'Réalta' was a radio song contest started in 1995 by RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltacht exclusively for Irish songs.[1] The first edition of the contest was not related to Eurosong, but from 1996 until 1999, the recent winner of Réalta would qualify to Eurosong. The 4th edition of Réalta took place on 31 December 1997.[2][3][4] The running order and results of Réalta '98 are unknown.
Eurosong 1998 was held at the RTÉ Television Centre in Dublin on 8 March 1998 and hosted by Pat Kenny. 400 entries were submitted for the competition and eight artists and songs were selected to compete.[5] Votes from ten regional juries determined the winner and after the combination of votes, "Is Always Over Now?" performed by Dawn Martin was selected as the winner.[6]
Dawn performed 13th in the running order on the night of the contest. Paul Harrington, who won the contest for Ireland in 1994, performed backing vocals. "Is Always Over Now?" went on to place 9th with 64 points.[7]