The halls of the Abu Dhabi hotel were thick with tension. Not the usual pre-Eurovision jitters. Something darker.
Dara, Ireland's newest hero, has admitted to this reporter she was on the verge of walking away twice before her triumphant victory. The first time was after a disastrous rehearsal in the run-up to the contest. Technical glitches.
A vocal strain. The pressure of a nation on her shoulders. She told confidants she 'couldn't do it.
' The second time was the night before the final. A leaked betting slip showed she was rank outsider. The bookies had written her off.
So had some of her own team. There were whispers in the green room. A sense of 'why bother.
' But Dara dug in. Called her mother in Cork. Got a pep talk that apparently involved a threat of a 'clip round the ear.
' The rest is Eurovision history. But this revelation sheds new light on the fragility of victory. Inside the camp, sources say the delegation was in 'crisis mode' for 72 hours.
A classic case of last-minute jitters turned into a full-blown rebellion against the odds. The win now looks less like a fairytale and more like a stubborn fight against the system. Expect the documentary rights to be snapped up.
This is a story of grit, not glamour. The Lobby will be watching how this narrative plays in tomorrow's papers.
