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While Ireland only made
its Eurovision debut in 1965, television viewers on the east coast
of the country were able to see the contest for several years before
that thanks to the B.B.C.. The official Irish pop charts began in
1962, a full decade after their British equivalents, which meant
that singles like “Nel Blu Del Pinto De Blu (Volare)” by Domenico
Modugno the Italian entry in 1958, and “Are You Sure” by the
Allisons, the U.K.’s entry in 1961 never reached the chart, despite
both selling well in Ireland.
It was another U.K.
entry that became the first Eurovision song to become a hit in the
Irish chart. Ronnie Carroll’s “Say Wonderful Things To Me” (left)
may have only finished 4th at Eurovision in 1963, but it
reached #6 in the Irish chart, a position it also attained in the
U.K. Carroll was already a popular singer in both countries
following his Top 10 hit “Roses Are Red” in 1962.
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The 1960s
Hit List |
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1963 U.K. "Say Wonderful Things To Me"-Ronnie Carroll #6 |
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1964 Italy "No Ho L’Eta"-Gigliola Cinquetti #4 |
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1965 Ireland "Walking The Streets In The Rain"-Butch Moore #1 |
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1966 Ireland "Come Back To Stay"-Dickie Rock #1 |
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1966 Irish NF "The Wind Through The Rafters"-The Ludlows
#8 |
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1967 U.K. "Puppet On A String"-Sandie Shaw #1 |
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1967 Ireland "If I Can Choose"-Sean Dunphy #2 |
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1967 Luxembourg "Love Is Blue"-Paul Mauriat #4
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1967 Luxembourg "Love Is Blue"-Jeff Beck #20
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1967 Luxembourg "Love Is Blue"-The Dells #18
* |
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1967 Irish NF "Back To The Hills/Canavaun"-Patricia Cahill #13 |
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1967 Irish NF "The World Outside"-Deirdre O'Callaghan #15 |
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1968 Ireland "Chance In A Lifetime"- Pat McGeegan #1 |
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1968 Ireland "Congratulations"-Cliff Richard #1 |
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1969 Ireland "Wages Of Love-Muriel Day #1 |
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1969 U.K. "Boom Bang A Bang"-Lulu #1 |
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*
Cover version of Eurovision song. |
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The first Eurovision
winner to become a chart hit in Ireland came in 1964, when Italy’s
“No Ho L’Eta” sung by Gigliola Cinquetti became a surprise #4 hit,
after RTÉ transmitted the contest live from Copenhagen. Just as now,
it was most unusual for a foreign language song to hit the Irish
chart, and “No Ho L’Eta” became the first non English hit in the
Irish Top 10.
In 1965 the first Irish
Eurovision entry “Walking The Streets In The Rain” sung by Butch
Moore, became one of the biggest selling singles of the year, and
went to #1 in the Irish chart. It should be noted that in the 1960s,
singles by Irish singers also mentioned the showbands with which
they performed, so The Capitol Showband also received a credit,
despite not playing on the single. Despite massive interest in
Ireland in the contest, neither the winning song from Luxembourg,
nor the U.K. entry by Kathy Kirby became hits in Ireland.
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In 1966 it was the
hugely popular Dickie Rock of the Miami Showband who won the right
to represent Ireland in Luxembourg with the song “Come Back To Stay”
(left). Once again the Irish entry topped the local chart and became
one of the year’s biggest hits, but neither the winner from Austria
nor the U.K. entry, both of which were released in Ireland managed
to become hits in Ireland. One single that did hit the Top 10 was
“The Wind Through The Rafters” by the popular Irish ballad group The
Ludlows . Despite only finishing 2nd in the Irish
National Song Contest, this song reached #8 in Ireland.
In 1967 interest in the
Eurovision Song Contest reached a new high in Ireland. Both the
Irish entry “If I Could Choose” sung by Sean Dunphy and the U.K.’s
“Puppet On A String” sung by Sandie Shaw which was co-written by
Derryman Phil Coulter entered the Irish chart in the week before the
competition staged in Vienna. In the contest the U.K. won for the
first time, and Ireland was second. The two songs were also involved
in a very tight chart battle in Ireland with “Puppet On A String”
spending several weeks at #1, and “If I Could Choose” once again
having to settle for the #2 slot. Also in 1967 Patricia Cahill sang
two songs in the Irish Final and both were coupled and released as a
single; "Back To The Hills"/"Canavaun" reached #13 in the charts.
"Back To The Hills" had finished second in the final and "Canavaun"
finished 4th. Another song "The World Outside" was sung by Deidre O
Callaghan in the Irish Final and was released as a single by The We
4, featuring Deirdre on lead vocals reached #15 in the Irish charts.
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With the 1968 contest
being staged in London, the build up to the contest saw both the
U.K. and Irish entries enter the chart. Cliff Richard went to #1
with the U.K. entry “Congratulations” (left), a position also
reached by “Chance Of A Lifetime” by Pat McGeegan, the Irish entry.
