Misplaced Pages

Phil Coulter

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
#106893

107-580: Philip Coulter (born 19 February 1942) is an Irish musician, songwriter and record producer from Derry , Northern Ireland . He was awarded the Gold Badge from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors in October 2009. Coulter has amassed 23 platinum discs, 39 gold discs, 52 silver discs, two Grand Prix Eurovision awards; five Ivor Novello Awards , which includes Songwriter of

214-520: A London-born builder, who was rewarded with several grants of land. It is one of the few cities in Europe that never saw its fortifications breached, withstanding several sieges, including the famous Siege of Derry in 1689 which lasted 105 days; hence the city's nickname, The Maiden City . Derry is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in Ireland. The earliest historical references date to

321-576: A counter-festival, Alternativfestivalen  [ sv ] ( ' the Alternative Festival ' ), being held during the week of Eurovision 1975. SR had attempted to negotiate with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and other participating broadcasters to enact a form of cost-sharing to fund the event, however a solution failed to materialise prior to the contest and SR was ultimately faced with funding

428-700: A country had won from first position in the running order. The United Kingdom , Italy , France and Luxembourg rounded out the top five positions, with the UK achieving a record-extending ninth second-place finish. A new voting system was introduced at this contest; each country gave 12 points to its favourite, 10 points to its second favourite, and then 8 points to 1 point to other countries in descending order of preference. This numerical order of points awarded has since been used at every subsequent event as of 2024 . The 1975 contest took place in Stockholm , Sweden, following

535-473: A hit for the Capitol Showband. Other songs he contributed to around that time included his arrangement of " Terry " (1964), a UK No. 4 hit for Twinkle , plus co-writing "I Can Only Give You Everything" with Tommy Scott , which was originally recorded by Them . In 1965, he met Bill Martin and the two became established as a successful songwriting team that lasted more than ten years (Martin for

642-549: A large portion of County Tyrone to form County Londonderry . Planters organised by London livery companies through The Honourable The Irish Society arrived in the 17th century as part of the Plantation of Ulster and rebuilt the town with high walls to defend it from Irish insurgents who opposed the plantation. The aim was to settle Ulster with a population supportive of the Crown. It was then renamed "Londonderry". This city

749-572: A member of the Shadows representing the United Kingdom , had previously supported Cliff Richard at the 1973 contest as a backing vocalist . The Eurovision Song Contest 1975 was produced by SR. Roland Eiworth  [ sv ] served as executive producer, Bo Billtén  [ sv ] served as producer and director, Bo-Ruben Hedwall  [ sv ] served as designer and Mats Olsson served as musical director, leading

856-633: A motion to change the official name of the city to Derry and to write to Mark H. Durkan , the Northern Irish Minister for the Environment , to ask how the change could be effected. The name Derry is preferred by nationalists and it is broadly used throughout Northern Ireland's Catholic community, as well as that of the Republic of Ireland, whereas many unionists prefer Londonderry ; however, in everyday conversation Derry

963-457: A portrait of themselves and the flag of their nation onto a blank canvas. The interval act was entitled "The World of John Bauer " ( Swedish : John Bauers värld ), comprising a montage of examples of the Swedish illustrator's work, particularly from his anthology Among Gnomes and Trolls , set to music from the orchestra. The medallions awarded to the winning songwriters were presented by

1070-459: A red cross and sword on white. In the centre of the cross is a gold harp. In unofficial use the harp sometimes appears above the arms as a crest . The arms were confirmed by Daniel Molyneux, the Ulster King of Arms , in 1613, following the town's incorporation. Molyneux's notes state that the original arms of Derry were "the picture of death (or a skeleton) sitting on a mossie ston and in

1177-912: A scale over a substantial segment of Northern Ireland. A civil rights demonstration in 1968 led by the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association was banned by the Government and blocked using force by the Royal Ulster Constabulary . The events that followed the August 1969 Apprentice Boys parade resulted in the Battle of the Bogside , when Catholic rioters fought the police, leading to widespread civil disorder in Northern Ireland and

SECTION 10

#1732776249107

1284-636: A secret agreement between the Americans and the British before the Americans entered the war. It was the first American naval base in Europe and the terminal for American convoys en route to Europe. The reason for such a high degree of military and naval activity was self-evident: Derry was the United Kingdom's westernmost port; indeed, the city was the westernmost Allied port in Europe: thus, Derry

1391-637: A solo instrumental album called Classic Tranquility . His follow-up, Sea of Tranquility , peaked at No. 46 in the UK Albums Chart , and remained in the chart for fourteen weeks. The follow-up album, Phil Coulter's Ireland reached No. 86 in the UK. He moved from London back to Ireland, where he established his music publishing company on the grounds of his house in Bray , south of Dublin. Coulter's official website notes that he has some 23 platinum records , 39 gold and 52 silver albums. He also keeps one of

