Ireland won the Eurovision Song Contest 1970 with Dana’s “All Kinds of Everything.”
The contest was held in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on 21 March 1970. Dana, whose real name was Rosemary Brown, performed the gentle ballad and gave Ireland its first Eurovision victory. The song won with 32 points, ahead of Spain and Germany.
The 1970 contest had an unusually small field of twelve countries. Finland, Norway, Portugal, Sweden and Austria withdrew, largely because of dissatisfaction with the previous year’s four-way tie and the expense of taking part. The withdrawals made the Amsterdam event one of the least-participated contests in Eurovision history.
Dana’s victory began Ireland’s record-setting run of success. Ireland later won in 1980, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1996, eventually becoming the first country to reach seven wins.
“All Kinds of Everything” is sometimes confused with Ireland’s later winning songs because several Irish victories came in different musical styles. Dana’s 1970 entry remains the country’s first Eurovision winner.