"Mysterious Woman" 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 1997

Eurovision Song Contest 1997

The Eurovision Song Contest 1997, was the 42nd Eurovision Song Contest and it was held at the Point Theatre Dublin, Ireland, on 3 May 1997. Boyzone member Ronan Keating and Carrie Crowley were the presenters of the show....

, 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 Marc Roberts

Marc Roberts

Marc Roberts is a singer-songwriter, originally from Crossmolina, County Mayo, and now based in Galway. Prior to 1997, he fronted his own band doing own original work and American country classics. In May of that year he represented Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest with "Mysterious Woman",...

.

The song is a moderately up-tempo number, with Roberts singing about a woman he saw at an airport (with a "Ticket in your hand"). He sings that he was instantly attracted to her, despite having no knowledge about where she was from or where she was going. In the course of his musing, he wonders if she was perhaps from Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

, Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 or even "the gulf of Araby

Persian Gulf

The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...

". As the song ends, however, she has been called to board her plane and he is left still wondering about her.

Quite understandably, the strings on this song were not performed live. 1997 was the first year ever in which backing tracks with instruments not present on stage, were allowed to be used.

The song was performed fifth on the night, following Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

's Bettina Soriat

Bettina Soriat

Bettina Soriat is an Austrian singer.Bettina Soriat is a singer, dancer, actress, comedienne, and choreographer. Her first success came with the girlgroup "Three Girl Madhouse" and their single-hit "Always gonna be around you" was released in 1990.Bettina has appeared in musicals in Vienna,...

 with "One Step

One Step

"One Step" was the Austrian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1997, performed in German almost exclusively by Bettina Soriat....

" and preceding Slovenia

Slovenia

Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...

's Tanja Ribič

Tanja Ribic

Tanja Ribič is a Slovenian actress and a singer. She represented Slovenia at Eurovision Song Contest 1997 with the song "Zbudi se", which finished 10th. She is married to actor and director Branko Đurić....

 with "Zbudi se

Zbudi se

"Zbudi se" was the Slovene entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1997, sung in Slovenian by Tanja Ribič.On the night the song was performed sixth...

". At the close of voting, it had received 157 points, placing 2nd in a field of 25. As of the 2010 contest

Eurovision Song Contest 2010

The Eurovision Song Contest 2010 was the 55th annual Eurovision Song Contest, broadcast from the Telenor Arena in Bærum, Greater Oslo, Norway. It was the third time Norway had hosted the contest, having previously done so in 1986 and 1996. The 2010 winner was Germany with Lena singing "Satellite",...

, this was the last time Ireland had a song that placed in the top five.

It was succeeded as Irish representative at the 1998 Contest

Eurovision Song Contest 1998

The Eurovision Song Contest 1998 was the 43rd Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 9 May 1998 at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, United Kingdom. The presenters were Terry Wogan and Ulrika Jonsson...

 by Dawn Martin with "Is Always Over Now?

Is Always Over Now?

"Is Always Over Now?" was the Irish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1998, performed in English by Dawn Martin.The song is a ballad, sung from the perspective of a woman at the end of a relationship...

".