1498-458: A spokesperson, connected to the contest venue via telephone lines and responsible for announcing, in English or French, the votes for their respective country. Known spokespersons at the 1975 contest are listed below. Jury voting was used to determine the points awarded by all countries. The announcement of the results from each country was conducted in the order in which they performed, with

1605-773: A strange alliance of Roundhead troops under George Monck and the Irish Catholic general Owen Roe O'Neill . These temporary allies were soon fighting each other again however, after the landing in Ireland of the New Model Army in 1649. The war in Ulster was finally brought to an end when the Parliamentarians crushed the Irish Catholic Ulster army at the Battle of Scarrifholis , near Letterkenny in nearby County Donegal , in 1650. During

1712-473: A walkway around the inner city. They provide a unique promenade to view the layout of the original town which still preserves its Renaissance-style street plan. The four original gates to the Walled City are Bishop's Gate, Ferryquay Gate, Butcher Gate and Shipquay Gate. Three further gates were added later, Magazine Gate, Castle Gate and New Gate, making seven gates in total. The architect was Peter Benson ,

1819-593: A week's violence, a truce was negotiated by local politicians on both unionist and republican sides. (See: The Troubles in Ulster (1920–1922) ). In 1921, following the Anglo-Irish Treaty and the Partition of Ireland , it unexpectedly became a 'border city', separated from much of its traditional economic hinterland in County Donegal . During World War II , the city played an important part in

1926-788: Is also Londonderry, New South Wales and the associated Londonderry electorate . Derry is the only remaining completely intact walled city in Ireland and one of the finest examples of a walled city in Europe. The walls constitute the largest monument in State care in Northern Ireland and, as part of the last walled city to be built in Europe, stand as the most complete and spectacular. The Walls were built in 1613–1619 by The Honourable The Irish Society as defences for early 17th-century settlers from England and Scotland. The Walls, which are approximately one mile (1.5 kilometres) in circumference and which vary in height and width between 3.7 and 10.7 metres (12 and 35 feet), are completely intact and form

2033-529: Is called Derry/Londonderry at other stations. The council changed the name of the local government district covering the city to Derry on 7 May 1984, consequently renaming itself Derry City Council. This did not change the name of the city, although the city is coterminous with the district, and in law the city council is also the Corporation of Londonderry or, more formally, the Mayor, Aldermen and Citizens of

2140-473: Is close to the border with County Donegal , with which it has had a close link for many centuries. The person traditionally seen as the founder of the original Derry is Saint Colmcille , a holy man from Tír Chonaill , the old name for almost all of modern County Donegal, of which the west bank of the Foyle was a part before 1610. In 2013, Derry was the inaugural UK City of Culture , having been awarded

2247-576: Is often dated as the starting point of the Troubles . On Sunday 30 January 1972, 13 unarmed civilians were shot dead by British paratroopers during a civil rights march in the Bogside area. Another 13 were wounded and one further man later died of his wounds. This event came to be known as Bloody Sunday . The conflict which became known as the Troubles is widely regarded as having started in Derry with

SECTION 20

#1732776249107

2354-575: Is used by most Protestant residents of the city. Linguist Kevin McCafferty argues that "It is not, strictly speaking, correct that Northern Ireland Catholics call it Derry, while Protestants use the Londonderry form, although this pattern has become more common locally since the mid-1980s, when the city council changed its name by dropping the prefix". In McCafferty's survey of language use in the city, "only very few interviewees—all Protestants—use

2461-416: The 1974 contest with the song " Waterloo " by ABBA . Nineteen countries were represented at the contest – a new record number of participants. Turkey made its first entry in the contest, and France and Malta returned after a one- and two-year absence, respectively. Greece , after participating for the first time in the previous year's event, opted not to participate in 1975. The winner

2568-703: The Battle of the Atlantic . Ships from the Royal Navy , the Royal Canadian Navy and other Allied navies were stationed in the city and the United States military established a base. Over 20,000 Royal Navy , 10,000 Royal Canadian Navy and 6,000 United States Navy personnel were stationed in the city during the war. The establishment of the American presence in the city was the result of

2675-676: The British Army from Catholic and Protestant families. During the Irish War of Independence , the area was rocked by sectarian violence, partly prompted by the guerilla war raging between the Irish Republican Army and British forces, but also influenced by economic and social pressures. By mid-1920 there was severe sectarian rioting in the city. Many people died and in addition, many Catholics and Protestants were expelled from their homes during this communal unrest. After

2782-622: The Glorious Revolution , only Derry and nearby Enniskillen had a Protestant garrison by November 1688. An army of around 1,200 men, mostly " Redshanks " ( Highlanders ), under Alexander MacDonnell, 3rd Earl of Antrim , was slowly organised (they set out on the week William of Orange landed in England). When they arrived on 7 December 1688 the gates were closed against them and the Siege of Derry began. In April 1689, King James came to

