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Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
has participated in the
Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...
55 times since making its debut at the contest in
Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
, missing only two contests since then ( and ). The contest final is broadcast in Ireland on
RTÉ One RTÉ One ( ga, RTÉ a hAon) is an Irish free-to-air flagship television channel owned and operated by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). It is the most-popular and most-watched television channel in the country and was launched as ''Telefís ...
. Ireland has a record total of seven wins, and is the only country to have won three times consecutively. Ireland's seven wins were achieved by Dana with "
All Kinds of Everything "All Kinds of Everything" is a song written by Derry Lindsay and Jackie Smith; as performed by Dana Rosemary Scallon, Dana, it won the Eurovision Song Contest 1970 representing . "All Kinds of Everything" marked a return to the ballad (music), ...
" (), Johnny Logan with "
What's Another Year "What's Another Year" was Irish singer and composer Johnny Logan's first Eurovision Song Contest winning song, achieving success in the 1980 edition of the contest, as well as 's second Eurovision victory. Composed by Shay Healy (who also wrot ...
" () and " Hold Me Now" (),
Linda Martin Linda Martin (born 27 March 1952) is an Irish singer and television presenter. She is best known as the winner of the 1992 Eurovision Song Contest during which she represented Ireland with the song " Why Me?". She is also known within Irelan ...
with "
Why Me Why Me or Why Me? may refer to: Music * Why Me (Kris Kristofferson song), "Why Me" (Kris Kristofferson song), 1973 * Why Me (Styx song), "Why Me" (Styx song), 1979 * Why Me? (Irene Cara song), "Why Me?" (Irene Cara song), 1983 * Why Me? (Linda Mart ...
" (),
Niamh Kavanagh Niamh Kavanagh ( ; born 13 February 1968) is an Irish singer who sang the winning entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1993. The 1993 Eurovision Song Contest was held in Millstreet, County Cork, Republic of Ireland. She sang "In Your Eyes" to ...
with "
In Your Eyes IN, In or in may refer to: Places * India (country code IN) * Indiana, United States (postal code IN) * Ingolstadt, Germany (license plate code IN) * In, Russia, a town in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast Businesses and organizations * Independ ...
" (), Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan with "
Rock 'n' Roll Kids "Rock 'n' Roll Kids" is a song by Paul Harrington (musician), Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan that was the winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest 1994, written by Brendan Graham and performed for . The song was Ireland's sixth overall ...
" () and
Eimear Quinn Eimear Mary Rose Quinn (; ga, Eimear Ní Chuinn, ) is an Irish singer and composer. She is best known for winning the Eurovision Song Contest 1996 with the song " The Voice". Since then she has toured and performed extensively internationall ...
with "
The Voice The Voice may refer to: Fictional entities * The Voice or Presence, a fictional representation of God in DC Comics * The Voice (''Dune''), a fictional ability in the ''Dune'' universe * The Voice, a character in the American TV series ''Cleo ...
" (). Johnny Logan is the only performer to have won twice and also wrote the 1992 winning entry. Ireland, who also finished second with
Sean Dunphy Sean Dunphy (30 November 1937 – 17 May 2011) was an Irish singer who represented Ireland at the 1967 Eurovision Song Contest, achieving second place with " If I Could Choose". He was also the first Irish singer to record in Nashville. Career ...
(), Linda Martin (),
Liam Reilly Liam Reilly (29 January 1955 – 1 January 2021) was an Irish singer-songwriter and a member of the group Bagatelle, formed in 1978 by drummer Walter (Wally) McConville along with bass player Ken Doyle and guitarist John O’Brien. Career In 1 ...
() and Marc Roberts (), has a total of 18 top five results. Since the introduction of the qualifying round in , Ireland has won the contest twice. Since the introduction of the semi-final round in , Ireland has failed to reach the final ten times, and has twice finished last in the final, in and . Ireland's only top 10 result in the last 15 contests (2007–22) is
Jedward John and Edward Grimes (born 16 October 1991), collectively known as Jedward (a portmanteau of their first names), are an Irish singing and television presenting duo. They are identical twins who first appeared as John & Edward in the sixth s ...
's eighth-place in .


