The lights may have yet to go out all over Europe on Ireland's chances of wresting victory from defeat at next year's Eurovision Song Contest in Tallinn, the Estonian capital, but they are fading fast.
Artane sales representative Gary O'Shaughnessy's song Without Your Love romped home third from the bottom with a mere six points, well below the top 15 who qualify for a place in next year's competition.
Mr O'Shaughnessy was in good humour at Dublin Airport last night when he arrived from Copenhagen, despite his song's poor showing.
"I did my best," he told the small group of well-wishers who met him at the airport, a sentiment that was readily echoed by disc jockey Larry Gogan.
Honour was saved by a single point from Portugal and five more from Ireland's other EU social partner, the United Kingdom.
But relegation for Ireland remains very much in prospect despite protests voiced yesterday in Copenhagen, not least by the British media at the Danish capital's Parken Stadium.
RTE press officer, Ms Ann Coughlan, said the media "were very annoyed" at the fact that Ireland would not be eligible to enter in 2002.
The French, the British, Germans and Spanish are there as of right, because of the large amounts they contribute annually to the coffers of the European Broadcasting Union.
Without this money the Eurovision and many other EBU activities would not take place.
But it was argued by many sections of the media in Copenhagen that Ireland, which has won the competition seven times and hosted it six times in Dublin and once in Millstreet, deserved to be "in" at Tallinn in 2002 in deference to its long association with Eurovision.
There was no real expectation, however, that the EBU could relent, said Ms Coughlan, "so far as we're concerned we're abiding by the rules".
Louis Walsh, manager of Westlife, Boyzone and Samantha Mumba, was adamant last night that Ireland could have won. "I blame RTE who don't appear to have any interest in it any more, since they allow people to enter who have had no previous television exposure," he said.
Ireland's poor showing was not Mr O'Shaughnessy's fault, he said, but there was no place for amateurs at this level. "Bryan McFadden of Westlife had written a song which would have been perfect," said Mr Walsh, who has had three Eurovision winners, twice with Johnny Logan and once with Linda Martin.