2889-484: The Ireland national rugby union team , which represents both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The result was " Ireland's Call ", which is played alongside, and in some cases instead of, " Amhrán na bhFiann ". "Ireland's Call" has since also been adopted by the Ireland's national hockey , cricket and rugby league teams and by the singing group Celtic Thunder . Coulter has received honorary doctorates from

2996-651: The Scottish pop group Slik , and " Surround Yourself with Sorrow " by Cilla Black . In 1975, Martin and Coulter were joint recipients of an Ivor Novello Award for 'Songwriter of the Year'. The Bay City Rollers had a No. 1 hit in 1976 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart with the Coulter-Martin song " Saturday Night ", a song that was not released as a single in the UK. There were three No. 1 hits in

3103-761: The University of Ulster (1988), Dublin Institute of Technology (2006), and The Open University (2018). He was awarded the Freedom of the City of Derry on 5 April 2022. Coulter co-wrote three Eurovision Song Contest entries: Derry Derry , officially Londonderry , is the largest city in County Londonderry , the second-largest in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest on

3210-522: The lyrics , Coulter for the melody ). They wrote Sandie Shaw 's 1967 Eurovision -winning entry, " Puppet on a String ", which became an international hit which was covered more than a hundred times. The following year their song " Congratulations ", sung by Cliff Richard , came second in the Eurovision Song Contest. In 2008 a Spanish documentary alleged that Cliff Richard had been robbed of victory after General Francisco Franco fixed

3317-534: The (Protestant, formerly-established) Church of Ireland (now combined with the bishopric of Raphoe) and in the Roman Catholic Church. Most companies within the city choose local area names such as Pennyburn, Rosemount or Foyle from the River Foyle to avoid alienating the other community. Derry~Londonderry railway station is often referred to as Waterside railway station within the city, but

Phil Coulter - Misplaced Pages Continue

3424-662: The 17th-century evidence. Toi (song) The Eurovision Song Contest 1975 was the 20th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest , held on 22 March 1975 in the Sankt Eriks-Mässan in Stockholm , Sweden and presented by Karin Falck . Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Sveriges Radio (SR), the contest was held in Sweden following the country's victory at

3531-498: The 1976 event. A total of 19 countries participated in the 1975 contest – a new record number of participants. This included the first ever appearance of Turkey , and entries from France and Malta , which last participated in 1973 and 1972 , respectively. Broadcasters in Greece , which participated for the first time in 1974 , and Austria , last seen in the contest in 1972, had also considered participating in

3638-572: The 1978 heat of A Song for Europe , performed by the Glaswegian performer Christian. Between 1967 and 1976, Coulter and Martin had four No. 1 hits in the UK: "Puppet on a String", "Congratulations", " Back Home " and " Forever and Ever ". There were also numerous Top 10 hits including the Bay City Rollers ' " Shang-a-Lang ", "Fancy Pants" by the glam rock band Kenny , "Requiem" by

3745-579: The 19th century, it became a destination for migrants fleeing areas more severely affected by the Great Famine . One of the most notable shipping lines was the McCorkell Line operated by Wm. McCorkell & Co. Ltd. from 1778. The McCorkell's most famous ship was the Minnehaha , which was known as the "Green Yacht from Derry". During World War I , the city contributed over 5,000 men to

3852-523: The 6th century and the 11th century, Derry was known primarily as a monastic settlement. The town became strategically more significant during the Tudor conquest of Ireland and came under frequent attack. During O'Doherty's Rebellion in 1608 it was attacked by Sir Cahir O'Doherty , Irish chieftain of Inishowen , who burnt much of the town and killed the governor George Paulet . The soldier and statesman Sir Henry Docwra made vigorous efforts to develop

3959-426: The 6th century when a monastery was founded there by St Columba or Colmcille, a famous saint from what is now County Donegal , but for thousands of years before that people had been living in the vicinity. Before leaving Ireland to spread Christianity elsewhere, Colmcille founded a monastery at Derry (which was then called Doire Calgach ), on the west bank of the Foyle. According to oral and documented history,

4066-571: The Battle of the Bogside. The Civil Rights Movement had also been very active in the city. In the early 1970s, the city was heavily militarised and there was widespread civil unrest. Several districts in the city constructed barricades to control access and prevent the forces of the state from entering. Violence eased towards the end of the Troubles in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Irish journalist Ed Maloney claims in The Secret History of

4173-590: The City of Londonderry . The form Londonderry is used for the post town by the Royal Mail ; however, use of Derry will still ensure delivery. The city is also nicknamed "the Maiden City" by virtue of the fact that its walls were never breached despite being besieged on three separate occasions in the 17th century, the most notable being the Siege of Derry of 1688–1689. It was also nicknamed " Stroke City" by local broadcaster Gerry Anderson , owing to

4280-580: The Dutch song. Bakker felt that during the general rehearsals the sound quality was noticeably poorer during their entry, the first to perform each time, and that the sound technicians needed time to fix their equipment, which was generally done during their rehearsal slot. There was a tight security situation at the venue in the run-up to, and during, the event; the Swedish Security Service ( SÄPO ) had received intelligence reports that

