What can one say about Ireland? After a solid start in the 60s
with a string of male balladeers, they took the crown in 1970. The next few
years rather surprisingly saw them mid-table, but they rallied again in the late
70s and achieved five consecutive top 5 finishes, headed by Johnny Logan's first
win in 1980.
With very few exceptions they remained competitive nearly every
year for the next decade and a half, and their three consecutive wins and four
out of six will surely never be surpassed. This kind of dominance couldn't
last forever, and the approach of the millennium saw a less successful Ireland
who in 2001 suffered the indignity of relegation after a bottom 3 finish
unthinkable just a few years previously.
This infamy was repeated three years later
when only the UK vote saved Ireland from a big fat zero, even
with a song written by Westlife's Bryan McFadden. It took the
accomplished Bryan Kennedy to restore them (briefly) to the top
ten before folk group Dervish landed Ireland's first ever last
place in 2007. If it was any consolation, they were joined
at the foot of the Helsinki scoreboard by France and the UK, the
other two most successful countries in contest history.
1956>
No entries
<1964
1965
I'm Walking The Streets In The Rain
Butch Moore
06/18
€€€€€€€
1966
Come Back To Stay
Dickie Rock
04/18
€€€€€€€€
1967
If I Could Choose
Sean Dunphy
02/17
€€€€€€€€€
1968
Chance Of A Lifetime
Pat McGuiggan
04/17
€€€€€€€€
1969
The Wages Of Love
Muriel Day & The Lindsays
07/16
€€€€€€
1970
All Kinds Of Everything
Dana
01/12
€€€€€€€€€€
1971
One Day Love
Angela Farrell
11/18
€€€€
1972
Ceol An Ghra
Sandie Jones
15/18
€€
1973
Do I Dream
Maxi
10/17
€€€€€
1974
Cross Your Heart
Tina
07/17
€€€€€€
1975
That's What Friends Are For
The Swarbriggs
09/19
€€€€€€
1976
When
Red Hurley
10/18
€€€€€
1977
It's Nice To Be In Love Again
The Swarbriggs Plus Two
03/18
€€€€€€€€€
1978
Born To Sing
Colm Wilkinson
05/20
€€€€€€€
1979
Happy Man
Cathal Dunne
05/19
€€€€€€€€
1980
What's Another Year
Johnny Logan
01/19
€€€€€€€€€€
1981
Horoscopes
Sheeba
05/20
€€€€€€€
1982
Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
The Duskeys
11/18
€€€€
1983
No Entry
1984
Terminal 3
Linda Martin
02/19
€€€€€€€€€
1985
Wait Until The Weekend Comes
Maria Christian
06/19
€€€€€€€
1986
You Can Count On Me
Luv Bug
04/20
€€€€€€€€
1987
Hold Me Now
Johnny Logan
01/22
€€€€€€€€€€
1988
Take Him Home
Jump The Gun
08/21
€€€€€€€
1989
The Real Me
Kiev Connolly & Miss'g Passengers
18/22
€€
1990
Somewhere In Europe
Liam Reilly
02/22
€€€€€€€€€
1991
Could It Be That I'm In Love
Kim Jackson
10/22
€€€€€€
1992
Why Me
Linda Martin
01/23
€€€€€€€€€€
1993
In Your Eyes
Niamh Kavanagh
01/25
€€€€€€€€€€
1994
Rock 'n' Roll Kids
Paul Harrington & Charlie
McG'gan
01/25
€€€€€€€€€€
1995
Dreamin'
Eddie Friel
14/23
€€€€
1996
The Voice
Eimear Quinn
01/23
€€€€€€€€€€
1997
Mysterious Woman
Marc Roberts
02/25
€€€€€€€€€
1998
Is Always Over Now
Dawn
09/25
€€€€€€€
1999
When You Need Me
The Mullans
17/23
€€€
2000
Millennium Of Love
Eamonn Toal
06/24
€€€€€€€€
2001
Without Your Love
Gary O'Shaughnessy
21/23
€
2002
2003
We've Got The World Tonight
Mickey Joe Harte
11/26
€€€€€€
2004
If The World Stopped
Turning
Chris Doran
23/24
€
2005
Love
Donna & Joe
DNQ
2006
Every Song Is A Cry For Love
Brian Kennedy
10/24
€€€€€€
2007
They Can't Stop The Spring
Dervish
24/24
€
2008
Irelande Douze Pointe
Dustin The Turkey
DNQ
-
Sandie Jones 1972 entry was uniquely in
Irish Gaelic
