Ireland will skip the Eurovision Song Contest for a second year, with national broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) confirming it will neither participate in nor broadcast the 2027 event due to Israel’s war in Gaza. According to RTÉ, the country’s involvement cannot be justified given the appalling and ongoing loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there.
RTÉ Confirms Total Boycott of the 2027 Contest
The decision keeps Ireland out of the world’s biggest live televised music event for a second year. A spokesperson for RTÉ stated that the broadcaster will not take part in or air the 2027 competition, which is scheduled to take place on May 15 in the Bulgarian city of Burgas on the Black Sea. RTÉ cited the appalling and ongoing loss of lives in Gaza as the primary driver behind the withdrawal.
Ireland joins the Netherlands in boycotting the upcoming contest. Avrotros, the Dutch public broadcaster, announced its boycott for the second year last month. Taco Zimmerman, the director-general of Avrotros, stated that the event can no longer be considered neutral due to divisions among participating countries over Israel’s involvement. The Dutch broadcaster argued that new European Broadcasting Union (EBU) rules designed to guarantee political neutrality are insufficient, forcing the network to make what it called a painful decision.
Growing Fallout and EBU Rule Changes
The Eurovision Song Contest has faced mounting controversies, protests, and boycotts in recent years over geopolitical conflicts. This year’s competition saw viewership drop to 131 million—35 million fewer viewers than the previous year—after five countries pulled out over Israel’s participation. Iceland, Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, and the Netherlands all sat out the 2026 contest, with Ireland, Spain, and Slovenia also refusing to broadcast the show.
Despite widespread demonstrations in host cities like Basel in 2025 and Vienna in 2026, Israel’s representative Noam Bettan won the public vote and finished second overall with the song “Michelle.” This marked the second year in a row Israel finished second, averting potential controversy regarding whether the contest would return to Jerusalem or Tel Aviv.
In response to the growing friction, the EBU introduced new regulations this month. Under the updated framework, any country engaged in an armed conflict—including Israel and Ukraine—will be ineligible to host the competition. Additionally, winning nations will be barred from hosting if sensitive geopolitical situations affect the security, safety or stability of their state or immediate region.
Background on EBU Debates and Future Outlook
The debate over Israel’s participation reached a peak in late 2025. The EBU announced plans to hold a vote among public-broadcaster members on whether to exclude Israel’s KAN from the 2026 contest. However, that vote was canceled following an October ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, and the matter was moved to the EBU’s December general assembly, where members ultimately decided not to hold a vote on Israel’s participation.
During those deliberations, broadcasters from Austria and Germany stated they would leave the competition if Israel were excluded, highlighting the intense polarization across Europe regarding the war in Gaza and rising anti-Semitism.
With preparations underway for Eurovision 2027 in Burgas, the confirmed withdrawals of Ireland and the Netherlands indicate that geopolitical tensions will continue to cast a shadow over the international music competition.
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