4387-510: The Ho'ble Cittie of London, in memorie whereof it is hence forth called and knowen by the name of London Derrie." Local legend offers different theories as to the origin of the skeleton. One identifies it as Walter de Burgh , who was starved to death in the Earl of Ulster 's dungeons in 1332. Another identifies it as Cahir O'Doherty himself, who was killed in a skirmish near Kilmacrennan in 1608 (but

Phil Coulter - Misplaced Pages Continue

4494-518: The IRA that republican leaders there negotiated a de facto ceasefire in the city as early as 1991. Whether this is true or not, the city did see less bloodshed by this time than Belfast or other localities. The city was visited by an orca in November 1977 at the height of the Troubles; it was dubbed Dopey Dick by the thousands who came from miles around to see him. From 1613 the city was governed by

4601-550: The Londonderry Corporation. In 1898 this became Londonderry County Borough Council, until 1969 when administration passed to the unelected Londonderry Development Commission. In 1973 a new district council with boundaries extending to the rural south-west was established under the name Londonderry City Council, renamed in 1984 to Derry City Council , consisting of five electoral areas: Cityside, Northland, Rural, Shantallow and Waterside . The council of 30 members

4708-636: The Merchant Navy taking part in the convoys that supplied the UK and Russia during the war. The border location of the city and the influx of trade from the military convoys allowed for significant smuggling operations to develop in the city. At the conclusion of the Second World War, eventually some 60 U-boats of the German Kriegsmarine ended in the city's harbour at Lisahally after their surrender. The initial surrender

4815-552: The Republic use the name Derry , those in Northern Ireland bear Londonderry (sometimes abbreviated to L'derry ), although some of these have been defaced with the reference to London obscured. Usage varies among local organisations, with both names being used. Examples are City of Derry Airport , City of Derry Rugby Club , Derry City FC and the Protestant Apprentice Boys of Derry , as opposed to Londonderry Port , Londonderry YMCA Rugby Club and Londonderry Chamber of Commerce. The bishopric has always remained that of Derry, both in

4922-440: The Secretary-General of the European Broadcasting Union Henrik Hahr  [ sv ] . The winner was the Netherlands represented by the song " Ding-a-dong ", composed by Bakker, written by Will Luikinga  [ nl ] and Eddy Ouwens , and performed by Teach-In . It was the Netherlands' fourth contest win, following victories in 1957 , 1959 and 1969 ; the Netherlands thus joined France and Luxembourg as

5029-404: The US for the songwriters, the other two (which were chart-toppers on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and the Adult Contemporary listings respectively) being " Thanks ", performed by Bill Anderson and " My Boy ", the Coulter-Martin translation of a French song sung by Elvis Presley . They also contributed incidental music to the 1967 Spider-Man television series, and Coulter also wrote

5136-455: The Year; three American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers awards; a Grammy Nomination; a Meteor Award , a National Entertainment Award and a Rose d'or d'Antibes. He is one of the biggest record sellers in the island of Ireland. His well known songs include " The Town I Loved So Well ", " Puppet on a String " and " Congratulations ". Coulter was born in Derry , Northern Ireland where his father (from Strangford , County Down )

5243-520: The above ideas, the UK's BBC proposed the 12, 10 and 8–1 pattern which was later adopted for this contest, and which had been used in all subsequent editions as of 2024 . Each country had a jury of eleven members ranging from ages 16 to 60, with a recommendation that there should be a balance between the sexes and that half should be under 25 years old. Each jury member awarded all songs a score between one and five immediately after they had been performed, with no abstentions allowed and without voting for

5350-407: The centre. The modern city preserves the 17th-century layout of four main streets radiating from a central Diamond to four gateways  – Bishop's Gate, Ferryquay Gate, Shipquay Gate and Butcher's Gate. The city's oldest surviving building was also constructed at this time: the 1633 Plantation Gothic cathedral of St Columb . In the porch of the cathedral is a stone that records completion with

5457-458: The city and summoned it to surrender. The King was rebuffed and the siege lasted until the end of July with the arrival of a relief ship. The city was rebuilt in the 18th century with many of its fine Georgian style houses still surviving. The city's first bridge across the River Foyle was built in 1790. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the port became an important embarkation point for Irish emigrants setting out for North America. Also during

SECTION 50

#1732776249107

5564-409: The city at this time, Maydown, Eglinton and Ballykelly. RAF Eglinton went on to become City of Derry Airport . The city contributed a significant number of men to the war effort throughout the services, most notably the 500 men in the 9th (Londonderry) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, known as the 'Derry Boys'. This regiment served in North Africa , the Sudan, Italy and mainland UK. Many others served in

5671-405: The complaints about housing and regional policy and a disproportionate amount of the charges about public and private employment come from this area. The area – which consisted of Counties Tyrone and Fermanagh, Londonderry County Borough and portions of Counties Londonderry and Armagh – had less than a quarter of the total population of Northern Ireland yet generated not far short of three-quarters of

