Irish Singles Chart

The Irish Singles Chart (Irish: Cairt Singil na hÉireann) is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically each day from retailers' EPOS systems. Currently all major record stores and over forty independents submit data for the charts, accounting for over 80% of the market, according to Chart-Track. A new chart is compiled and officially released to the public by the Irish Recorded Music Association on Friday at noon. Each chart is dated with the "week-ending" date of the previous Thursday (i.e. the day before issue). The singles chart was first published on 1 October 1962, and covered the top ten singles of the previous week by record label shipments.

History
The charts were first broadcast on RTÉ on 1 October 1962. Before this charts had been printed in the Evening Herald newspaper, but it is debated as to whether they are official or not. Up until 1972 the Irish Chart was based on telephone sales received from record retailers based on over the counter sales to the public. The compilers of the chart changed several times and in January 1972 the chart changed to one based on sales from manufacturers to retailers. From October 1975 to February 1977 the chart was compiled from votes from readers in the Evening Herald newspaper. There was a separate Irish and International artists chart for a time during this period. From 1977 the chart once again became based on sales from retailers to the public but during the early 1980s this again changed and was once more based on sales from manufacturers to retailers. Currently Pop4 on the Irish speaking channel TG4 lists the charts and RTÉ 2fm broadcast the top 30 of chart on every Friday from 8pm to 10pm.

In 1992, the singles chart became based on consumer sales after IFPI and the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) granted a contract to Gallup, a market research company. Gallup installed Epson PX-4 devices in sixty record stores to collect singles sales data. In 1996, Chart-Track was formed as a result of a management buy-out from Gallup. Also in 1996, with the development of technology, EPOS systems were installed in multiple music retail stores. The EPOS systems allowed for the collection of more accurate sales information. Currently, Chart-Track collects data daily from major record stores such as HMV and Tower Records, as well as over forty Independent retailers. In total, data from over four-hundred and ninety stores are collected each week. The singles chart is compiled over seven days and released every Friday at noon by the IRMA, while Midweek Charts are produced daily, but only released to IRMA members.

It was announced that from 1 July 2006, downloads would be counted in the charts. They would also feature in their own chart in addition to being counted for the overall chart. Data was initially collected from iTunes, Vodafone, eircom, Sony Connect, Wippit and Bleep.com. Although IRMA estimated the size of the download market to amount to only 14% of the total market in 2006, this has increased in more recent years.

Chart achievements and trivia

 * All information is from 1962 to the present and does not include charts printed in the Evening Herald newspaper.

First Irish artist to go straight in at number one

 * "Dickie Rock" – The Miami Showband – "Every Step of the Way" (1965)

Artists with the most number one hits
1. 21 2.13 (tie) 4. 12 5. 9 (tie) 8. 8 (tie) 14. 7 (tie)
 * U2
 * The Beatles
 * Westlife
 * ABBA
 * Boyzone
 * Cliff Richard
 * Michael Jackson
 * Dickie Rock and The Miami Showband
 * Elvis Presley
 * Madonna
 * Britney Spears
 * Eminem
 * Rihanna
 * Dustin the Turkey
 * Kylie Minogue
 * Royal Showband
 * One Direction

Songs with the most weeks at number one
1. 18 weeks
 * "Riverdance" – Bill Whelan

2. 13 weeks
 * "Put 'Em Under Pressure" – 1990 Republic of Ireland World Cup Squad

3. 12 weeks (tie)
 * "I Gotta Feeling" – The Black Eyed Peas
 * "Happy" – Pharrell Williams

5. 11 weeks (tie)
 * "Bohemian Rhapsody" – Queen
 * "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" – Bryan Adams
 * "One Dance" – Drake featuring Wizkid and Kyla

8. 10 weeks (tie)
 * "Mull of Kintyre" – Wings
 * "Maniac 2000" – Mark McCabe

10. 9 weeks (tie)
 * "From a Jack to a King" – Ned Miller
 * "All Kinds of Everything" – Dana
 * "You're the One That I Want" – John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John
 * "I Useta Lover" – The Saw Doctors
 * "Do the Bartman" – The Simpsons
 * "Think Twice" – Celine Dion
 * "Where Is the Love?" – The Black Eyed Peas
 * "Hips Don't Lie" – Shakira featuring Wyclef Jean

Simultaneously occupying the top two positions or more
1. "Galway Girl" 2. "Shape of You" 3. "Nancy Mulligan" 4. "Castle on the Hill" 5. "Happier" 6. "New Man" 7. "Perfect" 8. "What Do I Know" 9. "Supermarket Flowers" 10. "Barcelona" 11. "Dive" 12. "How Would You Feel (Paean)" 13. "Hearts Don't Break Around Here" 14. "Bibia Be Ye Ye" 15. "Eraser" 16. "Save Myself"
 * Ed Sheeran: 10 March 2017