[3] A turkey vulture with a strong Dublin accent hailing from Sallynoggin,[4][5] Dustin first appeared on The Den with Zig and Zag in December 1989, but remained there after their 1993 departure to Channel 4.

[6][7] He also outlasted four human co-hosts, all of whom moved to radio: Ian Dempsey, Ray D'Arcy, Damien McCaul and Francis Boylan Jr. Dustin has also had a successful music career with chart-topping singles in his native land.

These albums featured backing vocals from many Irish stars including Ronnie Drew, Bob Geldof, Boyzone and the late Joe Dolan.

Originally the favourite to win, Dustin was chosen by the Irish viewers at Eurosong to represent Ireland in the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest, becoming the first puppet to do so.

Despite it being a public vote, there was a mixed reaction from the live studio audience when the result was announced, including many audible boos.

A panellist on the programme, former Eurovision winner Dana, stated that Ireland would be better withdrawing from the competition than sending Dustin.

Despite her lack of support, past Irish Eurovision entries Dickie Rock and Maxi stated their beliefs that Dustin could win.

His strongly-held republican views led him to publicly confront former colleagues Zig and Zag on 2Phat's 1998 Christmas Special.