5778-462: The complaints of discrimination...The unionist government must bear its share of responsibility. It put through the original gerrymander, which underpinned so many of the subsequent malpractices, and then, despite repeated protests, did nothing to stop those malpractices continuing. The most serious charge against the Northern Ireland government is not that it was directly responsible for widespread discrimination, but that it allowed discrimination on such

5885-426: The contest alone. These discussions, however, did eventually lead to the introduction of a new financing system for 1976 and future events, with the running costs of the event being split across all participating countries. Fears of the potential costs required to host the event should Sweden have won again, coupled with the pressure from left-wing groups, however meant that SR ultimately decided not to participate in

5992-582: The contest may become a target of the West German far-left militant group the Red Army Faction (RAF). The threat to the contest did not ultimately materialise, however one month after the event the RAF targeted the West German embassy in Stockholm. Following the abandoned attempt at introducing a new voting system at the previous year's event, plans for a new system to replace both the system used between 1971 and 1973 and that used in 1974 came to fruition in autumn 1974. A sub-group, comprising individuals from Germany's ARD , Sweden's SR, and Finland's YLE ,

6099-437: The contest, however no entries from these countries were ultimately submitted; Greece had reportedly decided against participating at a late stage, and may have opted to refuse to compete alongside Turkey following the Turkish invasion of Cyprus . Ellen Nikolaysen competed in the contest for Norway for a second time, having previously participated in 1973 as a member of the Bendik Singers . Additionally, John Farrar ,

6206-488: The contest. Broadcasters were able to send commentators to provide coverage of the contest in their own native language and to relay information about the artists and songs to their television viewers. In addition to the participating nations, the contest was also reportedly aired, live or deferred, by broadcasters in Eastern European countries via Intervision , in countries bounding the Mediterranean Sea , and in Hong Kong, Iceland, Japan, Jordan and South Korea. The contest

6313-451: The countries with the most contest wins at that point. It was additionally the first time that the song which was performed first had gone on to win the contest. The UK came second for a record-extending ninth time, and Malta, which had come last in its two previous contest appearances, achieved their best result to date with a twelfth-place finish. Turkey, meanwhile, finished in last place on its debut appearance. Each country nominated

6420-436: The country they represented. The song which gained the most votes received 12 points, followed by 10 points to the song which got the second highest number of votes, and then between 8 and 1 points for the third- to tenth-placed songs. Ties for any of the positions would be decided by a show of hands. The order of presenting the points by each country's spokesperson was done in performance order; it would not be until 1980 that

6527-428: The country's victory at the 1974 contest with the song " Waterloo " performed by ABBA . It was the first time that Sweden had hosted the event. The chosen venue was the Sankt Eriks-Mässan , an exhibition centre in the Älvsjö district of southern Stockholm opened in 1971; in 1976 the venue was renamed to Stockholmsmässan . The Swedish broadcaster Sveriges Radio (SR) had initially been reluctant to stage

SECTION 60

#1732776249107

6634-420: The dexter point a castle". To this design he added, at the request of the new mayor, "a chief, the armes of London". Molyneux goes on to state that the skeleton is symbolic of Derry's ruin at the hands of the Irish rebel Cahir O'Doherty and that the silver castle represents its renewal through the efforts of the London guilds: "[Derry] hath since bene (as it were) raysed from the dead by the worthy undertakinge of

6741-435: The district was merged with the Strabane district to form the Derry City and Strabane district, with the councils likewise merged. According to the city's Royal Charter of 10 April 1662, the official name is Londonderry . This was reaffirmed in a High Court decision in 2007 . The 2007 court case arose because Derry City Council wanted clarification on whether the 1984 name change of the council and district had changed

6848-402: The dress rehearsals, which were also heard by the juries, and in the live contest; specifically, the Yugoslav and Portuguese acts performed their entries in English in the dress rehearsal, and then in Slovene and Portuguese in the final, respectively. The Dutch entrants were given an additional rehearsal shortly before the live transmission; this was requested by Dick Bakker , the composer of

6955-415: The establishment of the city by the London guilds . Derry has been used in the names of the local government district and council since 1984, when the council changed its name from Londonderry City Council to Derry City Council . This also changed the name of the district, which had been created in 1973 and included both the city and surrounding rural areas. In the 2015 local government reform ,

7062-449: The event, mainly due to the high costs that came with it which would have been placed on the organisation. There had also been considerable pressure and disquiet from left-wing groups in the country that initially opposed the amount of money being spent by the public broadcaster on a commercial event, which subsequently developed into a wider protest against the general commercialisation of music in Sweden ; this led to street protests and

7169-459: The house". One of Coulter's most popular songs, " The Town I Loved So Well ", deals with the embattled city of his youth , filled with "that damned barbed wire" during the Troubles . Coulter spent his secondary school years at St. Columb's College . He later studied music and French at Queen's University Belfast (QUB). He started his first band at Queen's University, playing early rock and roll music despite studying classical music. Coulter

