Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1980
Ireland entered the Eurovision Song Contest 1980, sending Johnny Logan to the contest with the song "What's Another Year", written by Shay Healy.
| Eurovision Song Contest 1980 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country |  | |||
| National selection | ||||
| Selection process | National Final | |||
| Selection date(s) | 9 March 1980 | |||
| Selected entrant | Johnny Logan | |||
| Selected song | "What's Another Year" | |||
| Finals performance | ||||
| Final result | 1st, 143 points | |||
| Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest | ||||
| ||||
Before Eurovision
National final
The Irish national final to select the Irish representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 1980, was held on 9 March 1980 at the RTÉ Studios in Dublin and was hosted by Larry Gogan. It was organised by the Irish broadcaster of the contest Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ).
Eight songs were performed live to the Irish viewers and listeners, with the winning song being decided by 10 regional juries across the country. The winner went on to win the Eurovision Song Contest in The Hague, which gave Ireland its second victory, ten years after its first.
| Draw | Artist | Song | Points | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roy Taylor & Karen Black | "Lovin' Won't Let You Down" | 13 | 3 |
| 2 | The Straw Hat and Garter Company | "Take Me Back Again" | 2 | 8 |
| 3 | Eileen Reid | "The Saddest Show On Earth" | 10 | 4 |
| 4 | Charlie Chapman & The Miami | "You're So Cheeky" | 5 | 5 |
| 5 | Johnny Logan | "What's Another Year" | 40 | 1 |
| 6 | The Dajacs | "You Have " | 4 | 7 |
| 7 | Peter Beckett | "Stepping Stones" | 21 | 2 |
| 8 | Romance | "Love Is All There Is" | 5 | 5 |
| Detailed Regional Jury Votes | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draw | Song | Longford | Kenmare | Claremorris | Cork | Sligo | Wexford | Donegal | Limerick | Dublin | Thurles | Total |
| 1 | "Lovin' Won't Let You Down" | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 13 | ||||
| 2 | "Take Me Back Again" | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||
| 3 | "The Saddest Show On Earth" | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | |||||
| 4 | "You're So Cheeky" | 2 | 3 | 5 | ||||||||
| 5 | "What's Another Year" | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 40 |
| 6 | "You Have" | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | |||||||
| 7 | "Stepping Stones" | 5 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 21 | |||||
| 8 | "Love Is All There Is" | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ||||||
At Eurovision
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The Eurovision Song Contest 1980 was held at the Congresgebouw in The Hague, Netherlands. Ireland performed 17th on the night of the contest, following France and preceding Spain. Logan received 143 points for his performance, winning the contest for Ireland.
| 12 points | 10 points | 8 points | 7 points | 6 points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 points | 4 points | 3 points | 2 points | 1 point |
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| 1 point |  |