| Eurovision Song Contest 1979 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country |  Ireland | |||
| National selection | ||||
| Selection process | National final | |||
| Selection date(s) | 4 February 1979 | |||
| Selected entrant | Cathal Dunne | |||
| Selected song | "Happy Man" | |||
| Selected songwriter(s) | Cathal Dunne | |||
| Finals performance | ||||
| Final result | 5th, 80 points | |||
| Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest | ||||
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Ireland was represented by Cathal Dunne in the Eurovision Song Contest 1979 with the song "Happy Man".
The final was held on 4 February 1979 and was broadcast on RTÉ while being held in Dublin, Ireland and hosted by Mike Murphy. The winner, which was decided by 10 regional juries throughout Ireland, was Cathal Dunne, who previously competed in the 1976 Irish National Final, but came 4th, losing out to Red Hurley who performed the song "When".
| Draw | Artist | Song | Points | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tweed | "No Restrictions" | 4 | 5 |
| 2 | Johnny Logan | "Angie" | 15 | 3 |
| 3 | Anderson | "Goodbye" | 3 | 6 |
| 4 | The Memories | "The Main Attraction" | 13 | 4 |
| 5 | Red Hurley and Tina | "Hiding Behind Our Smile" | 0 | 8 |
| 6 | Cathal Dunne | "Happy Man" | 36 | 1 |
| 7 | Catriona Walsh | "Superstar" | 3 | 6 |
| 8 | The Miami Showband | "Too Much Is Going On" | 26 | 2 |
Ireland performed 4th in the startfield and finished 5th with 80 points. [1]
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The Eurovision Song Contest 1979 was the 24th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Jerusalem, Israel, following the country's victory at the 1978 contest with the song "A-Ba-Ni-Bi" by Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Israeli Broadcasting Authority (IBA), the contest was held at the International Convention Centre on 31 March 1979 and was hosted by Israeli television presenter Daniel Pe'er and singer Yardena Arazi. This was the first time that the Eurovision Song Contest was held outside Europe.
Estonia entered the Eurovision Song Contest 1999, held in Jerusalem. This was their fifth entry at Eurovision, having debuted at the 1994 contest.
Sweden selected their representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 1979 in a show called Melodifestivalen 1979. The winner was the popular pop singer Ted Gärdestad with the song "Satellit", which he composed, while the lyrics were by his brother, Kenneth Gärdestad.
The Swedish National Final was held on 27 February 1982 in Gothenburg, Sweden.
After winning the 1992 and 1993 contests with female soloists, Ireland selected Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan to represent them in 1994.
Dawn Martin represented Ireland in the 1998 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Is Always Over Now?".
Eamonn Toal represented Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2000 in Stockholm with the song "Millennium of Love".
For the 1989 Eurovision Song Contest in Lausanne, the song "The Real Me", written, composed and performed by Kiev Connolly, was chosen to represent Ireland when it won the national final selection.
Germany was present at the Eurovision Song Contest 1979, held in Jerusalem.
The Irish National Final was held on 14 March 1982 by RTÉ in Dublin, Ireland.
Cathal Dunne 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 United States, where he now lives.
Belgium was represented by the song "Hey Nana", performed by Micha Marah at the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place in Jerusalem on 31 March.
The Netherlands was represented by Sandra Reemer, with the song "The Party's Over", at the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 3 April in The Hague, following Teach-In's victory for the Netherlands the previous year. The song was the winner of the Dutch national final for the contest, held on 18 February. This was the second of Reemer's three Eurovision appearances for the Netherlands: she had sung in the 1972 contest in a duo with Dries Holten (Andres), and would also take part in the 1979 contest under the name of Xandra.
The Netherlands was represented by Xandra, with the song "Colorado", at the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 31 March in Jerusalem. The song was the winner of the Dutch national final for the contest, held on 7 February. Although it was claimed at the time that Xandra was the name of a six-piece band, in reality it was merely a name adopted by Eurovision veteran Sandra Reemer, who had previously represented the Netherlands in 1972 and 1976. The cover sleeves on the various domestic and international record issues of "Colorado" for example all pictured Reemer on her own without any "band members".
Denmark was represented by Tommy Seebach, with the song "Disco Tango", at the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 31 March in Jerusalem. "Disco Tango" was chosen as the Danish entry at the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix on 3 February, and was the first of Seebach's three Eurovision appearances for Denmark. The 1979 DMGP is notable for the participation of two of Denmark's three Eurovision winners, Grethe Ingmann and the Olsen Brothers.
Norway was represented by Anita Skorgan, with the song "Oliver", at the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 31 March in Jerusalem, Israel. "Oliver" was chosen as the Norwegian entry at the Melodi Grand Prix on 10 February. This was the second of three Eurovision appearances for Skorgan.
Ireland was represented by Red Hurley, with the song "When", at the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 3 April in The Hague. "When" was chosen as the Irish entry at the national final on 8 February.
Finland was represented by Katri Helena, with the song "Katson sineen taivaan" at the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 31 March in Jerusalem. "Katson sineen taivaan" was chosen as the Finnish entry at the national final organised by broadcaster Yle and held on 10 February. This was the first of Katri Helena's two Eurovision appearances for Finland, after she had finished runner-up in three previous national finals.
Israel participated in, hosted, and won the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest, which was held on 31 March 1979 at the International Convention Center's Ussishkin Auditorium in Jerusalem. Their entry, "Hallelujah," was composed by Kobi Oshrat, written by Shimrit Orr, and performed by Milk and Honey.
Israel was present at the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest held in Dublin, Ireland. They were represented by Yardena Arazi with the song "Ben Adam".
