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Ryan Dolan

© Albin Olsson

About

Quick Facts

Name
Ryan Dolan

Born
22 July 1985

Nationality
🇮🇪 Irish

National Selection
Eurosong 2013

In Eurovision
2013 Malmö

Song
Only Love Survives (2013)

Biography

Ryan Dolan (born 22 July 1985) is an Irish pop singer. He was born in Strabane in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.
 

Dolan’s track “Only Love Survives” clinched the top spot in Ireland’s Eurosong 2013. This victory set him on the path to represent Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Malmö, Sweden. Dolan showcased his song during the semi-final at the Malmö Arena on 14 May 2013, securing his spot in the final with a top-ten finish. However, in the climactic final on 18 May 2013, he secured the last spot, with support from only three countries totaling five points.

Dolan launched his first album, “Frequency”, on 13 May 2013. His second single, “Start Again”, was released on 7 March 2014, following his public revelation about his sexuality on RTÉ Radio 1. The music video, illustrating a tragic story of a gay teenager’s suicide, garnered over a million views on YouTube. Dolan became a prominent figure within LGBT circles and performed at several pride events, such as Pride in Newry 2014 and Bristol Pride 2015. His third single, “Fall to the Floor”, released on 20 June 2014, achieved a moderate position on the Irish Recorded Music Association chart, ranking 88th.

In a heartfelt interview on RTÉ Radio 1 in February 2014, Dolan opened up about his sexuality, revealing he’s gay. He reflected on his school years, describing his struggle with self-acceptance and the challenge of finding someone to confide in. In June of the same year, he released the song “Fall to the Floor” about this subject.

On 20 November 2015, he unveiled his fourth single, “Uptown Downtown”.  His collection of covers culminated in the album “Under the Covers, Vol.1”, which was released on 19 February 2016. The album reached the no. 1 spot in the Irish album charts a year later.

In October 2020, Ryan Dolan released a new song and video, “Colours”.

 

Entries

Only Love Survives

Country
🇮🇪 Ireland

Year
2013

Language
English

Lyrics
Wez Devine
Ryan Dolan

Music
Wez Devine
Ryan Dolan

Backings
Leanne Moore
Alison Vard Miller
Colm Farrel (drums)
Alan McGrath (drums)
Nicky Bailey (drums)

Results Semi

Points: 54
Position: 8
Running order: 13

Results Finals

Points: 5
Position: 26
Running order: 26