This is the first time that two Eurovision entries from the same
contest topped the Irish chart. The winning entry from Spain; “La La
La” made no impact in Ireland or in the U.K.
While two songs were
fighting it out for number one, at the same time another Eurovision
chart battle was going on further down the chart. French bandleader
Paul Mauriat had recorded the Luxembourg entry from 1967 and turned
“Love Is Blue” into a worldwide hit. British guitarist Jeff Beck had
also recorded the song. Both versions reached the Irish chart, with
Mauriat’s reaching #4 and Beck having to settle for #20. “Love Is
Blue” would return to the Irish chart in 1969 as part of a medley
with “I Can Sing A Rainbow” sung by The Dells. The single reached
#18 in Ireland.
1969 was the year of
four Eurovision winners and for a third year in a row the U.K. entry
went to number one in Ireland with Lulu’s “Boom Bang A Bang” being
the only one of the four winners to become a hit in Ireland. Muriel
Day also managed to top the Irish charts with “Wages Of Love”, the
first up-tempo Irish Eurovision entry, meaning that for the second
year in a row, Eurovision produced two Irish chart toppers.
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The 1970s saw Ireland's
first victory and the first time that RTE staged the Eurovision Song
Contest in Dublin. This was the decade that produced more Eurovision
hits singles than any other, both in Ireland and elsewhere in
Europe, as songs like "Waterloo" and "Save All Your Kisses For Me"
went onto being worldwide million selling hits and giving the
contest its most successful period in terms of songs becoming
international charts hits.
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In 1970 Ireland finally
gained its first Eurovision win. “All Kinds Of Everything” sung by
Dana (left) was already a big hit in Ireland before going on to be a
clear winner in Amsterdam. It topped the Irish charts for nine
weeks, going on to be the biggest selling single of the year. The
single also reached #1 in the U.K. and became a major European hit,
launching Dana’s international music career. The song that finished
second at Eurovision also reached the #2 slot in both the Irish and
U.K. charts. Mary Hopkin’s “Knock Knock Who’s There” was one of
several hits which the Welsh singer had in the late 1960s and early
1970s.
Interestingly another
Eurovision related single also reached the Irish chart in 1970.
Maxi, Dick & Twink were one of the most popular girl groups on the
Irish music scene in the late 1960’s and early 1970s. In 1970 they
entered the National Song Contest and their song “Things You Hear
About Me” finished second and when released on single reached #17 in
Ireland. Maxi would go on to represent Ireland twice at Eurovision,
while Twink would become one of Ireland’s top television
personalities of the 1970s and 1980s and continues to remain in the
public spotlight today.
With Dublin hosting the
1971 contest, interest in Eurovision reached an unprecedented level.
The Irish National Song Contest threw up a major surprise when
relative unknown Angela Farrell and “One Day Love” beat songs
performed by better known singers like Red Hurley, Sonny Knowles and
Danny Doyle. Unfortunately “One Day Love” proved a disappointment on
two fronts, becoming the first Irish entry to miss out on a Top 10
finish at Eurovision, and surprisingly only reaching #4 in the Irish
charts, considering the local interest in the contest in that year. |
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However
1971 became the first year when three Eurovision entries became
hits in Ireland with Monaco’s winning entry “Un Banc, Un Arbre,
Une Rue” sung by Severine reaching #3 and “Jack In The Box” sung
by Clodagh Rodgers from Northern Ireland reaching #5 having
finished in U.K.'s favourite runner-up spot at Eurovision.
As noted above, the
1970s were the heydays of Eurovision in terms of producing hits and
1972 was no exception. Sandie Jones sang the only Eurovision
song in Irish Gaelic in Edinburgh, and while the song flopped badly
in the contest, finishing 15th, it became the first Irish
#1 hit single in Gaelic. The U.K. entry “Beg, Steal Or Borrow”
reached #3 for the New Seekers and Luxembourg’s entry which won the
contest, had an unusual chart history. “Apres Toi” the
original French version hit #3, then the record company “flipped”
the single and the English version “Come What May” hit #2.
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Ironically the song
that stopped Vicky Leandros (left) from getting to #1 in Ireland was
another Eurovision song. The popular Irish showband The Dixies
recorded an English language cover version of the 1973 Dutch
Eurovision entry “Als Het Om De Liefde Gaat” which
finished 4th in Luxembourg. The instantly catchy single
which was titled “What Do I Do” in English featured lead vocals by
Joe O’Toole and and 1972 Irish Eurovision singer, Sandie Jones
topped the Irish chart, becoming the first Eurovision cover version
to become an Irish #1. Sandie Jones therefore became the first
singer to top the Irish charts with two different Eurovision
entries, a feat that would later be repeated by Johnny Logan.
