Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1977
Ireland was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1977 with the song "It's Nice to Be in Love Again", written by Tommy and Jimmy Swarbrigg, and performed by themselves, along Alma Carroll and Nicola Kerr, under the stage name The Swarbriggs Plus Two. The Irish participating broadcaster, Radio Telefís Éireann (RTÉ), selected its entry through a national final. The Swarbriggs had previously represented Ireland in 1975.
| Eurovision Song Contest 1977 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Participating broadcaster | Radio Telefís Éireann (RTÉ) | |||
| Country |  Ireland | |||
| National selection | ||||
| Selection process | National Final | |||
| Selection date(s) | 20 February 1977 | |||
| Selected artist(s) | The Swarbriggs Plus Two | |||
| Selected song | "It's Nice to Be in Love Again" | |||
| Selected songwriter(s) |
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| Finals performance | ||||
| Final result | 3rd, 119 points | |||
| Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest | ||||
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Before Eurovision
editNational final
editRadio Telefís Éireann (RTÉ) held the national final at its studios in Dublin, hosted by Mike Murphy. Eight songs took part, with the winner chosen by voting from ten regional juries. Other participants included past and future Irish representatives Dickie Rock (1966) and Colm C. T. Wilkinson (1978), while future Eurovision winner Linda Martin (1992) performed as a member of the group Chips.[1]
| Draw | Artist | Song | Points | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jamie Stone | "If I Give My Love" | 19 | 2 |
| 2 | Dickie Rock | "I Can't Go On Without You" | 8 | 6 |
| 3 | Sunshine | "Look Before You Leap" | 0 | 8 |
| 4 | D. J. Curtin | "You Cannot Stop the Music" | 5 | 7 |
| 5 | The Swarbriggs Plus Two | "It's Nice to Be in Love Again" | 25 | 1 |
| 6 | Denis Allen | "Da-Dum Da-Dum, I Love You So" | 12 | 5 |
| 7 | Colm C. T. Wilkinson | "There Was a Dream" | 18 | 3 |
| 8 | Chips | "Goodbye Goodbye" | 13 | 4 |
At Eurovision
editOn the night of the final the group performed first in the running order, preceding Monaco. Pre-contest betting rated Ireland as one of the front runners, along with the entries from Belgium, Germany, and the United Kingdom. At the close of voting "It's Nice to Be in Love Again" had picked up 119 points, placing Ireland third of the 18 entries, the country's best placement since Dana's victory seven years earlier.[2] The song had gained four maximum 12s – from Israel, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom – with only Finland failing to award it any points at all. It was therefore somewhat ironic that the Irish jury awarded its 12 points to Finland.[3]
Voting
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References
edit- ^ "IRISH NATIONAL FINAL 1977". natfinals.50webs.com. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
- ^ "Final of London 1977". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
- ^ ESC History Eurovision - Ireland 1977
- ^ a b "Results of the Final of London 1977". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2021.