The first Castlebar Song Contest took place in County Mayo in 1966.
It was initially organised by the town's Chamber of Commerce.
It was hoped that the contest would increase tourism to the town.
The final of the first contest was hosted by beloved RTÉ host Gay Byrne.
The goal of the very first contest was to find a song named after the town, but after that the focus shifted to attracting composers and performers to the town itself.
In 1970 the contest was recorded for television for the first time.
The last Castlebar Song Contest took place in 1988.