History

Raidió Teilifís Éireann Raidi (; ; also written Ragdi; born August, 1938) is a Tibetan politician of the People's Republic of China. He served as a vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress from 2003 to 2008, and the highest ranking Tibeta ...
(RTÉ) is Ireland's representative broadcaster at the contest. The semi-finals are broadcast on
RTÉ2 RTÉ2 is an Television in the Republic of Ireland, Irish free-to-air television channel operated by public service broadcaster RTÉ. It was launched in 1978 as the Republic of Ireland's second television channel. History In the 1970s, the Iri ...
, with the final on
RTÉ One RTÉ One ( ga, RTÉ a hAon) is an Irish free-to-air flagship television channel owned and operated by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). It is the most-popular and most-watched television channel in the country and was launched as ''Telefís ...
. Ireland has sent 50 entries to the Eurovision Song Contest; of these, seven have won and eighteen have finished in the top five, making Ireland the most successful country in the contest overall as of 2021. Since its debut in , the country has missed only two contests: the in
Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
and the in
Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju ' ...
. A strike at
RTÉ (RTÉ) (; Irish language, Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the Public broadcaster, national broadcaster of Republic of Ireland, Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on RTÉ Television, telev ...
in 1983 meant that the station lacked the resources to send a participant, so RTÉ broadcast the contest with the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
commentary feed. Ireland was relegated in 2002, but in keeping with
EBU The European Broadcasting Union (EBU; french: Union européenne de radio-télévision, links=no, UER) is an alliance of public service media organisations whose countries are within the European Broadcasting Area or who are members of the Co ...
rules since they intended to return in 2003, RTÉ broadcast that year's event and a TV commentator was sent to the contest in Tallinn. Ireland have hosted the contest on seven occasions; all were held in the Irish capital
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
except for the , which was staged in
Millstreet Millstreet () is a town in north County Cork, Ireland, with a population of 1,555 (as of 2016). Millstreet is within the civil parish of Drishane, and within a Poor Law Union also called Millstreet. The Millstreet Union encompasses the civil ...
, a town in north-west
County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...
with a population of 1,500 people. All of Ireland's entries have been performed in English with the exception of the entry, " Ceol an Ghrá", which was sung in
Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
. Seán Dunphy finished second at the , behind
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, followed by
Pat McGeegan Patrick (Pat) McGuigan (10 February 1935 – 27 June 1987) was an Irish singer born in Clones, County Monaghan. McGuigan, who spelled his name McGeegan for the stage, first came to prominence in Ireland when his single with the Big Four reached ...
finishing fourth in , before Dana gave Ireland its first victory in with "
All Kinds of Everything "All Kinds of Everything" is a song written by Derry Lindsay and Jackie Smith; as performed by Dana Rosemary Scallon, Dana, it won the Eurovision Song Contest 1970 representing . "All Kinds of Everything" marked a return to the ballad (music), ...
". The country's next best result of the 1970s was in , when
The Swarbriggs Plus Two Thomas "Tommy" Swarbrigg and John James "Jimmy" Swarbrigg are Irish music promoters and former pop musicians. As The Swarbriggs, they represented Ireland at the 1975 Eurovision Song Contest with " That's What Friends Are For". As The Swarbriggs ...
finished third. This was followed by fifth-place finishes for both
Colm C.T. Wilkinson Colm Wilkinson (born 5 June 1944), also known as C. T. Wilkinson, is an Irish tenor and actor who is best known for originating the lead role of Jean Valjean in ''Les Misérables (musical), Les Misérables'' (in the West End and Broadway) and f ...
() and
Cathal Dunne Cathal Dunne (born 1951) is an Irish singer. He is most famous for representing Ireland in the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest with the song " Happy Man". He has since gained a following as Cahal Dunne, performing traditional Irish songs in the U ...
(). Johnny Logan brought Ireland its second victory in with "
