Eurovision Song Contest 2006 Hallelujah" was the first ever hard rock song to win the contest, since Eurovision is normally associated with softer pop music and schlager. This was Finland's first victory in Eurovision after waiting forty-five years. It is also noted that they scored the same amount of points in the semi-final and the grand final. The hosts of the Eurovision Song Contest in Athens were Greek singer Sakis Rouvas, the Greek representative at Eurovision in 2004 and 2009, and the Greek American television presenter and actress, Maria Menounos. In the semi-final, both the hosts sang Katrina and the Waves' contest-winning "Love Shine
Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2001 Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2001 Gary O'Shaughnessy represented Ireland in the 2001 Eurovision Song Contest in Copenhagen after winning the national final selection. O'Shaughnessy had previously competed in the 1997 and 1999 national selections, coming in 3rd and 5th place respectively. His song "Without Your Love" was one of seven songs presented in the national final, which was held on 25 February 2001 at the RTÉ television centre in Dublin. Louise Loughman hosted the event, and regional televoting was used to determine the winner. Though O'Shaughnessy won with the most points from the televoting regions, he only received