7276-540: The inscription: "If stones could speake, then London's prayse should sound, Who built this church and cittie from the grounde." During the 1640s, the city suffered in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms , which began with the Irish Rebellion of 1641 , when the Gaelic Irish insurgents made a failed attack on the city. In 1649 the city and its garrison, which supported the republican Parliament in London, were besieged by Scottish Presbyterian forces loyal to King Charles I . The Parliamentarians besieged in Derry were relieved by

7383-497: The island of Ireland . The old walled city lies on the west bank of the River Foyle , which is spanned by two road bridges and one footbridge. The city now covers both banks (Cityside on the west and Waterside on the east). The population of the city was 85,279 in the 2021 census, while the Derry Urban Area had a population of 105,066 in 2011. The district administered by Derry City and Strabane District Council contains both Londonderry Port and City of Derry Airport . Derry

7490-422: The maximum score of 12 points from six of the voting countries, with the UK receiving four sets of 12 points, Finland and France each receiving two sets of maximum scores, and Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal and Switzerland receiving one maximum score each. Broadcasters competing in the event were required to relay the contest via its networks; non-participating EBU member broadcasters were also able to relay

7597-531: The official form". Apart from the name of the local council, the city is usually known as Londonderry in official use within the UK. In the Republic of Ireland, the city and county are almost always referred to as Derry , on maps, in the media and in conversation. In April 2009, however, the Republic of Ireland's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheál Martin , announced that Irish passport holders who were born there could record either Derry or Londonderry as their place of birth. Whereas official road signs in

7704-570: The official name of the city and what the procedure would be to effect a name change. The court clarified that Londonderry remained the official name and that the correct procedure to change the name would be via a petition to the Privy Council . Derry City Council afterwards began this process and was involved in conducting an equality impact assessment report (EQIA). Firstly it held an opinion poll of district residents in 2009, which reported that 75% of Catholics and 77% of Nationalists found

7811-476: The orchestra. A separate musical director could be nominated by each country to lead the orchestra during their performance, with the host musical director also available to conduct for those countries which did not nominate their own conductor. On behalf of the contest organisers, the EBU, the event was overseen by Clifford Brown as executive supervisor . Each participating broadcaster submitted one song, which

7918-533: The originators of the successful Celtic Woman production, to collaborate on formation of a male version of that production called Celtic Thunder . A stage production at The Helix in Dublin was released on DVD as Celtic Thunder: The Show . Many of the tracks in the show, such as "That's a Woman" and "Heartbreaker", were written by Coulter. Coulter resigned from his position in 2011. In 1984, Coulter launched himself as an artist in his own right and began by releasing

8025-884: The place name, for example, Derrybeg, Derryboy, Derrylea and Derrymore. Londonderry, Yorkshire , near the Yorkshire Dales , was named for the Marquesses of Londonderry , as is Londonderry Island off Tierra del Fuego in Chile. In the United States, twin towns in New Hampshire called Derry and Londonderry lie about 75 miles from Londonderry, Vermont , with additional namesakes in Derry, Pennsylvania , Londonderry, Ohio , and in Canada Londonderry, Nova Scotia and Londonderry, Edmonton, Alberta . There

8132-481: The points would be awarded in ascending order, starting at 1 point and finishing with 12 points. The contest was held on 22 March 1975, beginning at 21:00 ( CET ) and lasting 2 hours and 12 minutes. The contest was presented by the Swedish television presenter, producer and director Karin Falck . Following the confirmation of the 19 participating countries, a draw was held in Geneva on 24 January 1975 to determine

8239-479: The political position. Around that time, Coulter's brother died in a drowning incident in Ireland, which also caused Phil to retreat from the music industry for some time. Coulter is a former president of Derry City Football Club . His son Ryan plays in goal for Forward Madison FC . In 1995, the Irish Rugby Football Union commissioned Coulter to write a politically neutral anthem for

8346-456: The politically correct use by some of the dual name Derry/Londonderry (which has itself been used by BBC Television ). A later addition to the landscape has been the erection of several large stone columns on main roads into the city welcoming drivers, euphemistically, to 'the Walled City'. Derry is a common place name in Ireland, with at least six towns bearing that name and at least a further 79 places. The word Derry often forms part of

8453-408: The proposed change acceptable, compared to 6% of Protestants and 8% of Unionists. The EQIA then held two consultative forums and solicited comments from the general public on whether or not the city should have its name changed to Derry. A total of 12,136 comments were received, of which 3,108 were broadly in favour of the proposal, and 9,028 opposed it. On 23 July 2015, the council voted in favour of

8560-468: The running order (R/O) of the contest. The contest was opened by a film montage portraying various cultural stereotypes of Sweden and the Swedish people . Each entry was preceded by a video postcard, which served as an introduction to that country's entry and to create a transition between entries to allow stage crew to make changes on stage; the postcards showed each country's entrant backstage painting

