<P> Each submission must have vocals; purely instrumental music has never been allowed . In the past, competitors have been required to sing in one of their own national languages, but this rule has been changed several times over the years . From 1956 until 1965, there was no rule restricting the languages in which the songs could be sung . In 1966 a rule was imposed stating that the songs must be performed in one of the official languages of the country participating, after Sweden was the first country to not sing in their own language, with opera singer Ingvar Wixell performing Sweden's 1965 entry in English . The Swedish - language version of the song was originally selected at Melodifestivalen 1965, but it was later translated into English for the Eurovision contest . </P> <P> The language restriction continued until 1973, when performers were again allowed to sing in any language they wished . Several winners in the mid-1970s took advantage of this: performers from non-English - speaking countries sang in English, including ABBA in 1974 . </P> <P> In 1977, the EBU decided to revert to the national language restriction . However, special dispensation was given to Germany and Belgium as their national selections had already taken place before the decision was made; both countries' entries that year were in English . </P> <P> In 1999 the rule was changed again to allow the choice of language once more, which resulted in 12 out of 23 countries, including the United Kingdom, singing in English that year . Belgium entered the 2003 contest with "Sanomi", a song sung in a constructed language, finishing in second place . In 2006 the Dutch entry, "Amambanda", was sung partly in English and partly in an artificial language . In 2008 the Belgian entry, "O Julissi", was sung in an artificial language . In 2011 the Norwegian entry, "Haba Haba", which was sung in English and Swahili, was the first song to be sung in an African language, apart from Arabic . </P>

Where did ireland come in the song contest