What's Another Year "What's Another Year" was Irish singer and composer Johnny Logan's first Eurovision Song Contest winning song, achieving success in the 1980 edition of the contest, as well as 's second Eurovision victory. Composed by Shay Healy (who also wrot ...
". Girl Group
Sheeba Sheeba were an all-girl pop trio popular in Ireland in the late 1970s and early 1980s. They were Maxi, Marion Fossett and Frances Campbell. They are best known for representing the host nation, Ireland, in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1981 ...
then finished fifth in . Logan went on to write the entry " Terminal 3", performed by
Linda Martin Linda Martin (born 27 March 1952) is an Irish singer and television presenter. She is best known as the winner of the 1992 Eurovision Song Contest during which she represented Ireland with the song " Why Me?". She is also known within Irelan ...
, which finished second. In , Logan returned to the context as a performer, and became the first and (to date) only entrant to win the contest twice, achieving his second victory with the self-penned " Hold Me Now". Ireland's most successful decade to date in the contest is the 1990s, beginning with
Liam Reilly Liam Reilly (29 January 1955 – 1 January 2021) was an Irish singer-songwriter and a member of the group Bagatelle, formed in 1978 by drummer Walter (Wally) McConville along with bass player Ken Doyle and guitarist John O’Brien. Career In 1 ...
finishing joint second in . Ireland subsequently achieved an unequalled three consecutive victories in the contest: in , the 1984 runner-up Linda Martin returned to win with " Why Me?"penned once again by Johnny Logan, giving him a total of three victories as either a performer or writer; in ,
Niamh Kavanagh Niamh Kavanagh ( ; born 13 February 1968) is an Irish singer who sang the winning entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1993. The 1993 Eurovision Song Contest was held in Millstreet, County Cork, Republic of Ireland. She sang "In Your Eyes" to ...
was victorious over the 's
Sonia Sonia, Sonja or Sonya, a name of Greek origin meaning wisdom, may refer to: People * Sonia (name), a feminine given name (lists people named, Sonia, Sonja and Sonya) :* Sonia (actress), Indian film actress in Malayalam and Tamil films :* Sonia ...
with "
In Your Eyes IN, In or in may refer to: Places * India (country code IN) * Indiana, United States (postal code IN) * Ingolstadt, Germany (license plate code IN) * In, Russia, a town in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast Businesses and organizations * Independ ...
"; and in , Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan won with "
Rock 'n' Roll Kids "Rock 'n' Roll Kids" is a song by Paul Harrington (musician), Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan that was the winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest 1994, written by Brendan Graham and performed for . The song was Ireland's sixth overall ...
". The streak was broken in when Hiberno-Nordic group Secret Garden, representing Norway, won with the almost entirely instrumental "Nocturn". The group does contain an Irish member,
Naas Naas ( ; ga, Nás na Ríogh or ) is the county town of County Kildare in Ireland. In 2016, it had a population of 21,393, making it the second largest town in County Kildare after Newbridge. History The name of Naas has been recorded in th ...
-born Fionnuala Sherry. The decade would see yet another victory for Ireland in when
Eimear Quinn Eimear Mary Rose Quinn (; ga, Eimear Ní Chuinn, ) is an Irish singer and composer. She is best known for winning the Eurovision Song Contest 1996 with the song " The Voice". Since then she has toured and performed extensively internationall ...
won with "
The Voice The Voice may refer to: Fictional entities * The Voice or Presence, a fictional representation of God in DC Comics * The Voice (''Dune''), a fictional ability in the ''Dune'' universe * The Voice, a character in the American TV series ''Cleo ...
"; Marc Roberts would also finish second for Ireland in , which marked the end of Irish domination of the contest. In the 21st century, Ireland has fared less well, achieving considerably poorer results in comparison to the 1990s. The country's only top 10 placement of the 2000s came when Brian Kennedy finished tenth in . At the , Ireland's representatives were
Irish folk Irish traditional music (also known as Irish trad, Irish folk music, and other variants) is a genre of folk music that developed in Ireland. In ''A History of Irish Music'' (1905), W. H. Grattan Flood wrote that, in Gaelic Ireland, there we ...
group
Dervish Dervish, Darvesh, or Darwīsh (from fa, درویش, ''Darvīsh'') in Islam can refer broadly to members of a Sufi fraternity A fraternity (from Latin language, Latin ''wiktionary:frater, frater'': "brother (Christian), brother"; whence, ...
performing "
