The Duskeys' Country-Pop Family Band Settles for 11th

MAY 15 1982 · 12:05

The Duskeys · "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow" · Ireland · 1982 Placement: 11 · Score: 49 · Language: English · Composers: Mike Hanly · Venue: Harrogate Conference Centre · Host: Harrogate, United Kingdom · Type: deep cut · Broadcast: color analog The Duskeys — four siblings from Mayo in coordinated denim — deliver a country-inflected pop song with matching harmonies and matching guitars. Nicole's 'Ein bißchen Frieden' wins for Germany, the first German win. Ireland's 11th place is the country's worst finish since 1974; the home press is polite but cool. Context Mike Hanly, the composer, was a Limerick folk musician best known for writing 'Lonely I'm Not'. The Duskeys were an established Irish country-folk family act. RTÉ's National Song Contest choice was read at the time as a deliberate step away from the Sheeba girl-group direction. Legacy The Duskeys continued as a working family band through the 1990s. 'Here Today, Gone Tomorrow' became a minor country radio staple in Ireland. Ireland would break the mid-table slump spectacularly with Johnny Logan's second win in 1987, reframing the Duskeys as the low point before the next peak.