Margaret "Sandie" Jones (9 November 1951 – 19 September 2019) was an Irish singer, best known for representing in the

Eurovision Song Contest 1972 The Eurovision Song Contest 1972 was the 17th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom and was organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster British Broadcasting Corpo ...

with the song "". This marked the only occasion in the history of the contest on which a song was performed in the

Irish language Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family. It is a member of the Goidelic languages of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenous ...

Early life

Sandie Jones was born in Lisle Road,

Crumlin, Dublin Crumlin () is a Southside (Dublin), Southside suburb of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Formerly a rural area, it became heavily built up from the early 20th century onwards. Crumlin is the site of Ireland's largest children's hospital, Ou ...

, one of the eleven children of John and Mary Jones. She began singing at an early age, taking part in local

Feis A () or () is a traditional Gaelic arts and culture festival. The plural forms are () and (). The term is commonly used referring to Irish dance competitions and, in Ireland, to immersive teaching courses, specialising in traditional musi ...

competitions and appearing on a radio broadcast at the age of 9.

Career

Since the age of 15, Jones started singing with several local bands, including The Statesmen and the Monaco Showband, before joining the middle-of-the-road group Royal Earls in 1968, with which she gained popularity. At the age of 18, she briefly performed for a residency at

Hammersmith Palais The Hammersmith Palais de Danse, in its last years simply named Hammersmith Palais, was a dance hall and entertainment venue in Hammersmith, London, England that operated from 1919 until 2007. It was the first ''palais de danse'' to be built ...

, London. After winning the 1969 Castlebar Song Contest with the song "Reflections of You", Bil Keating signed her for the

RTÉ (; ; RTÉThe É in RTÉ is pronounced as an English E () and not an Irish É ()) is an Irish public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, ...

series ''Girls, Girls, Girls'' in 1970, and she went on to become a regular guest on the show ''Man and His Music''. She also had a short-lived career as a fashion model during this period. Following her first international performance at the 1971 Slovene Song Festival, she joined The Dixies in January 1972, and shortly after she won the national selection for the

, held at the Cork Opera House, with the song "" (); the entry, which was written by Joe Burkett and Liam Mac Uistín and ultimately placed 15th with 72 points at the

Usher Hall The Usher Hall (Scottish Gaelic: ''Talla Usher'') is a concert hall in the West End of Edinburgh, Scotland. The hall is owned and managed by the City of Edinburgh Council, and has hosted concerts and events since its construction in 1914. Th ...

in Edinburgh, is the only one in the history of the contest to have ever been performed in the

. "" and its follow-up single "What Do I Do" (a cover of the ) both reached number one on the national charts, launching Jones' career. After leaving The Dixies in 1973, Jones founded her own band, Sandie Jones and the Boyfriends, later renamed the Sandie Jones Gang. Throughout her Irish career, she performed at the Gaiety Theatre, the Olympia Theatre and the

Abbey Theatre The Abbey Theatre (), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland () is a theatre in Dublin, Ireland. First opening to the public on 27 December 1904, and moved from its original building after a fire in 1951, it has remained active to the p ...

in Dublin. The Irish music industry elected her the most popular female entertainer in Ireland for five consecutive years. Jones' marriage to her manager Tony McIver marked a shift in her musical style, with the couple leaving Europe for

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

in 1983, where she continued to perform before settling in the United States. In 2016, she was invited by

TG4 TG4 (; , ) is an Irish free-to-air public service television channel. It launched on 31 October 1996 and is available online and through its on-demand service TG4 Player in Ireland and beyond. TG4 was initially known as (TnaG), before bein ...

to form part of the jury who would determine the in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2016.

Final years and death

In January 2016, Jones moved to

Gunnison, Colorado Gunnison is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Gunnison County, Colorado. The city population was 6,560 at the 2020 United States census. The city was named in honor of John W. Gunnison, a ...

, to work as a caregiver alongside one of her sisters. She was locally known as Maggie O'Brien. After a long battle with cancer, Jones died in hospice care in Gunnison on 19 September 2019, at the age of 67. She was

cremated Cremation is a method of Disposal of human corpses, final disposition of a corpse through Combustion, burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India, Nepal, and ...

and her ashes were buried at

Glasnevin Cemetery Glasnevin Cemetery () is a large cemetery in Glasnevin, Dublin, Ireland which opened in 1832. It holds the graves and memorials of several notable figures, and has a museum. Location The cemetery is located in Glasnevin, Dublin, in two part ...

in Dublin, next to her parents and one of her sisters.

Discography

Albums

Singles

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Sandie 1951 births 2019 deaths Irish expatriates in the United States Singers from Dublin (city) People from Crumlin, Dublin 20th-century Irish women singers Irish pop singers Irish women pop singers 20th-century Irish folk singers Irish women folk singers Irish-language singers Eurovision Song Contest entrants EMI Records artists Deaths from cancer in Colorado Burials at Glasnevin Cemetery