They Can't Stop The Spring Ireland participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 with the song "They Can't Stop the Spring" written by John Waters and Tommy Moran. The song was performed by the band Dervish, which was internally selected in November 2006 by the Irish b ...
"; having automatically qualified for the final, the group finished last with five points (all from
Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
), becoming the first Irish entrants to come last in a final. In ,
Dustin the Turkey Dustin the Turkey, a character performed by John Morrison is a former star of RTÉ television's ''The Den'' between 1989 and 2010 and from 2020. He has been described as "the most subversive comedy force on Irish television". A turkey-vulture w ...
failed to qualify for the final with his song "
Irelande Douze Pointe "Irelande Douze Pointe" () is a 2008 novelty song by Irish puppet act Dustin the Turkey, played by John Morrison. The song was chosen to represent Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 after winning ''Eurosong 2008'', Ireland's national ...
"; the same fate befell
Sinéad Mulvey Sinéad Mulvey (born 22 January 1988) is an Irish professional singer & air hostess who, alongside Black Daisy, represented her country at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 with the pop-rock song "Et Cetera". The song was performed in the second s ...
and
Black Daisy Black Daisy was an Irish-Lithuanian band that, along with Sinéad Mulvey represented Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 with the song Et Cetera. Biography The band originated from Dublin, and was formed by Steff Caffrey (lead guitar a ...
in . In , Ireland's luck changed when ''
X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...
'' finalists
Jedward John and Edward Grimes (born 16 October 1991), collectively known as Jedward (a portmanteau of their first names), are an Irish singing and television presenting duo. They are identical twins who first appeared as John & Edward in the sixth s ...
finished in eighth place with 119 points, thus making them Ireland's most successful entry in 10 years. Their song "
Lipstick Lipstick is a cosmetic product used to apply coloration and texture to lips, often made of wax and oil. Different pigments are used to produce color, and minerals such as silica may be used to provide texture. The use of lipstick dates back to ...
" topped the
iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
charts in Austria, Germany, Ireland and Sweden. Jedward represented Ireland again in with "
Waterline The waterline is the line where the hull of a ship meets the surface of the water. Specifically, it is also the name of a special marking, also known as an international load line, Plimsoll line and water line (positioned amidships), that indi ...
", but after making it through to the final, they were awarded only 46 points, finishing in 19th place. In , Ireland came last in the final for the second time. In 2018, Ireland qualified for the final for the first time since 2013 with
Ryan O'Shaughnessy Ryan O'Shaughnessy (born 27 September 1992) is an Irish singer and former actor from Loughshinny, Skerries, Dublin. He portrayed Mark Halpin in the popular TV series ''Fair City'' for nine years (2001–2010). In January 2012, he appeared in th ...
and "
Together ''ToGetHer'' (, aka Superstar Express) is a 2009 Taiwanese drama starring Jiro Wang of Fahrenheit, Rainie Yang and George Hu. It was produced by Comic International Productions ( 可米國際影視事業股份有限公司) and directed by Linzi P ...
", but in ,
Sarah McTernan Sarah McTernan (born 11 March 1994) is an Irish singer-songwriter from Scarriff, County Clare. She is known for taking third place in the fourth season of ''The Voice of Ireland'' in April 2015. She represented Ireland in the Eurovision Song Co ...
finished last in the second semi-final with " 22". Since her song received fewer points than the worst-scoring song of the first semi-final, it therefore came last overall, making it the worst placing for Ireland to date. Following the cancellation of the ,
Lesley Roy Lesley Roy (born 17 September 1986) is an Irish singer-songwriter from Balbriggan, County Dublin Ireland. Roy was signed to an independent Irish label in 2006 followed by a record deal with US label Jive Records. She released her debut album '' ...
, who was due to compete with " Story of My Life", was re-selected to compete in with "
Maps A map is a symbolic depiction emphasizing relationships between elements of some space, such as objects, regions, or themes. Many maps are static, fixed to paper or some other durable medium, while others are dynamic or interactive. Although ...
". She also finished last in the first semi-final, however did not come last overall. saw another non-qualification in
