Eurovision: RIP Clodagh Rodgers (1971)

Singer was chosen to ease tensions between Northern Ireland and Great Britain

Clodagh Rodgers, the blonde singer from Northern Ireland, has died at the age of 78. Clodagh is best known for her singles that include "Come Back and Shake Me", "Goodnight Midnight" and most of all her Eurovision entry, "Jack in the Box". She represented the United Kingdom at the 1971 Eurovision.

The Eurovision was an entirely different contest at the time. For one thing, Rodgers sang six different songs in the qualifying round, with most votes going to “Jack in the Box”. It landed her in a respectable fourth position (the winner was Monaco’s “Un banc, un arbre, une rue”).

Tensions between Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Apart from having a strong voice, Rodgers was chosen by the BBC to be the United Kingdom's representative for that year with the intent to ease tensions between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Rodgers nonetheless received death threats from the IRA for representing the UK, which she chose to ignore.

Despite its best intentions, politics are never very far from the Eurovision.

After the Eurovision, Rodgers became a successful and well-known TV personality in Ireland and the UK and appeared in several musical shows in the West End.

Rodger’s son Sam Sorbie confirmed her death on Facebook. "With a heavy heart, my dear beautiful mum Clodagh has sadly passed away after battling an illness for the last three years… Mum has lived an incredible life, full of love and happiness.”

This year’s Eurovision will take place in Basel, Switzerland, next May. The UK will be represented by the country-pop group Remember Monday, with “What the Hell Just Happened?”

(Michael Leahy. Photo: picture alliance / United Archives | kpa)