macroom; there was a real carnival atmosphere. It was a huge performance from Bambie,” he said, adding that “without doubt” they had done Ireland proud.

The 68th edition of the annual song contest, held in Malmo, Sweden, this year, was won by Swiss contestant Nemo, with their song ‘The Code’, after a week filled with controversy.

Throughout the competition Bambie, 31, had urged people to ‘crown the witch’, but when Nemo was named the winner on Saturday night, Bambie was shown on screen hugging the Swiss singer in the green room in congratulations and then putting their crown on Nemo’s head.

Bambie and Nemo, who are both non-binary and use they/them pronouns, are believed to have formed a firm friendship.

In the build-up to the finale, Bambie was outspoken about their pro-Palestine views, and accused the Israeli broadcaster, KAN, of a rule break, adding they were waiting to hear back from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) about what action would be taken.

Bambie also told journalists after the competition: 

“I’m so proud that all of us are in the top 10 that have been fighting for this s*** behind the scenes. Because it’s been so hard and I’m so proud of us.” 

Bambie also called the week “stressful” and said that what makes the competition is “the community behind it, the love and the power and the support of all of us is what is making change”.

Bambie performed their gothic dramatic song ‘Doomsday Blue’ and appeared on stage with the words “crown the witch”, in Ogham medieval script, written on their body. The singer had previously criticised the involvement of Israel’s representative, Eden Golan, who came fifth.

In a statement following the final, Taoiseach Simon Harris congratulated Bambie for a “stunning performance and tour de force at Eurovision 2024”.

He said the singer-songwriter had done the country proud, adding that the “eruption of applause in the stadium at the end of Ireland’s performance spoke for itself”.

“It’s Bambie Thug’s night as far as we’re concerned.”