Brooke Brooke may refer to: People * Brooke (given name) * Brooke (surname) * Brooke baronets, families of baronets with the surname Brooke Places * Brooke, Norfolk, England * Brooke, Rutland, England * Brooke, Virginia, US * Brooke's Point, Palawan ...
with " That's Rich", finishing 15th out of 18 countries in the second semi-final. Seven singers have represented Ireland more than once at the contest: Johnny Logan (, ),
Linda Martin Linda Martin (born 27 March 1952) is an Irish singer and television presenter. She is best known as the winner of the 1992 Eurovision Song Contest during which she represented Ireland with the song " Why Me?". She is also known within Irelan ...
(, ),
Niamh Kavanagh Niamh Kavanagh ( ; born 13 February 1968) is an Irish singer who sang the winning entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1993. The 1993 Eurovision Song Contest was held in Millstreet, County Cork, Republic of Ireland. She sang "In Your Eyes" to ...
(, ), Tommy and Jimmy Swarbrigg (as "The Swarbriggs" in and part of "The Swarbriggs Plus Two" in ), Maxi (as a soloist in and as part of
Sheeba Sheeba were an all-girl pop trio popular in Ireland in the late 1970s and early 1980s. They were Maxi, Marion Fossett and Frances Campbell. They are best known for representing the host nation, Ireland, in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1981 ...
in ) and
Jedward John and Edward Grimes (born 16 October 1991), collectively known as Jedward (a portmanteau of their first names), are an Irish singing and television presenting duo. They are identical twins who first appeared as John & Edward in the sixth s ...
in and . Eight people have written and composed more than one Irish entry:
Brendan Graham Brendan Graham (born 1945) is an Irish songwriter and novelist. Among songs he has written are "Rock 'n' Roll Kids" (1994) and "The Voice" (1996), both of which won the Eurovision Song Contest for Ireland in their respective years, and "You Rai ...
(1976, 1985, 1994, 1996), Johnny Logan (1984, 1987, 1992), Tommy and Jimmy Swarbrigg (1975, 1977), Liam Reilly (1990, 1991), Joe Burkett (composer 1972, lyricist 1981), and Niall Mooney &
Jonas Gladnikoff Jonas Gladnikoff (born 11 January 1985) is a Swedish songwriter and music producer. Born in Täby, he began songwriting at an early age. Later in life he moved to Åland in Finland before eventually moving to Stockholm. He has written several son ...
(2009, 2010). In the years when the live orchestra was present in the contest, almost all of Ireland's Eurovision entries were conducted by
Noel Kelehan John William "Noel" Kelehan (26 December 1935 – 6 February 2012) was an Irish musician, former conductor of the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and former musical director of Radio Telefís Éireann. He retired as conductor in 1998. Life and car ...
. The exceptions were 1965 (Italian host conductor
Gianni Ferrio Gianni Ferrio (16 November 1924 – 21 October 2013) was an Italian composer, conductor and music arranger. Life and career Born in Vicenza, Ferrio studied at the conservatories of Vicenza and Venice. Starting in the late 1950s, he was active a ...
), 1970 (Dutch host conductor
Dolf van der Linden David Gijsbert van der Linden (22 June 1915 – 30 January 1999), known as Dolf van der Linden, was a Dutch conductor of popular music with a reputation which extended beyond the borders of the Netherlands. Biography David Gijsbert van der Lind ...
), from 1972 to 1975 (
Colman Pearce Colman Pearce (born 22 September 1938) is an Irish pianist and conductor. Born in Dublin, Pearce was educated at University College Dublin and studied conducting in Hilversum and Vienna. He became a conductor for the RTÉ Concert Orchestra in ...
), 1979 (Proinnsias Ó Duinn), 1994 (no conductor, although Kelehan conducted three other entries from Romania, Greece and Poland) and in 1997 ( Frank McNamara was the musical director for the contest staged in Dublin, but the Irish entry was played with a backing track with no orchestra).
Ronan Keating Ronan Patrick John Keating (born 3 March 1977) is an Irish singer. He debuted in 1993 alongside Keith Duffy, Michael Graham, Shane Lynch, and Stephen Gately, as the co-lead singer (with Gately) of Irish pop group Boyzone. His solo career start ...
(who presented the 1997 contest) collaborated on the 2009 entry for
Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...
. RTÉ presenter
Marty Whelan Marty may refer to: Names * Marty (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters, also includes stage names * Marty (surname), a list of people Places in the United States * Marty, California, a former settlement * Marty, Min ...
has been the national commentator since .