In total 1973 saw three
Eurovision songs become hits in the Irish chart. “Do I Dream” sung
by Maxi reached #7, while the U.K. entry “Power To All Our Friends”
gave Cliff Richard a #2 hit. The Eurovision winner “Tu Te
Reconnaîtras” was rather slow to take off in the Irish charts and
only became a hit in its English version, under the title “Wonderful
Dream”. It eventually reached a peak position of #3.
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The 1970s Hit List |
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1970 Ireland "All Kinds Of Everything"-Dana #1 |
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1970 U.K. "Knock Knock Who's There"-Mary Hopkin #2 |
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1970 Irish NF "Things You Hear About Me"-Maxi Dick & Twink
#17 |
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1971 Monaco "Un Banc, Un Arbre, Une Rue"-Severine #3 |
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1971 Ireland "One Day Love"-Angela Farrell #4 |
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1971 U.K. "Jack In The Box"-Clodagh Rodgers #5 |
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1972 Ireland "Ceol An Ghrá"-Sandie Jones #1 |
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1972 Luxembourg "Apés
Tol/Come What May"-Vicky Leandros
#2 |
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1972 U.K. "Beg Steal Or Borrow"-New Seekers #3 |
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1972 Netherlands "What Do I Do"-The Dixies #1
* |
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1973 Ireland "Do I Dream"-Maxi #7 |
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1973 U.K. "Power To All Our Friends"-Cliff Richard #2 |
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1973 Luxembourg "Wonderful Dream"-Anne-Marie David #3 |
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1974 Ireland "Cross Your Heart"-Tina #1 |
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1974 Sweden "Waterloo"-ABBA #1 |
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1974 Netherlands "Mouth & McNeal-"I See A Star" #1 |
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1974 Italy "Go (Before You
Break My Heart)"-Gigliola Coquette #3 |
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1974 U.K. "Long Live Love"-Olivia Newton-John #9 |
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1975 Ireland "That's What Friends Are For"- The Swarbriggs
#2 |
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1975 Netherlands "Ding A Dong"-Teach-In #8 |
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1975 U.K. "Let Me Be The One"-The Shadows #10 |
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1975 Luxembourg "Toi"/"You"-Geraldine #18 |
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1976 U.K. "Save All Your Kisses For Me"-Brotherhood Of Man
#1 |
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1976 Ireland. Red Hurley-"When" #4 |
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1976 Irish NF "Danny"-Cathal Dunne" #8 |
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1977 Ireland "It's Nice To Be In Love Again"-Swarbriggs
Plus Two #1 |
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1977 U.K. "Rock Bottom"-Lynsey DePaul & Mike Moran #6 |
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1977 Irish NF "There Was A Dream"-Colm Wilkinson #2 |
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1977 Irish NF "Goodbye, Goodbye"-Chips #2 |
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1977 Irish NF "Da-dum-da-dum-da I Love You So"-Denis Allen #7 |
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1978 Ireland "Born To Sing"-Colm Wilkinson #8 |
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1978 Irish NF "You Gotta Get Up"-Reform #3 |
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1979 Israel "Hallelujah"-Milk And Honey #1 |
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1979 Ireland "Happy Man"-Cathal Dunne #3 |
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1979 U.K. "Mary Ann"-Black Lace #19 |
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*
Cover version of Eurovision song. |
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If 1973 was a good year
for Irish chart hits, then 1974 was to become the best ever for
Eurovision related songs. Tina’s “Cross Your Heat”, the Irish entry
in Brighton, was #1 before the contest, and after the show it was
joined in the Top 10 by an amazing four other Eurovision songs. The
U.K. entry “Long Live Love” sung by Olivia Newton-John who was
already a popular singer in Ireland reached #9. The top three songs
in Brighton all became huge hits in Ireland. The Swedish winner
“Waterloo” by Abba (left) raced to #1 and ended up being knock off
the top spot by the Dutch entry “I See A Star” sung by Mouth &
McNeal, which had finished 3rd in Brighton. The Italian
entry, “Si” sung by 1964 winner Gigliola Cinquetti, which was the
pre-contest favourite, and finished 2nd at Eurovision
became a #6 hit in Ireland when translated to English under the
title “Go (Before You Break My Heart)". With five Top 10 hits,
Eurovision had reached its peak as far as Irish music buyers were
concerned.
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1975 saw the Tommy and
Jimmy Swarbrigg represent Ireland in Stockholm with their own song
“That’s What Friends Are For” (left). This is the first time that
the Irish Eurovision singers performed a song they had written
themselves and The Swarbriggs were well known on the Irish music
scene, especially through a string of hits with The Times showband.
“That’s What For” reached #2 in Ireland and was the biggest of four
hits which were performed in the 1975 Eurovision Song Contest. “Ding
A Dong” performed by the Teach-In group won the competition for The
Netherlands and reached #8 in the Irish chart, the U.K. entry “Let
Me Be The One” by The Shadows reached #10 while the Luxembourg entry
which was co-written by Phil Coulter and performed at Eurovision by
Irish singer Geraldine Branagan reached #18 as a double a-side
single of “Toi” and the English version “You”.
