This year in Basel 2025, Ireland will mark its 58th participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Ireland holds a prestigious status in the competition’s history, boasting seven victories in total. However, last year, Sweden caught up, also securing seven victories. One of Ireland’s most remarkable records is winning the contest three consecutive years, from 1992 to 1994, a feat unmatched by any other country to date. It’s safe to say that the 1990s were the golden era of Irish dominance in the Eurovision Song Contest.
In recent years, numerous countries have chosen English-language songs in hopes of boosting their chances of success, following the trend set by Irish and UK entries. However, this shift has posed a challenge for non-native English-speaking countries to distinguish themselves, as their songs may not resonate as readily with the broader audience. Moreover, the growing number of participating countries has heightened the competition, making it increasingly difficult for any single country to maintain consistent success.
Furthermore, the introduction of the Semi Finals in 2004 has significantly contributed to a decline in overall interest in the Eurovision Song Contest. With Ireland now required to navigate the qualification process annually, there’s no guarantee of reaching the Grand Final anymore. Various factors may be at play, including a shortage of compelling songs, modern compositions, and the overall intensification of competition. Some attribute this perceived decline in Irish fortunes to the inclusion of Eastern European countries, suggesting that increased diversity has diluted Ireland’s chances of success.

In the annals of Eurovision history, one standout figure for Ireland is Johnny Logan. He achieved the remarkable feat of winning the contest twice as a singer, with „What’s Another Year“ in 1980 and „Hold Me Now“ in 1987. Impressively, Logan also secured victory as a composer with „Why Me,“ performed by Linda Martin in 1992. His triple triumph solidifies his legacy as one of the most celebrated figures in Eurovision lore.
Ireland still maintains relatively high odds of securing a spot in the Top 10, standing at 67%. The country’s musical identity is often associated with ethnic music and ballads, although there have been endeavours over the years to introduce modern pop music into the Eurovision arena. Notably, Jedward injected a fresh energy into the contest with „Lipstick“ in 2011, earning 8th place, and „Waterline“ in 2012, placing 19th. However, in recent years, Ireland has faced challenges, failing to advance to the Grand Final five times in a row. Apart from Ryan O’Shaughnessy’s performance with „Together“ in Lisbon 2018, Ireland has struggled to make it past the Semi Finals. Last the extrovert performer Bambie Thug could reach a surprising 6th place with “Doomsday Blue”, the song led to a lot of controversial discussion.
Biggest successes
1st place, Dana with “All Kinds Of Everything” (Amsterdam 1970)
1st place, Johnny Logan with “Hold Me Now” (Brussels 1987)
1st place, Niamh Kavanagh with “In Your Eyes” (Millstreet 1993)
History
- Debut: 1965
- Participations: 57
- Victories: 7
- Finals: 48 (10 since 2004)
- Chances to reach the final: 84% (50% since 2004)
- Top 10: 32 (3 since 2004)
- Chances to reach the Top 10: 67% (15% since 2004)
- Best place: 1 (7x)
- Last places: 2x (final), 2x (semi-final)
# | host city | year | performer | song | points | place | show |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Naples | 1965 | Butch Moore | I’m Walking The Streets In The Rain | 11 | 6 | final |
2 | Luxembourg | 1966 | Dickie Rock | Come Back To Stay | 14 | 4 | final |
3 | Vienna | 1967 | Sean Dunphy | If I Could Choose | 22 | 2 | final |
4 | London | 1968 | Pat McGeegan | Chance Of A Lifetime | 18 | 4 | final |
5 | Madrid | 1969 | Muriel Day and the Lindsays | The Wages Of Love | 10 | 7 | final |
6 | Amsterdam | 1970 | Dana | All Kinds Of Everything | 32 | 1 | final |
7 | Dublin | 1971 | Angela Farrell | One Day Love | 79 | 11 | final |
8 | Edinburgh | 1972 | Sandie Jones | Ceol On Ghrá | 72 | 15 | final |
9 | Luxembourg | 1973 | Maxi | Do I Dream? | 80 | 10 | final |