Records

Ireland holds the record for the most victories: seven wins including three consecutive wins. The country has also achieved second place four times and third once. Ireland is one of the few countries to have achieved consecutive wins (along with Spain, Luxembourg and Israel) and the only country to win consecutively three times, and the nation won again in 1996, thereby accumulating four victories in five years. Ireland is the only country to host the contest consecutively and is one of eight countries never to turn down the chance to host the event. Out of 55 appearances and 45 finals, Ireland has reached the top ten 31 times and the top five 18 times. As of 2022, Ireland has not reached the top five since 1997. Ireland holds the record for most points from one country in a year (alongside France) in the 'one point per juror' voting system, achieving nine votes out of a possible ten from Belgium (in ). France had achieved this same feat in . Ireland has an average of 74 points per contest, the highest average, two points above the . During the first semi-final of the 2014 contest, it was revealed that the duo Jedward hold two Eurovision records: the highest hair (18.9 cm) and the biggest shoulder pads.


Participation overview


''Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest''

Ireland was one of two countries to have two entries entered into '' Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest'', with the entry "
What's Another Year "What's Another Year" was Irish singer and composer Johnny Logan's first Eurovision Song Contest winning song, achieving success in the 1980 edition of the contest, as well as 's second Eurovision victory. Composed by Shay Healy (who also wrot ...
" and the " Hold Me Now". Co-host of the contest
Ronan Keating Ronan Patrick John Keating (born 3 March 1977) is an Irish singer. He debuted in 1993 alongside Keith Duffy, Michael Graham, Shane Lynch, and Stephen Gately, as the co-lead singer (with Gately) of Irish pop group Boyzone. His solo career start ...
appeared. Johnny Logan performed his single "When a Woman Loved a Man". Irish winners
Eimear Quinn Eimear Mary Rose Quinn (; ga, Eimear Ní Chuinn, ) is an Irish singer and composer. She is best known for winning the Eurovision Song Contest 1996 with the song " The Voice". Since then she has toured and performed extensively internationall ...
, Charlie McGettigan and
Linda Martin Linda Martin (born 27 March 1952) is an Irish singer and television presenter. She is best known as the winner of the 1992 Eurovision Song Contest during which she represented Ireland with the song " Why Me?". She is also known within Irelan ...
performed as backing singers to most of the songs with
Jakob Sveistrup Jakob Sveistrup (born 8 March 1972) is a Danish singer. He entered the Danish music scene in 2003 as a competitor in the Danish televised talent contest '' Stjerne for en aften'' ("Star for a Night"). He made it to the finals. Unusually, Sveistru ...
who represented in 2005.
Marty Whelan Marty may refer to: Names * Marty (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters, also includes stage names * Marty (surname), a list of people Places in the United States * Marty, California, a former settlement * Marty, Min ...
provided commentary of the contest for Ireland on
RTÉ (RTÉ) (; Irish language, Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the Public broadcaster, national broadcaster of Republic of Ireland, Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on RTÉ Television, telev ...
.


Hostings

Ireland is the only country to have hosted multiple contests in succession; three in a row between 1993 and 1995. Six of the seven contests held in Ireland have been held in
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
; three at the
Point Theatre The Point Theatre (sometimes referred to as the Point Depot or simply as the Point) was a concert and events venue in Dublin, Ireland, that operated from 1988 to 2007, visited by in excess of 2 million people. It was located on the North Wall Qu ...
, two at the
RDS Simmonscourt The Royal Dublin Society (RDS) ( ga, Cumann Ríoga Bhaile Átha Cliath) is an Irish philanthropic organisation and members club which was founded as the 'Dublin Society' on 25 June 1731 with the aim to see Ireland thrive culturally and economi ...
and one at the Gaiety Theatre. In addition, the 1993 contest was held in
Millstreet Millstreet () is a town in north County Cork, Ireland, with a population of 1,555 (as of 2016). Millstreet is within the civil parish of Drishane, and within a Poor Law Union also called Millstreet. The Millstreet Union encompasses the civil ...
,
County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...
. Dublin holds the record for hosting the most contests of any Eurovision host city.