1976 was unusual
because the chart battle began before the contest. Red Hurley was
one of Ireland’s most popular singers in the 1970s and his
Eurovision song “When” reached #4 in Ireland. However the U.K. entry
beat it in the race for #1. Brotherhood Of Man’s “Save All Your
Kisses For Me” biggest one of Eurovision’s biggest ever hit singles,
topping the U.K. and Irish charts and going onto to be a
multi-million seller all over the world. Another hit came from the
Irish National Song Contest; "Danny" sung by Cathal Dunne reached #8
after finishing 4th. Cathal would of course get to Eurovision three
years later.
The 1977 Eurovision
Song Contest was delayed for a month because of a BBC technicians
strike, but the delay helped the Swarbriggs, this time “Plus Two”
with the addition of Alma Carroll and Nicola Kerr reach #1 in
Ireland with “It’s Nice To Be In Love Again”. Lynsey De Paul had
already had several hits and returned to the Irish Top 10 reaching
#7 with "Rock Bottom", her Eurovision duet with Mike Moran. That
song finished 2nd at Eurovision, beaten by the French entry "L'Oiseau
Et L'Enfant". That song became the first Eurovision winner since
1969 to fail to become a hit in Ireland.
While the Eurovision
winner wasn't a hit in Ireland, an amazing three songs that lost out
in the Irish National Song Contest made the Irish charts. Colm
Wlkinson reached #2 with "There Was A Dream" which finished 3rd.
"Goodbye Goodbye" by Chips, featuring Linda Martin on vocals which
finished 4th reached #2 in the Irish chart, while Limerick man
Dennis Allen had a #7.hit with "Da-Dum-Da-Dum-Da I Love Out So",
which finished 5th.
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A similar fate would
befall the 1978 Israeli Eurovision winner "A-Ba-Ni-Bi", which
despite lots of airplay, failed to become a hit in Ireland. Indeed
the only song from the contest to make the chart was Colm
Wilkinson's "Born To Sing", and that reached a disappointing #8
making it the smallest Irish Eurovision hit to that point. The
biggest Eurovision related hit in 1978 was a song that didn't even
get to Paris. Limerick group Reform (left) got to #3 in Ireland with
"You Gotta Get Up", written by the band. Despite the fact that the
song only finished 5th in the National Song Contest, many Irish
Eurovision fans feel that had the song gone to Eurovision, Ireland
would have secured its second Eurovision win in 1978.
In contrast to the
Israeli winner a year earlier, the 1979 Eurovision winning song
"Hallelujah" by Milk & Honey was a massive hit in Ireland,
shooting to #1, following its victory in Jerusalem. The Irish
entry "Happy Man" sung by Cathal Dunne, reached #3, to give the
Cork man his second Eurovision related hit. While the U.K. entry
in Jerusalem, "Mary Ann" by Black Lace reached #19. The band
would have a much bigger hit five years later when "Agadoo"
would become one of 1984's big summer hits.
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While the contest
remained popular in Ireland during the 1980s, the contest lost its
way a little in producing major hits, as the decade progressed. In
an increasingly eclectic decade musically, many Eurovision songs
were generally less mainstream and consequently unable to attract
the airplay necessary to become major hits.
1980 saw Ireland win
the Eurovision Song Contest for the second time when Johnny Logan
took Shay Healy's "What's Another Year" (left) to victory in The
Hague. It was Johnny's first chart hit in Ireland, after several of
his earlier singles had received a lot radio play, without making
the chart.
1981 saw the contest
return to Dublin and just like ten years earlier interest in the
competition was very high. "Horoscopes" the Irish entry sung by girl
group Sheeba became a big hit, reaching #3 in the charts. The song
that stopped it from getting to #1, also beat it at the Eurovision
Song Contest. Bucks Fizz and "Making Your Mind Up", the U.K. entry
became one of the biggest hits of the year.
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The 1981 contest
produced two other Irish hits. The German entry "Johnny Blue" sung
by Lena Valaitas, finished second in the contest and after being
translated to English it reached #15 in Ireland. The fourth Irish
chart was the specially commissioned interval act "Timedance"
composed by Bill Whelan and performed by the popular traditional
music group Planxty reached #3, to become one of the band's biggest
ever hits and became one of the biggest selling 12" singles of the
year. This was the first time that a song written for the Eurovision
interval act was a hit in Ireland, although the two songs which
novelty act The Wombles performed in the 1974 contest (a medley of
"The Wombling Song" and "Remember You're A Womble") had already been
hits before being used as the interval act in Brighton.
