21 Facts About Linda Martin

Linda Martin was born on 27 March 1952 and is an Irish singer and television presenter.

Linda Martin is known within Ireland as a member of the band Chips.

Linda Martin's paternal great-grandfather Francis Martini was born in Dublin to immigrants from Saronno, north of Milan, Italy.

Linda Martin began her musical career when she joined the band Chips in Omagh in 1969.

In 1972, Linda Martin left Chips to be a vocalist with new group Lyttle People, but rejoined her former bandmates the following year.

Linda Martin participated in the National Song Contest four times as a member of Chips; however, they did not score successfully.

Linda Martin participated another four times in the contest as a soloist and once more as part of the group 'Linda Martin and Friends'.

Linda Martin won the contest twice, going on to represent Ireland twice at the Eurovision Song Contest.

Linda Martin was, at the time, one of only three artists to finish both first and second at Eurovision, behind Lys Assia and Gigliola Cinquetti.

Linda Martin was the first of the three artists to finish second first and first second, matched only later by Bilan.

Linda Martin was one of the hosts on the RTE quiz show The Lyrics Board, and served as one of Louis Walsh's behind-the-scenes team on the first series of ITV's The X Factor.

Linda Martin served as a judge on the first, second and fourth seasons of RTE's You're a Star and on Charity You're a Star in summer 2005 and summer 2006.

Linda Martin did not rule out a return to Eurovision following Ireland's dismal performance in the 2007 contest finishing last with only five points.

Linda Martin was a guest performer at Congratulations, the 50th anniversary Eurovision concert in Copenhagen, Denmark, in October 2005.

Linda Martin was the Irish spokesperson for Eurovision Song Contest 2007 and was one of the five judges for Eurosong 2009.

However, on 1 June 2013, during an appearance on RTE's The Saturday Night Show Linda Martin said that she had actually benefited from all the publicity.

Linda Martin starred in Cinderella as the Wicked Stepmother, Snow White as the Evil Queen and Robin Hood as herself, at the Olympia Theatre.

Linda Martin toured Menopause the Musical with Irish entertainer Twink.

Linda Martin was in a relationship with the musician Paul Lyttle from the early 1970s to the mid-1980s.

Since her childhood in east Belfast, Linda Martin has nurtured an interest in animals and now operates a dog sanctuary in north Dublin.

In February 2025, Linda Martin revealed that she had been approached by a unnamed political party to run in the 2025 Irish presidential election.