Eimear Quinn was the last person to win Eurovision for Ireland, having secured her victory in 1996 with her song 'The Voice.'
The iconic performance has gone down in Irish Eurovision history, but the singer shared that she wasn't feeling too much pressure during the performance because of how much the Emerald Isle had won already.
She also noted the significant cost on the winning country, as they then host the Eurovision the following year.
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The last time Ireland hosted Eurovision in the late 1990s, RTE spent approximately €5 million on the proceedings.
She said: “I was the one year out of five years where it wasn’t in Ireland because Norway had won it the previous year."
“I appreciated it being outside Ireland because I think everybody needed a break from Eurovision at that point, both the broadcaster and the public. There was a sense of “please don’t let us win it again” she told The Irish Sun on Sunday.
“But we did win again, and I got a fantastic reception when I came home. With Irish people in particular, if we do anything under the Irish flag, be it arts or sport, you get such warmth from everyone.”
The singer also the rise in popularity of the name Eimear in the years following her win, which she found touching.
She said: “I meet a lot of young women, born in 1996, called Eimear, which is really lovely.”
Eimear is still working in the music industry, with her most recent album Songs of Winter Dreaming out now.
Following her Eurovision win, Eimear toured all over Europe, Australia and America in prestigious venues such as The Royal Albert Hall, The Sydney State Theatre and the Forest National Brussels.
Eimear is married to Noel Curran, a radio and television producer, former Director-General of RTÉ and current Director-General of the EBU. They have two daughters, Joelene born in October 2009 and Marlene born in April 2012.
The family divide their time between Ireland and Switzerland.
Eimear spoke to RSVP Live last year about moving back to Ireland: "I am a total home bird and I’m looking forward to being based in Ireland again later this year.
"Switzerland is a beautiful country, it is picture box gorgeous. There is a wonderful lifestyle here and it is a wonderful place to raise your family, as is Ireland."
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