8667-408: The score to the 1978 film version of The Water Babies . As well as writing hit singles, Coulter produced three albums with Planxty . Christy Moore wrote: "With no competition he gave us a shite contract and we signed everything away. All that said, 30 years on this album sounds good. He produced it well and ... (he had) the foresight and wherewithal to record the band at a time when no one else

8774-406: The site was granted to Colmcille by a local king. The monastery then remained in the hands of the federation of Columban churches who regarded Colmcille as their spiritual mentor. The year 546 is often referred to as the date that the original settlement was founded. However, it is now accepted by historians that this was an erroneous date assigned by medieval chroniclers. It is accepted that between

8881-541: The skeleton "[is] purely symbolic and does not refer to any identifiable person". The 1613 arms depicted a harp in the centre of the cross, but this was omitted from later depictions of the city arms, and in the 1952 letters patent confirming the arms to the Londonderry Corporation. In 2002 Derry City Council applied to the College of Arms to have the harp restored. Garter and Norroy & Ulster Kings of Arms issued letters patent to that effect in 2003, having accepted

8988-449: The sound of instruments featured on stage being mimed by the performers . Rehearsals in the contest venue for the competing began on 19 March 1975, with each participating act having a 50-minute slot on stage to perform through their entry with the orchestra. The first rehearsals for all countries were held over two days on 19 and 20 March and were conducted without their stage costumes. A second round of rehearsals, this time in costume,

9095-427: The spokespersons announcing their country's points in English or French in performance order. The detailed breakdown of the points awarded by each country is listed in the tables below, with voting countries listed in the order in which they presented their votes. The below table summarises how the maximum 12 points were awarded from one country to another. The winning country is shown in bold. The Netherlands received

9202-460: The title in 2010. Despite the official name, the city is also commonly known as Derry , which is an anglicisation of the Irish Daire or Doire , which translates as ' oak -grove/oak-wood'. The name derives from the settlement's earliest references, Daire Calgaich ('oak-grove of Calgach'). The name was changed from Derry in 1613 during the Plantation of Ulster to reflect

9309-505: The town, earning the reputation of being "the founder of Derry"; but he was accused of failing to prevent the O'Doherty attack and returned to England. What became the City of Derry was part of the relatively new County Donegal up until 1610. In that year, the west bank of the future city was transferred by the English Crown to The Honourable The Irish Society and was combined with County Coleraine , part of County Antrim and

9416-519: The vote. The person who made the claim in the documentary, José María Íñigo , said later that his words had been taken out of context. Seven years after "Congratulations", another Coulter song, " Toi ", co-written with Pierre Cour , was performed in Stockholm as the Luxembourg entry by Coulter's future wife Geraldine. Coulter conducted the orchestra for the song, which came fifth. Coulter and Martin also wrote "Shine It On", which finished third in

9523-440: The walls of his office blank, "to remind me that there's still room for a lot more." In the 1990s, Coulter's produced work for both Sinéad O'Connor and Boyzone . In 2001, he was nominated for a Grammy Award in the "New Age" category for his album Highland Cathedral (2000). On 28 October 2009, Coulter was presented with a BASCA Gold Badge Award in recognition of his unique contribution to music. Coulter's first marriage

9630-413: Was a crucial jumping-off point, together with Glasgow and Liverpool, for the shipping convoys that ran between Europe and North America. The large numbers of military personnel in Derry substantially altered the character of the city, bringing in some outside colour to the local area, as well as some cosmopolitan and economic buoyancy during these years. Several airfields were built in the outlying regions of

9737-409: Was a focal point for the nascent civil rights movement in Northern Ireland. Catholics were discriminated against under Unionist government in Northern Ireland, both politically and economically. In the late 1960s the city became the flashpoint of disputes about institutional gerrymandering . Political scientist John Whyte explains that: All the accusations of gerrymandering, practically all

9844-572: Was also founder of the Glee Club, which staged music events for the university. By 1964, his final year at university, Coulter had already written a couple of hit songs in Ireland and he moved to London, where his first job was as an arranger/songwriter with a music publisher in Denmark Street . From here he was hired to work with acts including Billy Connolly , Van Morrison , Jerry Lee Lewis and Tom Jones . He wrote "Foolin' Time" (1963),

9951-518: Was approached by Luxembourg to write a song for the 1975 Eurovision Song Contest , following his success with " Puppet on a String ", which won for the UK in 1967, and his " Congratulations " (recorded by Cliff Richard ), which nearly won in 1968. Whilst looking for a singer he saw Geraldine Brannigan in a Guinness TV advert in Dublin and felt that he had to meet her. She went on to represent Luxembourg and came in fifth place. He later said in an interview on Miriam Meets... on RTÉ Radio 1 that it