Awards


Marcel Bezençon Awards


Related involvement


Conductors


Heads of delegation


Commentators and spokespersons

Over the years RTÉ commentary has been provided by several experienced radio and television presenters, including
Larry Gogan Larry is a masculine given name in English, derived from Lawrence or Laurence. It can be a shortened form of those names. Larry may refer to the following: People Arts and entertainment * Larry D. Alexander, American artist/writer *Larry Boone ...
, Jimmy Greeley,
Gay Byrne Gabriel Mary "Gay" Byrne (5 August 1934 – 4 November 2019) was an Irish presenter and host of radio and television. His most notable role was first host of '' The Late Late Show'' over a 37-year period spanning 1962 until 1999. ''The Late Lat ...
,
Ronan Collins Ronan Collins (born 9 October 1952) is an Irish broadcaster from Glasnevin, Dublin. Up until 23 December 2022, Collins held the prestige of maintaining one of the longest-running radio shows on Ireland’s national station, RTÉ Radio 1. At its ...
,
Pat Kenny Patrick Kenny (born 29 January 1948) is an Irish broadcaster, who currently hosts the daily radio show ''The Pat Kenny Show'' on Newstalk and the current affairs show ''Pat Kenny Tonight'' on Virgin Media One. Prior to this, Kenny had a 41-yea ...
and
Mike Murphy Michael James Murphy (born 20 October 1941) is an Irish broadcaster, actor and property developer. He is best known for his long broadcasting career with RTÉ, presenting many TV shows such as ''The Live Mike'', '' Winning Streak'' and '' The Bi ...
. However
Marty Whelan Marty may refer to: Names * Marty (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters, also includes stage names * Marty (surname), a list of people Places in the United States * Marty, California, a former settlement * Marty, Min ...
has provided the RTÉ Television commentary since 2000 although Whelan himself had previously commentated for the 1987 event. Ireland did not participate in the 1983 edition in Germany, nor did they send a commentator to Munich that year, but instead broadcast the BBC feed of the contest with
Terry Wogan Sir Michael Terence Wogan (; 3 August 1938 – 31 January 2016) was an Irish radio and television broadcaster who worked for the BBC in the UK for most of his career. Between 1993 and his semi-retirement in December 2009, his BBC Radio 2 weekd ...
as commentator, who welcomed viewers in Ireland during his introduction. RTÉ Radio, however, did provide commentary by
Brendan Balfe Brendan Balfe (born 19 September 1945 in Dublin) is an Irish radio personality, who was on-air consistently for more than 40 years on RTÉ. He retired in 2010. Comedy has been a feature of many of Balfe's programmes. He has won three Internati ...
.