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Following the victory
of Bucks Fizzz, the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest was staged in the
Yorkshire town of Harrogate and it, produced three Irish chart hits,
the biggest of which was the German winning entry. When released in
English, Nicole's "A Little Peace" raced to #1 becoming of of the
year's biggest selling singles. The Irish entry "Here Today Gone
Tomorrow" by The Duskeys reached #12, while the U.K. entry "One Step
Further" by Bardo reached #5. One other Eurovision related hit came
in 1982, from a rather surprising source. The song "Fantasy Island"
had missed out in the Dutch Eurovision selection, but when it was
recorded by British group Tight Fit, the song reached #3 in Ireland
and became a hit all over Europe.
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The 1980s
Hit List |
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1980 Ireland "What's Another Year"-Johnny Logan #1 |
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1981 U.K. "Making Your Mind Up"-Bucks Fizz #1 |
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1981 Ireland "Horoscopes"-Sheeba #3 |
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1981 Germany "Johnny Blue"-Lena Valitis #15 |
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1981 Interval Act "Timedance"-Planxty #3 |
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1982 Germany "A Little Peace"-Nicole #1 |
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1982 U.K. "One Step Further"-Bardo #5 |
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1982 Ireland "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow"-Duskeys #12 |
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1982 Dutch NF "Fantasy Island"-Tight Fit #3
* |
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1983 Luxembourg "Si La Vie Est Cadeau"-Corinne Hermes #12 |
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1983 U.K. "I'm Never Giving Up"-Sweet Dreams #25 |
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1984 Ireland "Terminal 3"-Linda Martin #7 |
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1984 Sweden "Diigi-loo Diggi-ley"-Herreys #13 |
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1984 U.K. "Love Games"-Belle & The Devotions #18 |
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1985 Norway "Let It Swing"-Bobbysocks #8 |
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1985 Ireland "Wait Until The Weekend Comes"-Maria
Christian #15 |
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1986 Ireland "You Can Count On Me"-Luv Bug #2 |
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1987 Ireland "Hold Me Now"-Johnny Logan #1 |
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1988 Ireland "Take Him Home"-Jump The Gun" #3 |
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1988 U.K. "Go"-Scott Fitzgerald #21 |
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1988 Interval Act "Don't Go"-Hothouse Flowers #2 |
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1990 Ireland "The Real Me"-Kiev Connolly #17 |
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*
Cover version of Eurovision related song. |
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1983 is a black
spot in Irish Eurovision fans memories. Financial difficulties
meant that RTÉ was not able to send an entry to Munich.
Consequently interest in the contest, which was still shown live
in Ireland was very low. Nevertheless, the winning entry from
Luxembourg "Si La Vie Est Cadeau" by Corinne Hermes reached #12
in the Irish charts, while the U.K. entry "I'm Never Giving Up"
by Sweet Dreams, also dented the chart, but for only one week,
reaching #25 in Ireland.
Ireland was back in
Eurovision in 1984 and Belfast born Linda Martin who had failed to
make it to Eurovision in several attempts over the previous decade
finally got to represent Ireland with Johnny Logan written song,
"Terminal 3". It came very close to winning in Luxembourg and
reached #7 in Ireland. The song that beat it, Sweden Herreys with "Diggi-loo
Diggi-ley" (left) reached #13, while the U.K. entry "Love Games" by
Belle & The Devotions reached #18.
1985 saw Maria
Christian represent Ireland with "Wait Until The Weekend Comes". The
song was a modest hit in Ireland, only reaching #15 for the almost
unknown Maria, who never had another hit in Ireland. The winning
song in Gothenburg was the Norwegian entry sung by Bobbysocks. When
translated to English as "Let It Swing itreached #8 in the Irish
chart.
In 1986 Luv Bug went to
Bergen to perform the Irish entry "You Can Count On Me" (left), a
song which became a big hit in Ireland, reaching #2 in the chart. It
was the only hit to come out of that year's contest, with the
Belgian winner "J'Aime La Vie" only getting a limited release in
both the U.K. and Ireland.
Johnny Logan was back
in 1987 and "Hold Me Now" spent over a month at number one in
Ireland and gave the country its third Eurovision victory. It was
one of the biggest selling singles in Ireland in 1987, however it
was also the only hit single in Ireland from that contest.
In 1988 Eurovision came
back to Dublin and the Irish entry "Take Him Home" by Jump The Gun,
became a big local hit reaching #3 in Ireland. Scott Fitzergald and
"Go" became the first U.K. entry for five years to become an Irish
hit albeit a small one, only spending one week in the chart at #21.
The song that stole victory from it at Eurovision "Ne Partez Pas
Sans Moi" sung by Celine Dion for Switzerland failed to chart in
Ireland as it did in most of the rest of Europe, which could have
something to do with the fact that the song was never recorded in
English. Despite that wasted opportunity, Dion would go on to score
many hits in the Irish charts in the 1990s.
The song that was used
by RTÉ as the interval act in 1988 was The Hothouse Flowers and
"Don't Go (left), filmed as a European travelogue. The song had
already been a minor hit in Ireland, but after its appearance at
Eurovision the song came back into the Irish chart reaching #2, and
also launched the band's chart career in Europe.