10058-477: Was attended by Admiral Sir Max Horton , Commander-in-Chief of the Western Approaches , and Sir Basil Brooke , third Prime Minister of Northern Ireland . The city languished after the second world war, with unemployment and development stagnating. A large campaign, led by the University for Derry Committee , to have Northern Ireland's second university located in the city, ended in failure. Derry

10165-408: Was held for all acts on 21 March, with each country given 20 minutes on stage. This was followed that evening by a complete run-through of the whole show, including dummy voting. Technical rehearsals were held on the morning of 22 March, and a second full dress rehearsal was held that afternoon ahead of the live contest. Some of the participating acts performed their songs in a different language at

10272-670: Was included in the register of entertainers who travelled to that country by the United Nations Centre Against Apartheid, which was published in 1986. In 2002, Coulter was encouraged by the Save the Swilly organisation to run for the Dáil to protect Lough Swilly from aquacultural destruction. After some deliberation, he concluded that work and family commitments would not allow him the time necessary to fill

10379-573: Was listening. Coulter produced The Dubliners 1973 album, Plain and Simple . He wrote or co-wrote many of the tracks. Coulter produced, arranged and wrote most of Joe Dolan 's 1983 album, Here and Now . The album featured several hit singles, including the Irish Top Ten hit "Deeper and Deeper". The album was released in South Africa as Yours Faithfully where it reached number one. In 2007, Coulter joined with Sharon Browne, one of

10486-581: Was love at first sight. In November 1998, Coulter married Brannigan in a low-key ceremony at Wicklow registry office, witnessed by their six children, Danielle, Dominique, Alexandra, Daragh, Ryan and Georgina, and 16 guests. Coulter and his wife live in Bray, County Wicklow . Disregarding the broad international campaign against the Apartheid regime and the imprisonment of Nelson Mandela , Coulter performed in an undemocratic South Africa in May 1983 and his name

10593-519: Was one of a minority of Catholic policemen in the Royal Ulster Constabulary . His mother was from Belfast . He was the fourth child with two older brothers and a sister and one younger sister, each born with a year's difference between them, in a two-up two-down terraced house. Coulter's father, also called Phil, encouraged music in the house. He played the fiddle whilst his wife played the upright piano. The younger Coulter recalls this piano, made by Challen, as "the most important piece of furniture in

10700-408: Was popularly believed to have wasted away while sequestered in his castle at Buncrana ). In the days of gerrymandering and anti-Catholic discrimination, Derry's Catholics often claimed in dark wit that the skeleton was a Catholic waiting for a job and a council house. However, a report commissioned by the city council in 1979 established that there was no basis for any of the popular theories and that

10807-468: Was re-elected every four years. The council merged with Strabane District Council in April 2015 under local government reorganisation to become Derry and Strabane District Council . The councillors elected in 2019 for the city are: The devices on the city's arms are a skeleton and a three-towered castle on a black field, with the " chief " or top third of the shield showing the arms of the City of London:

10914-523: Was reported to have had a possible maximum audience of over 700 million people. A planned broadcast in Chile by its public broadcaster Televisión Nacional de Chile was prevented by SR, following pressure from the Swedish Musicians' Union in opposition to the Chilean military dictatorship . Rolf Rembe , spokesman for the union, said that broadcasting the festival to Chile "would give

11021-437: Was required to be no longer than three minutes in duration. As in 1973 and 1974, artists were able to perform in any language, and not necessarily that of the country their represented. A maximum of six performers were allowed on stage during each country's performance. Each entry could utilise all or part of the live orchestra and could use instrumental-only backing tracks , however any backing tracks used could only include

11128-422: Was set-up, and various new voting systems were proposed: ARD suggested that each country should identify its top nine entries and award points ranging between 1 and 10, while YLE proposed a scoring system to award points to eight countries, with the favourite of each country given 14 points, then 10, 7 and 5–1. The Finnish broadcaster also proposed as a compromise awarding to nine countries 10 and 8–1 points. Based on

11235-518: Was the Netherlands with the song " Ding-a-dong ", composed by Dick Bakker , written by Will Luikinga  [ nl ] and Eddy Ouwens , and performed by the group Teach-In . This was the Netherlands' fourth contest victory, matching the record number of contest wins previously set by France and Luxembourg . Having been the opening song of the contest, it was also the first time that

11342-475: Was the first planned city in Ireland: it was begun in 1613, with the walls being completed in 1619, at a cost of £10,757. The central diamond within a walled city with four gates was thought to be a good design for defence. The grid pattern chosen was subsequently much copied in the colonies of British North America. The charter initially defined the city as extending three Irish miles (about 6.1 km) from

11449-403: Was to Angela Coulter; their second child was born with Down's Syndrome and died aged four. With the encouragement of Luke Kelly , he wrote the song " Scorn Not His Simplicity " to help him get through the difficult time. Kelly recorded the song and it appeared on The Dubliners ' 1970 LP Revolution , becoming the definitive version, later being recorded by several artists. In 1974, Coulter

#106893