A Song for Europe (Father Ted)
Episode in which Ted and Dougal write "My Lovely Horse" for Eurosong.
"A Song for Europe" is the fifth episode of the second series of the Channel 4 sitcom *Father Ted*, and the eleventh episode overall. It first aired on 19 April 1996 and is widely considered one of the show's most popular episodes.
In the episode, Dougal catches "Eurosong fever" well before the contest. Ted initially dismisses his idea of writing a song for Ireland, citing their lack of musical talent, but changes his mind when he learns that his rival Father Dick Byrne is entering. Ted and Dougal work through the night and produce "My Lovely Horse," a tuneless, under-a-minute song with ridiculous lyrics. When they play it for Mrs Doyle and Father Jack, Jack destroys Ted's guitar with a shotgun. About to give up, Ted discovers that their lyrics fit a tune from an obscure Norwegian B-side from 1976, by "Nin Huugen and the Huugen Notes." Believing the entire band, record company staff, and everyone involved in the copyright died in a plane crash, Ted decides they can steal it without consequence.
At the Dublin theatre for "A Song for Ireland," Ted and Dougal hear Byrne's impressive entry, "The Miracle Is Mine," featuring a full choir and band. Worried, Ted goes backstage and hears the Norwegian tune being whistled by a maintenance worker and playing in a lift, realising it is more widely known than he thought. Forced to fall back on "Plan B," they perform their own composition. Despite their dismal performance and the audience's obvious disapproval, producer Charles Hedges selects "My Lovely Horse" as Ireland's entry. He dismisses Byrne's accusation that he deliberately chose the worst song to ensure Ireland would lose, given the country's costly obligation to host the contest after winning in 1992, 1993, and 1994. The episode ends with Ted, Dougal, Jack, and Mrs Doyle listening as every country awards them "nul points."
The episode is widely thought to have been inspired by real events around Ireland's 1995 Eurovision entry. Facing the expense of hosting a third consecutive contest, RTÉ allegedly chose an inferior song, Eddie Friel’s "Dreamin’," over stronger entries to avoid another victory; it finished 14th and was involved in a plagiarism scandal for resembling Julie Felix’s "Moonlight." A month after the episode aired, Ireland won the 1996 Eurovision, its fourth victory in five years.
Quick Facts
- Series
- Father Ted
- Series No
- 2
- Episode
- 5
- Airdate
- 5 April 1996
- Director
- Declan Lowney
- Writer
- Graham Linehan / Arthur Mathews
- Photographer
- Chris Owen
- Editor
- Mykola Pawluk / Tim Waddell
- Guests
- Maurice O'Donoghue as Father Dick Byrne / Don Wycherley as Father Cyril MacDuff / Peter Caffrey as Charles Hedges / Jon Kenny as Fred Rickwood
- Episode List
- List of Father Ted episodes
- Prev
- Old Grey Whistle Theft
- Next
- The Plague
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
In the episode, Dougal has "Eurosong fever" and suggests writing a song for Ireland. Ted initially rejects the idea but changes his mind after learning his nemesis Father Dick Byrne plans to enter. They write "My Lovely Horse", a tuneless dirge with ridiculous lyrics lasting less than a minute. After Father Jack destroys Ted's guitar with a shotgun, they discover their lyrics fit a tune by "Nin Huugen and the Huugen Notes", an obscure B-side from Norway's 1976 Eurosong preselection. Believing the band and all copyright holders died in a plane crash, they steal the melody.
At the Dublin theatre, Byrne's entry "The Miracle Is Mine" is extremely impressive. Ted hears the Norwegian tune being whistled by a maintenance worker and playing in a lift, realising the song is better known than he thought. They are forced to perform their own composition. Despite a dismal performance, producer Charles Hedges selects "My Lovely Horse" as Ireland's entry, laughing off suggestions he deliberately chose the worst song to avoid hosting costs. The episode ends with Ted, Dougal, Jack and Mrs. Doyle listening as every country awards them "nul points".
Reader's Guide
The episode is often regarded as one of the most popular of Father Ted, appearing on the Best Of video, with one of the most memorable moments being the video for "My Lovely Horse". It has been widely claimed that the episode was inspired by real events surrounding Ireland's selection of its entry for the 1995 Eurovision Song Contest, where RTÉ were said to have chosen an inferior quality song to avoid hosting a fourth consecutive contest. The song "My Lovely Horse" was written by Graham Linehan, Arthur Mathews and Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy, produced by Darren Allison and Neil Hannon during sessions for The Divine Comedy's Casanova album, and released as a B-side to the band's 1999 single "Gin Soaked Boy". The video was based on a 1975 lifestyle video for "That's What Friends are For" by The Swarbriggs, Ireland's 1975 Eurovision entry. Outdoor sequences were shot in the grounds of the Falls Hotel in Ennistymon, County Clare. In 2026, RTÉ announced they would broadcast a repeat of the episode on the night of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 due to Ireland boycotting the event over the inclusion of Israel; Linehan accused RTÉ of antisemitism and disagreed with the episode being used in this way.
Did You Know?
- Steve Coogan was intended to play compère Fred Rickwood but was unavailable; Jon Kenny replaced him.
- In May 2014, a petition to make "My Lovely Horse" Ireland's entry for Eurovision 2015 was rejected by the Oireachtas petitions committee.
More in Father Ted episodes 1-24
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