The 1989 contest in
Lausanne, Switzerland made little impact with Irish music buyers.
"The Real Me" by Kiev Connolly which represented Ireland spent only
two weeks in the chart peaking at #17. It was the only song from
that contest to reach the Irish chart and indeed the winning song
from Yugoslavia was never released commercially in Ireland.
In a rather strange
twist, one of the songs with which Celine Dion opened the show
was "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" which would become her
first Irish hit reaching #13 a full two years after being
performed at Eurovision, and launched her successful chart
career.
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The 1990s was the
decade which saw Ireland dominate the Eurovision Song Contest with
four victories. It was the decade that saw several songs performed
at Eurovision becoming huge hits in Ireland, but by the end of the
decade it appeared that Ireland's love affair with Eurovision was
coming to an end.
Liam Reilly had scored
several hits as as member of Bagatelle during the 1980s, but his
first only solo hit came in 1991 when "Somewhere In Europe" reached
#6. The song was 2nd at Eurovision. The winning song from Italy was
never released in Ireland.
Once again, the
Swedish winner in 1991 was also not given a full commercial release
(although import copies did make it to Ireland). The only hit from
that contest was the Irish entry "Could It Be That I'm in Love"
which reached #7.
In 1992 Ireland scored
its fourth Eurovision win with Linda Martin and "Why Me?". Following
its victory in Malmo, the song topped the Irish chart. Having
achieved her lifetime ambition of winning the contest "Why Me" gave
Linda her final Irish hit single, her first coming in 1975 as a
member of Chips.
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In 1993, RTÉ staged the
contest in Millstreet. Ireland's entry "In Your Eyes" sung by Niamh
Kavanagh won a dramatic victory and the song went on to be a huge
hit in Ireland, reaching number one and becoming the biggest selling
single of the year. It also reached the U.K. Top 40. The song it
beat at Eurovision, "Better The Devil You Know" sung by Sonia
representing the U.K. reached #26, the last and smallest of Sonia's
Irish chart hits.
1994 saw a chart race
between two Eurovision related singles. Paul Harrington & Charlie
McGettigan with "Rock'N'Roll Kids" became a chart hit before the
contest, staged in Dublin and looked poised to claim the top spot
after its victory. However they had to settle for #2, when "Riverdance",
the Eurovision interval act by Bill Whelan shot straight to #1. "Riverdance"
spent an amazing 18 weeks at number one in Ireland, the longest ever
run at the top of the Irish chart. It became the biggest selling
single of all time in Ireland, an honour it retained until 1997,
when Elton John's re-recording of "Candle In The Wind" beat it.
Despite the interest of staging the contest in Dublin, none of the
other entries reached the Irish chart.
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The 1990s
Hit List |
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1990 Ireland "Somewhere In Europe"-Liam Reilly #6 |
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1991 Ireland "Could It Be That I'm In Love"-Kim Jackson #7 |
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1992 Ireland "Why Me?"-Linda Martin #1 |
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1993 Ireland "In Your Eyes"-Niamh Kavanagh #1 |
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1993 U.K. "Better The Devil You Know"-Sonia #26 |
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1994 Ireland "Rock'n'Roll Kids"- Harrington & McGettigan #2 |
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1994 Interval Act "Riverdance"-Bill Whelan #1 |
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1995 Ireland "Dreamin'"-Eddie Friel #5 |
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1995 Norway "Nocturne"-Secret Garden #7 |
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1995 U.K. "Love City Groove"-Love City Groove #28 |
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1995 U.K. NF "I Need You"-Deuce #14 |
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1996 Ireland "The Voice"-Eimear Quinn #3 |
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1996 U.K. "Ooh Ah...Just A Little Bit"-Gina G #6 |
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1997 Ireland "Mysterious Woman"-Marc Roberts #2 |
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1997 U.K. "Love Shine A Light"-Katrina & The Waves #6 |
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1998 Israel "Diva"-Dana International #10 |
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1998 Ireland "Is Always Over Now?"-Dawn #24 |
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In 1995 Ireland staged
its third successive Eurovision song contest and the Irish entry "Dreamin'"
by Eddie Friel reached #5 in the chart despite a controversy about
the originality of the song. Norway's entry won the contest and
Secret Garden's "Nocturne" was released on single in Ireland
(something which didn't happen in Norway or the U.K.) and reached
#7. The U.K. entry "Love City Groove" only reached #28 in Ireland,
however the song that it beat in the U.K. selection "I Need You" by
Deuce reached #14.
In 1996 Ireland scored
the most recent of its seven Eurovision victories, when Eimear Quinn
brought victory for "The Voice" written by Brendan Graham, who had
also written "Rock'N'Roll Kids". Surprisingly "The Voice" never
topped the Irish chart, peaking at #3. The song which was favourite
for victory in Olso was the U.K. entry "Oooh Ahh...Just A Little
Bit" sung by Gina G which reached #6 in Ireland after topping the
U.K. chart.