Gallery

File:Eurovision Song Contest 1965 - Butch Moore.jpg,
Butch Moore James Augustine "Butch" Moore (10 January 1938 – 3 April 2001) was an Irish singer and a showband icon during the 1960s. Moore was born in Dublin, Ireland. He achieved celebrity status as Ireland's first contestant in the Eurovision Song Co ...
in Naples (
1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...
) File:Winnares Dana (Ierland) zingt, Bestanddeelnr 923-3687.jpg, Dana in Amsterdam (
1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...
) File:Eurovisie Songfestival 76 Den Haag Red Hurley (Ierland), Bestanddeelnr 928-5033.jpg,
Red Hurley Brian "Red" Hurley (born 11 November 1949) is an Irish singer. Hurley's career includes singing lead for bands such as The Colours, The Wheels, and The Nevada (né The Nevada Showband). He had a series of number one records in the 1970s while p ...
in The Hague (
1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...
) File:Eurovisie Songfestival 1980 ( Den Haag ) winnaar Johnny Logan in aktie, Bestanddeelnr 930-7803.jpg, Johnny Logan in The Hague (
1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...
) File:ESC 2007 Ireland - Dervish - They can't stop the spring.jpg,
Dervish Dervish, Darvesh, or Darwīsh (from fa, درویش, ''Darvīsh'') in Islam can refer broadly to members of a Sufi fraternity A fraternity (from Latin language, Latin ''wiktionary:frater, frater'': "brother (Christian), brother"; whence, ...
in Helsinki (
2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
) File:ESC 2008 - Ireland - Dustin the Turkey, 1st semifinal.jpg,
Dustin the Turkey Dustin the Turkey, a character performed by John Morrison is a former star of RTÉ television's ''The Den'' between 1989 and 2010 and from 2020. He has been described as "the most subversive comedy force on Irish television". A turkey-vulture w ...
in Belgrade (
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
) File:Black Daisy & Sinéad Mulvey.jpg,
Sinéad Mulvey Sinéad Mulvey (born 22 January 1988) is an Irish professional singer & air hostess who, alongside Black Daisy, represented her country at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 with the pop-rock song "Et Cetera". The song was performed in the second s ...
&
Black Daisy Black Daisy was an Irish-Lithuanian band that, along with Sinéad Mulvey represented Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 with the song Et Cetera. Biography The band originated from Dublin, and was formed by Steff Caffrey (lead guitar a ...
in Moscow (
2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
) File:Niamh Kavanagh - It's For You (2nd Semi-final).jpg,
Niamh Kavanagh Niamh Kavanagh ( ; born 13 February 1968) is an Irish singer who sang the winning entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1993. The 1993 Eurovision Song Contest was held in Millstreet, County Cork, Republic of Ireland. She sang "In Your Eyes" to ...
in Oslo (
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
) File:Ireland at ESC 2011.jpg,
Jedward John and Edward Grimes (born 16 October 1991), collectively known as Jedward (a portmanteau of their first names), are an Irish singing and television presenting duo. They are identical twins who first appeared as John & Edward in the sixth s ...
in Düsseldorf (
2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
) File:ESC2013 - Ireland 02 (crop).jpg,
Ryan Dolan Ryan Dolan (born 22 July 1985) is an Irish pop singer from Strabane in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. He is known for representing Ireland in the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest with "Only Love Survives". Career 2013–2014: Eurovision Song C ...
in Malmö (
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
) File:ESC2014 - Ireland 01 (crop).jpg, Kasey Smith in Copenhagen (
2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
) File:20150516 ESC 2015 Molly Sterling 7608.jpg,
Molly Sterling Molly Sterling (born 8 March 1998) is an Irish singer and songwriter who represented Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 with the song "Playing with Numbers". Biography Sterling grew up in Puckane, County Tipperary. She was educated a ...
in Vienna (
2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
) File:ESC2016 - Ireland 01 8.jpg,
Nicky Byrne Nicholas Bernard James Adam Byrne Jr. (born 9 October 1978) is an Irish pop singer, songwriter and radio and television presenter, best known for being a member of the pop group Westlife; he is the band's oldest member. Westlife has since rele ...
in Stockholm (
2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
) File:Eurovision Song Contest 2017, Semi Final 2 Rehearsals. Photo 226.jpg,
Brendan Murray Brendan Hugh Francis Murray (born 16 November 1996) is an Irish singer and former member of the Irish boy band HomeTown. He represented Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "Dying to Try" but failed to qualify for the fina ...
in Kyiv (
2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
) File:Ryan O’Shaughnessy (Ireland 2018).jpg,
Ryan O'Shaughnessy Ryan O'Shaughnessy (born 27 September 1992) is an Irish singer and former actor from Loughshinny, Skerries, Dublin. He portrayed Mark Halpin in the popular TV series ''Fair City'' for nine years (2001–2010). In January 2012, he appeared in th ...
in Lisbon (
2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
) File:ESC2019-Ireland.jpg,
Sarah McTernan Sarah McTernan (born 11 March 1994) is an Irish singer-songwriter from Scarriff, County Clare. She is known for taking third place in the fourth season of ''The Voice of Ireland'' in April 2015. She represented Ireland in the Eurovision Song Co ...
in Tel Aviv (
2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
) File:ESC 2021 Rotterdam 1st Semi Jury Show Ireland (cropped).jpg,
Lesley Roy Lesley Roy (born 17 September 1986) is an Irish singer-songwriter from Balbriggan, County Dublin Ireland. Roy was signed to an independent Irish label in 2006 followed by a record deal with US label Jive Records. She released her debut album '' ...
in Rotterdam (
2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
) File:Eurovision 2022 - Semi-final 2 - Ireland - Brooke.jpg,
Brooke Brooke may refer to: People * Brooke (given name) * Brooke (surname) * Brooke baronets, families of baronets with the surname Brooke Places * Brooke, Norfolk, England * Brooke, Rutland, England * Brooke, Virginia, US * Brooke's Point, Palawan ...
in Turin ()


See also

*
Ireland in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest Republic of Ireland, Ireland has participated in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest seven times since their first appearance at the . Irish-language broadcaster TG4 has been responsible for the country's participation in the contest, and organises ...
– Junior version of the Eurovision Song Contest. *
Ireland in the Eurovision Dance Contest The Eurovision Dance Contest was an international ballroom dancing competition that was held for the first time in the United Kingdom on Saturday 1 September 2007. The contest was similar in format to the long-running Eurovision Song Contest an ...
– Dance version of the Eurovision Song Contest. *
Ireland in the Eurovision Young Dancers The Eurovision Young Dancers 2001 was the eighth edition of the Eurovision Young Dancers, held at the Linbury Studio Theatre of the Royal Opera House in London, United Kingdom between 18 and 23 June 2001. Organised by the European Broadcasting Uni ...
– A competition organised by the EBU for younger dancers aged between 16 and 21. *
Ireland in the Eurovision Young Musicians Ireland has participated in the biennial classical music competition Eurovision Young Musicians 4 times since its debut in 1986, most recently taking part in 1994. Ireland have failed to reach the final in every contest to date. Participation o ...
– A competition organised by the EBU for musicians aged 18 years and younger.


Notes


References


External links


Ireland Eurovision fan website
''escireland.com''

''eurovisioncovers.co.uk'' {{Authority control Countries in the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...