Ireland last night failed to qualify for the final of the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest after they were unable to secure enough votes from the European public in the semi-finals in Ukraine.
Ireland's representatives, brother and sister Donna and Joe McCaul from Athlone, were bitterly disappointed at not making the final with their up-tempo Eurovision pop number, Love, written by Karl Broderick.
The duo got an enthusiastic reception from the audience in Kiev. They were joined onstage by four dancers who performed a Riverdance-like break in the middle of the song.
The Irish act featured a last-minute costume change for Donna, from a dowdy black and silver party dress to a more flattering black Dolce and Gabbana trouser suit, flat cap, and stiletto boots.
Last night's Eurovision Song Contest semi-final featured 25 acts, including Ireland, competing for 10 places in the contest final on Saturday evening.
The successful 10 countries from last night join 14 already-qualified finalists. The favourite is Helena Paparizou from Greece, with her pop anthem "My Number One."
This is only the second year that the Eurovision contest has been split into two nights of competition to accommodate the ever-increasing number of participating countries.
Both the semi-final and final are being staged in the Palats Sportu, a 7,000-seat sports arena in Kiev's city centre. The Ukrainian government has reportedly spent over 10 million euro staging the contest, less than six months after the historic Orange Revolution that brought reformist President Victor Yuschenko to power after a decade of oppressive and corrupt post-Soviet government.
The contest was hosted by two well-known Ukrainian television presenters, DJ Pasha and Masha Efrosinina.
Early reports that last year's winner, the Ukrainian superstar Ruslana, would also host, did not materalise, though she has been very present throughout the week's events and staged a charity concert on Tuesday night at the after-hours EuroClub.