Ireland was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1979 with the song "Happy Man", written and performed by Cathal Dunne. The Irish participating broadcaster, (RTÉ), selected its entry through a national final.
Before Eurovision
National final (RTÉ) held the fifteenth edition of the National Song Contest on 4 February 1979 in Dublin, broadcast on RTÉ 1 and hosted by Mike Murphy. The winner, which was decided by ten regional juries throughout Ireland, was Cathal Dunne, who previously competed in the , but came 4th, losing out to Red Hurley who performed the song "When".
Artist Song Points Place 1Tweed"No Restrictions"45 2Johnny Logan"Angie"153 3Anderson"Goodbye"36 4The Memories"The Main Attraction"134 5Red Hurley and Tina"Hiding Behind Our Smile"08 6Cathal Dunne"Happy Man"361 7Catriona Walsh"Superstar"36 8The Miami Showband"Too Much Is Going On"262
At Eurovision Ireland performed 4th in the startfield and finished 5th with 80 points.
Voting
+ Points awarded to Ireland Score Country 12 points 10 points 8 points 7 points 6 points 5 points 4 points 3 points 2 points 1 point
+ Points awarded by Ireland Score Country 12 points 10 points 8 points 7 points 6 points 5 points 4 points 3 points 2 points 1 point
References