10 | Brighton | 1974 | Tina | Cross Your Heart | 11 | 7 | final |
11 | Stockholm | 1975 | The Swarbriggs | That’s What Friends Are For | 68 | 9 | final |
12 | The Hague | 1976 | Red Hurley | When | 54 | 10 | final |
13 | London | 1977 | The Swarbriggs Plus Two | It’s Nice To Be In Love Again | 119 | 3 | final |
14 | Paris | 1978 | Colm T. Wilkinson | Born To Sing | 86 | 5 | final |
15 | Jerusalem | 1979 | Cathal Dunne | Happy Man | 80 | 5 | final |
16 | The Hague | 1980 | Johnny Logan | What’s Another Year | 143 | 1 | final |
17 | Dublin | 1981 | Sheeba | Horoscopes | 105 | 5 | final |
18 | Harrogate | 1982 | The Duskeys | Here Today, Gone Tomorrow | 49 | 11 | final |
Munich | 1983 | withdrawn | |||||
19 | Luxembourg | 1984 | Linda Martin | Terminal ‚3‘ | 137 | 2 | final |
20 | Gothenburg | 1985 | Maria Christian | Wait Until The Weekend Comes | 91 | 6 | final |
21 | Bergen | 1986 | Luv Bug | You Can Count On Me | 96 | 4 | final |
22 | Brussels | 1987 | Johnny Logan | Hold Me Now | 172 | 1 | final |
23 | Dublin | 1988 | Jump the Gun | Take Him Home | 79 | 8 | final |
24 | Lausanne | 1989 | Kiev Connolly and the Missing Passengers | The Real Me | 21 | 18 | final |
25 | Zagreb | 1990 | Liam Reilly | Somewhere In Europe | 132 | 2 | final |
26 | Rome | 1991 | Kim Jackson | Could It Be That I’m In Love | 47 | 10 | final |
27 | Malmö | 1992 | Linda Martin | Why Me | 155 | 1 | final |
28 | Millstreet | 1993 | Niamh Kavanagh | In Your Eyes | 187 | 1 | final |
29 | Dublin | 1994 | Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan | Rock ’n‘ Roll Kids | 226 | 1 | final |
30 | Dublin | 1995 | Eddie Friel | Dreamin‘ | 44 | 14 | final |
31 | Oslo | 1996 | Eimear Quinn | The Voice | 162 | 1 | final |
32 | Dublin | 1997 | Marc Roberts | Mysterious Woman | 157 | 2 | final |
33 | Birmingham | 1998 | Dawn | Is Always Over Now? | 64 | 9 | final |
34 | Jerusalem | 1999 | The Mullan’s | When You Need Me | 18 | 17 | final |
35 | Stockholm | 2000 | Eamonn Toal | Millennium Of Love | 92 | 6 | final |
36 | Copenhagen | 2001 | Gary O’Shaughnessy | Without Your Love | 6 | 21 | final |
Tallinn | 2002 | not qualified | |||||
37 | Riga | 2003 | Mickey Harte | We’ve Got The World | 53 | 11 | final |
38 | Istanbul | 2004 | Chris Doran | If My World Stopped Turning | 7 | 22 | final |
39 | Kyiv | 2005 | Donna and Joseph McCaul | Love? | 53 | 14 | semi-final |
40 | Athens | 2006 | Brian Kennedy | Every Song Is A Cry For Love | 93 | 10 | final |
41 | Helsinki | 2007 | Dervish | They Can’t Stop The Spring | 5 | 24 | final |
42 | Belgrade | 2008 | Dustin the Turkey | Irelande Douze Points | 22 | 15 | semi-final |
43 | Moscow | 2009 | Sinéad Mulvey & Black Daisy | Et Cetera | 52 | 11 | semi-final |
44 | Oslo | 2010 | Niamh Kavanagh | It’s For You | 25 | 23 | final |
45 | Düsseldorf | 2011 | Jedward | Lipstick | 119 | 8 | final |
46 | Baku | 2012 | Jedward | Waterline | 46 | 19 | final |
47 | Malmö | 2013 | Ryan Dolan | Only Love Survives | 5 | 26 | final |
# | host city | year | performer | song | points | place | show |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
48 | Copenhagen | 2014 | Can-Linn (featuring Kasey Smith) | Heartbeat | 35 | 12 | semi-final |
49 | Vienna | 2015 | Molly Sterling | Playing With Numbers | 35 | 12 | semi-final |
50 | Stockholm | 2016 | Nicky Byrne | Sunlight | 46 | 15 | semi-final |
51 | Kyiv | 2017 | Brendan Murray | Dying to Try | 86 | 13 | semi-final |
52 | Lisbon | 2018 | Ryan O’Shaughnessy | Together | 136 | 16 | final |
53 | Tel Aviv | 2019 | Sarah McTernan | 22 | 16 | 18 | semi-final |
Corona | 2020 | Lesley Roy | Story Of My Life | ||||
54 | Rotterdam | 2021 | Lesley Roy | MAPS | 20 | 16 | semi-final |
55 | Turin | 2022 | Brooke | That’s Rich | 47 | 15 | semi-final |
56 | Liverpool | 2023 | Wild Youth | We Are One | 10 | 12 | semi-final |
57 | Malmö | 2024 | Bambie Thug | Doomsday Blue | 278 | 6 | final |
58 | Basel | 2025 | Emmy | Laika Party | 28 | 13 | semi-final |
Video Nostalgia
Colm T. Wilkinson with “Born To Sing”, Rank 5 (Paris 1978)
Luv Bug with “You Can Count On Me”, Rank 4 (Bergen 1986)
Mickey Harte with “We’ve Got The World”, Rank 11 (Riga 2003)