Retro chart: 15 of Ireland’s Eurovision songs have reached number one

With Bambie Thug in the Eurovision 2024 final on Saturday night, we explore the fortunes of Ireland’s previous Eurovision entries in the Irish charts.

Jedward's "Lipstick" was the last Irish Eurovision entry to reach number one in Ireland.

thumbnail: Jedward's "Lipstick" was the last Irish Eurovision entry to reach number one in Ireland.

Jim Hayes

Wed 8 May 2024 at 01:00

Ireland has won a record-equalling seven times since first entering the Eurovision Song Contest almost 60 years ago, but 15 of our entries have topped the Irish charts.

As Eurovision fever gripped the country in the sixties, five Irish Eurovision entries made number one even before Dana secured the country’s first win with “All Kinds Of Everything” in 1970.

Chart pickings have been far leaner in more recent years, reflecting Ireland’s demise as a Eurovision superpower.

It’s been all of 13 years since the last Irish Eurovision number one - Jedward’s “Lipstick”. The brothers reached No. 5 the following year with their second Eurovision entry “Waterline”, but since then no Irish Eurovision song has even made the top ten.

Five of Ireland’s seven Eurovison winners reached number one in their home country. Among the two that didn’t was Charlie McGettigan and Paul Harrington’s “Rock ‘n’ Roll Kids”, despite the song’s huge popularity and its record total of 226 points in the Eurovision final. But the omission from our fifteen is easy to explain: Charlie and Paul had to compete with “Riverdance”, the most successful Eurovision interval act of all time.

“Riverdance” spent a record 18 weeks lodged at number one; “Rock ‘n’ Roll Kids” had to settle for seven weeks in the top ten, without ever securing the coveted top spot.

Eimear Quinn’s “The Voice”, Ireland’s Eurovision winner in 1996, also failed to top the charts, peaking at number three. It was a sign of the turning tide in Irish Eurovision fortunes. A year after Quinn scored Ireland’s seventh win in the competition, Marc Roberts came close, finishing runner-up with “Mysterious Woman”. Since then it’s been a downward curve, with Ireland failing to even compete in the final on eleven occasions.

One thing our list of 15 chart-toppers reveals is that Eurovision voters and the Irish public don’t always see eye to eye.

Chris Doran’s “If My World Stopped Turning” finished second last in the 2004 final with just 7 points (the winner had 280), but the song was a No. 1 hit in Ireland.

Sandie Jones’ “Ceol an Ghrá”, the only song as Gaeilge to represent Ireland in the history of the Eurovision, was number one in 1972 but finished 15th out of 18 songs in the contest final.

Up to 1998 every single Irish Eurovision entry made the charts, with just four falling outside the top ten. Since 1999, six songs have failed to chart at all: The Mullans’ “When You Need Love”, Eamonn Toal’s “Millennium of Love”, Gary O’Shaughnessy’s “Without Your Love”, Dervish’s “They Can’t Stop The Spring”, Brendan Murray’s “Dying To Try” and Sarah McTernan’s 2019 entry “22”. If you can remember all six, you are a true Irish Eurovision superfan!

The 15 Irish Eurovision entries to top the charts:

1965 I’m Walking The Streets In The Rain Butch Moore

1966 Come Back And Stay Dickie Rock

1968 Chance Of A Lifetime Pat McGeegan

1969 The Wages Of Love Muriel Day

1970 All Kinds Of Everything Dana

1972 Ceol an Ghrá Sandie Jones

1974 Cross Your Heart Tina Reynolds

1977 It’s Nice To Be In Love Again The Swarbriggs Plus Two

1980 What’s Another Year Johnny Logan

1987 Hold Me Now Johnny Logan

1992 Why Me? Linda Martin