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Brian Dillon

A look back at the most iconic moments from Irish Eurovision history

Although it has been a while since we took home the crown, Ireland still stands proudly as the country with the most Eurovision wins, with an impressive seven under our belt.

Between winning the beloved contest, hosting it on our shores, sending puppets to perform and other memorable moments, Ireland sure knows how to makes its mark and remain in the minds of many after the competition ends.

Here are some of the most iconic moments in Irish Eurovision history.

Read more: Eurovision 2022: What time is it on? Who is representing Ireland? All you need to know

Dana brings it home for Ireland for the first time

1970 was when Ireland truly declared itself as a contender to be taken seriously at the Eurovision Song Contest.

Represented by 18-year-old Dana from Derry delighted audiences around the continent with All Kinds of Everything and beat out 11 other acts at Amsterdam's Congrescentrum.

1970 Eurovision winner Dana (McCarthy/Daily Express/Getty Images)

Johnny Logan's double win

Johnny Logan, who is responsible for the ever iconic Hold Me Now, brought Ireland its second win in 1980. Johnny is often regarded as the most successful individual in Eurovision history with two wins under his belt.

Additionally, he penned Linda Martin's winning song Why Me?, giving him an actual total of three Eurovision wins.

1980 Eurovision winner Johnny Logan (Sobli/RDB/ullstein bild via Getty Images)

Riverdance dazzles the world

When Eurovision was hosted in Dublin's Point Depot in 1994, nobody expected a global sensation to be brought to life before their eyes. Riverdance, having gone on to become an international phenomenon, was introduced to unsuspecting audiences during the contest's intermission.

The performance was quickly developed into a full stage production and its initial five week run sold over 120,000 tickets.

Michael Flatley and Jean Butler performs Riverdance at the 1994 Eurovision song contest in Dublin (RTÉ archives website)

When we sent a turkey to represent us

While Ireland still retains the most win out of any country to have taken part in the competition, we haven't taken home first prize since 1996.

In 2008, we hoped that our luck would change by sending The Den star Dustin The Turkey along to the contest to represent us with Irelande Douze Pointe. Unsurprisingly, Ireland did not progress from the semi-finals to the grand final of the competition, but it was memorable all the same.

Celine Dion gets her big break in Dublin

Celine Dion is one of the most successful singers of all time, having sold a staggering 200 million records worldwide.

The once unknown singer quickly became a worldwide sensation when she won the Eurovision Song Contest for Switzerland in 1988. The 22 year old Canadian performer, who didn't have a word of English, took to the stage in Dublin in 1988 and, well, the rest is history.

One of the biggest stars on the planet had her turning point in Dublin's RDS.

Celine Dion wins Eurovision in 1988 in the RDS in Dublin (Independent News and Media/Getty Images)

Jedward being Jedward

When Dublin twins John and Edward Grimes rocked the X Factor in 2009 as the show's unofficial novelty act, nobody expected that the pair would still be prevalent today.

Perhaps what helped solidify the lads' status as true modern Irish icons was their Eurovision bid in 2011 with their song Lipstick. They made a decent impression in that year, racking up 119 points and finishing in 8th place.

Jedward returned to the contest in 2012 with their song Waterline but their second attempt was less successful with the act finishing in 19th place.

Read more: U2 frontman Bono once asked not to sing in popular Dublin city pub

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