In 1997, Eurovision
returned to Dublin's Point Theatre for the third time. Once again
the U.K. entry was favourite, but this time that was translated into
victory with Katrina & The Waves. "Love Shine A Light" reached #5 in
Ireland. The runner-up at Eurovision, but beating in the Irish chart
was "Mysterious Woman", which reached #2, becoming the only Irish
hit single for Marc Roberts.
Birmingham staged the
1998 Eurovision Song Contest and the Irish entry was "Is Always Over
Now?" sung by Dundalk hairdresser Dawn Martin. The single spent only
one week on the Irish chart at #24. The Israeli entry "Diva" sung by
Dana International (left) became a hit in Ireland, reaching #10.
By 1999 Ireland's
interest in the contest was clearly on the wane. For the first time,
an Irish Eurovision entry failed to reach the chart.The Mullans
"When You Need Me" missed the Top 30. The Swedish winner also failed
to chart in Ireland and for the first time in almost forty years,
not one Eurovision related song made the Irish Top 30. To make
matters worse, the contest received poor reviews and the Irish
televote failed, with the reserve jury vote having to be used.
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After the heyday of the
1990s it looked like Ireland's interest in the Eurovision Song
Contest was in irreversible decline, however RTÉ recovered the
situation, thanks to the "You're A Star" talent search. However
despite high ratings and renewed interest It would take something
very different from previous winners to see a Eurovision entry from
abroad hit the Irish chart.
In 2000, "Millennium Of
Love" sung Eamonn Toal finished 6th at Eurovision. Despite its
relative success in Stockholm, the song failed to hit the Irish Top
30. The winning Danish entry "Fly On The Wings Of Love" also missed
the Irish chart when the Olsen Brothers version was released here.
However three years later a cover version of the song would become a
huge hit in Ireland, reaching #1 for Spanish dance act XTM & DJ
Chucky (left).
In 2001 interest in the
Irish Eurovision song was so low that Gary O'Shaughnessy's "Without
Your Love" was never commercially released, with RTÉ only
commissioning a limited pressing to promote the entry. The Estonian
Eurovision winner was not released in Ireland. Following the
disastrous 2001 result, Ireland was forced to sit out the 2002
Eurovision Song Contest and again interest in the show dipped. Only
the U.K. entry was released in Ireland, but it failed to chart. |
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In 2003 RTÉ inspired by
the proven success of shows like "Popstars" and "Pop Idol" used a
national television talent search to select the Irish Eurovision
singer for Riga. Donegal man Mickey Harte won the show and with it
the ticket to Eurovision. His entry "We've Got The World" entered
the Irish charts at #1, going on to become the biggest selling
single of the year. Another major Irish hit came when Simon Casey's
"A Better Plan" also reached #1, despite losing out in the "You're A
Star" final. However, the increased interest in the contest in
Ireland did not spill over to the winner. Sertab Erener's "Every Way
That I Can" failed to make the Irish chart, while the Russian entry
performed by t.A.T.u. finished 3rd in Riga but only reached the Top
10 as an un-credited extra track on the duo's second hit single "Not
Gonna Get Us". |
The 2000s
Hit List |
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2000 Denmark "Fly On The Wings Of Love"-XTM #1
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2003 Ireland "We've Got The World"-Mickey Harte #1 |
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2003 Irish NF "A Better Plan"-Simon Casey #1 |
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2004 Ireland "If My World Stopped Turning"-Chris Doran #1 |
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2004 Irish NF "Losing You"-James Kilbane #15 |
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2004 Sweden (1974) "Waterloo"-Abba (re-release) #33 |
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2005 Ireland "Love?"-Donna & Joe #2 |
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2005 U.K. "Touch My Fire "-Javine #32 |
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2006 Finland "Hard Rock Hallelujah"-Lordi #4 |
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2006 Ireland "Every Song Is A Cry
For Love"-Brian Kennedy #4 |
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2007 Ukraine "Dancing Lasha Tumbai"-Verka Serduchka #31 |
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2008 Ireland "Irelande
Douze Points"-Dustin The Turkey #5 |
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2009 Norway "Fairytale" - Alexander
Rybax #2 |
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2009 Ireland "Et Cetera" - Sinead
Mulvey & Black Daisy #6 |
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2009 Iceland "Is It True?" - Johanna
#28 |
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*
Cover version of Eurovision song. |
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In 2004 another "You're
A Star" winner Chris Doran performed "If My World Stopped Turning"
in Istanbul, and once again the Irish Eurovision entry topped the
chart, thanks mainly to the "You're A Star" promotion. The "You're A
Star" runner-up James Kilbane and "Losing You" reached #15. While
the Ukraine's Eurovision winner just missed out on hitting the Irish
chart, a former Eurovision winner made a re-appearance, Abba's
"Waterloo" received a 30th anniversary re-release and reached #33. A
year later in 2005, RTÉ used "You're A Star" for the third and last
time. "Love?" sung by Donna & Joe reached #2 in Ireland despite
failing to get Ireland into the Eurovision final in Kyiv. The Greek
Eurovision winner was not released in Ireland. The U.K. entry missed
out on the Top 30; Javine's "Touch My Fire" reached #32.
