It's that time of the year when Ireland selects its Eurovision entry. John Byrne meets singer-songwriter Naoimh Penston, who knows both the highs and lows of Europe's biggest pop showcase.
We all have our Eurovision Song Contest stories. Well, at least all of us who ever entered a song with the vague hope of being chosen to represent Ireland and maybe - just maybe - going all the way.
Having been there and bitten off less than I could chew, I know the score. My Eurovision experience went no further than a feeble entry for Eurosong that wasn’t even worthy of a response. Naoimh Penston got much further - and tantalisingly close to a genuine shot at stardom.
It was 1995. Ireland was on a roll after an unprecedented three Eurovision wins on the trot. Back then, Naoimh managed to reach that year’s Eurosong contest with her own tune, Always You.
Agonisingly, she came a close second and Eddie Friel went on to represent Ireland at the Eurovision. Now, 30 years later ("It’s an awful lot of yesterdays," she admits), she has just released her debut album, No Fury.
It’s a largely self-written set, and on one of her songs, Leaving It Behind, Naoimh is joined on vocals by Charlie McGettigan – no stranger to Eurovision, having won in 1994 with Paul Harrington, singing Rock ‘n’ Roll Kids.
In the intervening decades, she’s continued to sing and write songs, worked as a music and piano teacher, performed in musical theatre (check out her storming rendition of Don't Rain On My Parade below), as well as being a musical and choral director. Music’s been her life.
Born Naoimh Kavanagh, she decided to adopt her married surname after people kept confusing her with 1993 Eurovision winner, Niamh Kavanagh.
"She (Niamh Kavanagh) had won it two years before," she recalls. "Paul and Charlie won the year before me, and I had been performing as Naoimh Kavanagh."
She had built up a lot of music business contacts and momentum at that stage, but eventually, she ultimately decided to make the change. "I had a record that got played a bit on the radio, and so – to avoid any confusion – I started using my married name. I felt it was a huge commitment, changing my identity. So I did it – and committed to it."
And as for the spelling - Niamh with an ‘o’ and an 'a' before the 'i'? "It’s Irish for 'little saint'. It’s the original spelling as Gaeilge. N-A-O-I-M-H. That’s me!"
But just missing out on the Eurovision in 1995 was truly a sliding doors moment. And her efforts didn’t go unnoticed abroad either.
"It was a popular non-winner among UK Eurovision fans," Naoimh recalls. "They voted the song the best song never to have won the Eurovision. And they asked to come and perform at an anniversary concert in the UK.
"It turned out that I couldn't make it – but I was really chuffed with the accolade, and it was nice to be referenced. One of them put it up on YouTube and it got lots of views and lots of positive comments."
When I mention that a lot of people all over the world are massive fans of the Eurovision and take it very seriously, Naoimh is adamant. "It is serious, John," she tells me.
"And don’t forget national pride," she notes. "Everything was different back then. Everything was narrower, in terms of our own focus, musically, and our own vision. And we were very proud of it. We had our three in a row." Tongue firmly in cheek, she adds: "We missed out on the four in a row by not picking Always You!"
In another ‘what if’ moment, the song that beat Naoimh to the Eurovision - Dreamin', written by Richard Abbott and Barry Woods, and performed by Eddie Friel – was the subject of a plagiarism claim and Naoimh was put on hold as a replacement if the accusations stacked up.
"It was horrible, it was a horrible time," she says. "Plagiarism is a horrible word. And when it comes to songwriting... Every time you commit a song to paper or to a recording, you're terrified that this song wrote itself too easily. How? Is it somebody else's?
"We're programmed to like certain melodic styles and phrases. So naturally, music consists of the same old ideas that we adapt and change slightly. But it's almost impossible to write an original phrase.
"We have patterns in music, and we follow them because we like them. Certain chord progressions, we just like them. They work. Nobody can copyright a chord progression, as Ed Sheeran so correctly demonstrated.
"And you know, I really felt for them because, on one hand, the young, ambitious me is looking at the opportunity of representing Ireland and thinking how wonderful that would be.
"But on the other hand, the professional twenty-five-year-old that I was, was also very concerned for the guys who wrote the song and for Eddie. They were going through this trauma. Nobody intends to write a song that's already been written."
But Naoimh Penston doesn’t normally dwell on ‘what ifs’ and is very much a forward-looking person. When she reflects on this period of her life, she does so with a big smile on her face.
"Yeah, it's all good, but no, never look back," she says. "It's all wonderful. It's all part of the journey - but that's not to say that there's not more to come, you know?
"And so I just wanted to do this album, No Fury. A lot of these songs were already written, and the oldest is Always You. That was my Eurovision entry. That was written 30 years ago. It's the last song on the album, the coda. The goodbye.
"It's just stripped right back down. No orchestra, just piano. A slightly slower tempo."
She also has fond memories of her performance on Eurosong in 1995. Quite often, such experiences become a blur because you're so wrapped up in the moment. Naoimh's recollection is impressively vivid.
"It was one of the best musical moments of my life," she says. "By the time I got to verse two of the song, I remember the thought going through my head, ‘Oh God, it's nearly over. Enjoy every second of this.’ And I did. And it was magical."
And Naoimh will be one of the many looking in on Friday’s Late Late Eurosong Special to see who gets to represent Ireland at The Eurovision Song Contest in Basel in Switzerland this May.
"Absolutely," she insists. And when the Contest comes along in May? "We'll have a Eurovision party. We'll do it together as a family. We'll watch the build-up, and we'll follow the whole thing. Now, I haven't done it every year, but when I can, I do."
And she’s keen to see Irish entrants take chances, such as last year’s entry by Bambie Thug. "You know, they have to try new things as well. Every year.
"Last year was fantastic," she adds. "That's what was needed. That's what the Eurovision wants."
Niaoimh Penston's album No Fury is available from her website www.naoimhpenston.com
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