"Come Back to Stay" was the Irish

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

 entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1966

Eurovision Song Contest 1966

The Eurovision Song Contest 1966 was the 11th edition and was held on 5 March 1966 in Luxembourg, Luxembourg. The rule stating that a country could only sing in any of its national languages was originally created in this year. This was possibly created due to the 1965 Swedish entry, "Absent...

, performed in English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 by Dickie Rock

Dickie Rock

Dickie Rock is an Irish singer. He experienced much success on the Irish charts during the 1960s, but has continued on as a popular live act as well as occasionally hitting the charts ever since.-Early fame:...

.

The song is a ballad, with Rock pleading with a former lover to return to him. He tells her that he is lonely without her and promises that "I'll be true/And that I'll never make you blue", as well as telling her how special she was to him.

This entry was the first ever Eurovision song to be conducted by Noel Kelehan. 28 more would follow, the last one being "Is always over now" by Dawn Martin in 1998. Because in 1965 the RTÉ had not sent its own conductor to the Eurovision Song Contest, Kelehan was to become both the first and the last ever Irish conductor in the Eurovision Song Contest. The Birmingham contest in 1998 was the last up to date to be accompanied by a live orchestra.

It was performed seventeenth on the night, following the Netherlands

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

' Milly Scott

Milly Scott

Milly Scott is a Dutch singer and actress of Surinamese origin, best known for her participation in the 1966 Eurovision Song Contest...

 with "Fernando en Filippo

Fernando En Filippo

"Fernando en Filippo" was the Dutch entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1966, performed in Dutch by Milly Scott.The song tells the story of the title characters...

" and preceding the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

's Kenneth McKellar

Kenneth McKellar (singer)

Kenneth McKellar was a Scottish tenor.-Career:McKellar studied forestry at the University of Aberdeen, after graduation working for the Scottish Forestry Commission. He later trained at the Royal College of Music as an opera singer...

 with "A Man Without Love

A Man Without Love

"A Man Without Love" was the British entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1966, performed in English by Kenneth McKellar.The song is a ballad, with McKellar comparing a man without love and a man with love...

". At the close of voting, it had received 14 points, placing 4th in a field of 18.

It was succeeded as Irish representative

Republic of Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest

Ireland first participated in the Eurovision Song Contest at the 1965 Contest in Naples, participating in every subsequent Contest but two: the 1983 Contest in Munich and the 2002 Contest in Tallinn...

 at the 1967 contest

Eurovision Song Contest 1967

The Eurovision Song Contest 1967 was the twelfth Eurovision Song Contest. The presenter became confused whilst the voting was taking place, and declared the United Kingdom's entry to be the winner before the last country, Ireland, had announced its votes...

 by Sean Dunphy

Sean Dunphy

Sean Dunphy was an Irish singer who represented Ireland at the 1967 Eurovision Song Contest, achieving second place with "If I Could Choose". He was also the first Irish singer to record in Nashville....

 with "If I Could Choose

If I Could Choose

"If I Could Choose" was the Irish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1967, performed in English by Sean Dunphy.The song is a ballad, in which Dunphy tells his lover how special she is to him. He explains that, while he currently lives in County Clare, he would willingly live in a desert if it...

".

The song is noted for its similarities to "Unchained Melody

Unchained Melody

"Unchained Melody" is a 1955 song with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret. It has become one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century, by some counts having spawned over 500 versions in hundreds of different languages....

".