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Without the huge
publicity of the "You're A Star" show but with the added advantage
of Brian Kennedy's history of hits, the 2006 Irish Eurovision entry
"Every Song Is A Cry For Love" reached #4 in the Irish Top 40, after
it finished tenth in Athens. Finland's 2006 Eurovision Song Contest
winner "Hard Rock Hallelujah" by Lordi became the biggest non local
Eurovision hit in the Irish chart for over a decade, reaching #4.
Despite being a Top 10 hit at home in the U.K. and being the third
favourite song with Irish televoters, Daz Sampson's "Teenage Life"
only received a very limited release in Ireland, and failed to make
the chart.
In 2007 new
technology led to a couple of Eurovision firsts. Firstly, this was
the first year that none of the entries in the contest was released
on a physical single in Ireland. The Irish entry "They Can't Stop
The Spring" by Dervish was released as a free download for one week
on RTE's website. Over ten thousand people downloaded the track, but
because chart rules do not not allow free of charge downloads, the
track failed to make the Irish Top 40. By contrast, all the other
forty one songs in the contest were eligible for the chart, as they
were available for paid download, however only two of the songs made
the Irish chart, which has now been expanded to a Top 50. The bigger
hit was Ukraine's novelty song "Dancing, Lasha Tumbai" by
Verka Serduchka, the song which finished as runner-up to Serbia in
Helsinki and received eight points from Irish televoters. Download
sales helped the song to reach #31 and spent two weeks on the chart.
The song also enjoyed a brief chart run in the U.K., again based on
downloads only, however as in Ireland, the Serbian winner failed to
make any impression on the chart. The other song to make the most
minor of dents in the Irish Top 50 with "Flying The Flag (For You)",
the U.K. entry, which spent one week at number 48, despite being the
second U.K. entry in a row not to be released as a physical
single. As only the Top 40 is made public in Ireland, it cannot be
considered a hit.
In 2008, Ireland
sent its most controversial entry to the Eurovision Song Contest
and Dustin the Turkey, who had been the most successful ever
Irish entrant in terms of previous chart success. Despite
failing to make the Eurovision final in Belgrade, "Irelande
Douze Pointe", reached #5 in Ireland. Despite winning the
contest and visiting Dublin as part of his winner's tour,
performing on "The Late Late Show", Russian Eurovision winner
Dima Bilan and "Believe" was never commercially released in
Ireland.
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In 2009, the Irish
entry in Moscow was "Et Cetera" performed by Sinead Mulvey & Black
Daisy. Once again, Ireland failed to qualify for the final, but the
song reached #6 in the Irish chart. 2009 also saw the Eurovision
winner come closer to reaching #1 in the Irish charts, than at any
time since 1993. Despite only being released on download, Norway's
Alexander Rybak and "Fairytale" reached #2 in Ireland, but rapidly
disappeared from the chart. A similar fate befell the Icelandic
entry, "Is It True?" performed by Yohanna, the runner-up in Moscow,
which made a fleeting appearance at #28 in the Irish chart after
gaining Ireland's 12 points in the voting.
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The the first time
since 1974, five Eurovision related songs hit the Irish charts in
2010. Germany's second contest winner, came close to emulating the
first, but in one of the closest chart battles of the year, just
missed out on hitting #1 in Ireland. Nevertheless Lena's
"Satellite", which was only released on download, reached #2 in a
three week stay in the Irish charts.
The Irish entry
"It's For You" sung by Niamh Kavanagh, failed to repeat the
success of her 1993 entry, reaching #8 and finishing 23rd
in Oslo, while three other songs performing in the contest, also
charted in Ireland. Tom Dice brought the first Belgian
Eurovision entry onto the Irish chart with "Me And My Guitar"
reaching #20. The French entry "Allez, Ola, Olé" reached #39
while the interval act "Glow" by Norwegian act Madcom,
reached #12.
Having won the
Irish ticket to Dusseldorf, pop duo Jedward (John And Edward
Grimes) entered the Irish singles chart at #2, based on download
sales only. A physical release of the song will follow.
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The 2010s
Hit List |
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2010 Germany "Satellite-Lena #2 |
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2010 Ireland "It's For You"-Niamh Kavanagh #8 |
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2010 Interval act "Glow"-Madcon #12 |
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2010 Belgium "Me And My Guitar"-Tom Dice #20 |
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2010 France "Allez, Ola, Olé"-Jesse Matador #39 |
| 2011
Ireland "Lipstick" - Jedward #2 |
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I'd
like to credit some websites that I have found very useful when
creating this page.
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The Irish Charts website
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The Irish showbands
website
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Eurovision record covers
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Eurovision National
Finals
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