In the early days of the Eurovision Song Contest, most winning songs became European hits. A particular early success was the Italian Domenico Modugno's Nel Blu Delpinto Di Blu, better known as Volare which, despite placing second in the 1958, was a hit in every European country and in the US.

Many winning songs from the 1960s and 1970s, most notably ABBA's Waterloo, were major international hits. Since the late 1970s, however, the kind of mainstream pop that characterises most Eurovision winners has become less fashionable.

Lordi's story - worldwide success as a result of Eurovision - is increasingly rare. The contest remains, however, a vital showcase and springboard for artists in Europe - something that it's easy to forget in Ireland, as Eurovision expert Keith Mills argues: "We sing in English and have access to the international labels. For European acts, this is one of the few outlets to an international audience."

A prime example of this is Mihai Traisteriu, last year's Romanian performer, whose fourth-placed song, Tornero, became a club hit and was played on 1,600 radio stations worldwide. Traisteriu now has record contracts in more than a dozen European countries.