Muriel Day
Encyclopedia
Muriel Day is an Irish
singer. Born in Newtownards
, County Down
, she was the first singer from Northern Ireland
to represent the Republic of Ireland
in the Eurovision Song Contest
. She was also the first woman to perform for Ireland, which had been competing since 1965. After making her name in the Irish showband
circuit, and appearing in the British
film Billy Liar
in 1963, Day was chosen as Ireland's Eurovision contestant with the song "The Wages of Love" in 1969. Though the song was a great hit in Ireland, it only finished seventh internationally, in a year with four winners. As a result of her performance, however, she was offered the chance to record with Peter Warne, producing the enduring hit "Nine Times out of Ten". After moving to Canada
in 1971, where she continued her career, Day eventually took up medicine and became a laser therapist. She returned to Belfast
in the 1990s, where she has been performing regularly.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
singer. Born in Newtownards
Newtownards
Newtownards is a large town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies at the most northern tip of Strangford Lough, 10 miles east of Belfast, on the Ards Peninsula. Newtownards is the largest town in the Borough of Ards. According to the 2001 Census, it has a population of 27,821 people in...
, County Down
County Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
, she was the first singer from Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
to represent the Republic of Ireland
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,...
in the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
. She was also the first woman to perform for Ireland, which had been competing since 1965. After making her name in the Irish showband
Irish showband
The Irish Showband was a dance band format which was popular in Ireland during the early rock and roll era from mid 1950s to the late 1970s. The showband was based on the internationally popular six or seven piece dance band. The band's basic repertoire included standard dance numbers and cover...
circuit, and appearing in the British
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...
film Billy Liar
Billy Liar (film)
Billy Liar is a 1963 film based on the novel by Keith Waterhouse. It was directed by John Schlesinger and stars Tom Courtenay as Billy and Julie Christie as Liz, one of his three girlfriends. Mona Washbourne plays Mrs. Fisher, and Wilfred Pickles played Mr. Fisher...
in 1963, Day was chosen as Ireland's Eurovision contestant with the song "The Wages of Love" in 1969. Though the song was a great hit in Ireland, it only finished seventh internationally, in a year with four winners. As a result of her performance, however, she was offered the chance to record with Peter Warne, producing the enduring hit "Nine Times out of Ten". After moving to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1971, where she continued her career, Day eventually took up medicine and became a laser therapist. She returned to Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
in the 1990s, where she has been performing regularly.
External links
- The Wages of Love on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.