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Ireland will not take part in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest, marking the second consecutive year the nation has chosen to stay away from the globally celebrated music competition in protest of Israel’s ongoing inclusion. The announcement positions Ireland as the second European country to confirm a boycott of the upcoming 2027 contest, following a similar withdrawal by the Netherlands.
Irish national public broadcaster Raidio Teilifis Eireann (RTE), which oversees the country’s contestant selection and broadcast operations for the event, confirmed the decision on Thursday. In an official release, the broadcaster explained that continuing participation could not be justified in light of the severe and persistent loss of civilian lives throughout the Gaza Strip.
RTE highlighted the catastrophic humanitarian emergency in the besieged Palestinian territory, noting that the ongoing crisis continues to place countless civilian lives in grave danger. The network emphasised that participating in an international entertainment showcase alongside Israel while the devastation unfolds would run contrary to the broadcaster's responsibilities and public expectations.
In addition to the civilian casualties and humanitarian collapse, the Irish broadcaster voiced significant alarm regarding press restrictions in the conflict zone. RTE stated that it remains deeply troubled by the persistent refusal of authorities to grant foreign, independent journalists open access to cover conditions on the ground inside Gaza.
By confirming its withdrawal, Ireland will neither stage an entry nor broadcast the annual musical showcase to Irish viewers for a second year running. The European television event, which holds the title of the world’s most widely viewed live music broadcast, has increasingly found itself at the centre of geopolitical disputes and international protest movements.
Ireland's move directly mirrors the stance adopted by the Dutch public broadcaster Avrotros, which confirmed its own withdrawal from the 2027 contest late last month. The Netherlands was the first country to formally pull out of next year's event, arguing that the competition's foundational principles had been fundamentally compromised by Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
In announcing its exit, Avrotros asserted that the Eurovision Song Contest could no longer credibly present itself as a politically neutral cultural platform while permitting a nation engaged in a large-scale military conflict to compete. The Dutch network concluded that its continued involvement was untenable under current circumstances.
The consecutive boycotts follow a recent regulatory change introduced earlier this month by the competition’s governing body. Under the new guidelines, organizers established that any nation actively embroiled in an armed conflict would be prohibited from hosting future editions of the show. However, several participating broadcasters, including Avrotros, quickly dismissed the hosting ban as an insufficient response that failed to address the core ethical concerns surrounding participation itself.
Discontent among European broadcasters has been building steadily over the past year. During the 2026 contest held in Vienna, Austria, Ireland and the Netherlands joined three other nations—Spain, Slovenia, and Iceland—in staging a coordinated absence from the competition over the presence of the Israeli delegation.
Responding to Ireland's latest announcement, Eurovision Director Martin Green stated on Thursday that contest organizers fully respect the choice made by RTE. While acknowledging the broadcaster’s stance, Green expressed disappointment over Ireland's absence, remarking that the Irish delegation and its performers would be genuinely missed on the international stage.
Defending the event's broader cultural mission, Green stressed that the Eurovision Song Contest achieves its greatest impact when participating networks and creative artists unite across borders. He noted that the contest's ability to foster human connection, share diverse music, and bridge audience divides remains vital in a modern world marked by growing friction and international division.
The ongoing controversy has noticeably affected Eurovision's global audience engagement. The 2026 broadcast in Vienna, which concluded with Bulgaria claiming the championship, registered an overall audience of 131 million viewers worldwide. This represented a substantial decline of 35 million viewers compared to the viewership recorded during the 2025 competition.
The Vienna finale in mid-May was also shadowed by intense civic unrest on the streets outside the arena. Thousands of pro-Palestinian and anti-war demonstrators convened near the Austrian venue throughout the final stages of the event, vocalising fierce opposition to Israel's presence on the stage and urging broad boycotts of the television event.
The controversy has focused intense scrutiny on the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the alliance of public service media organisations responsible for producing the competition. Critics have repeatedly accused the EBU of upholding a glaring double standard in its governance policies.
These criticisms frequently reference the EBU's swift decision in 2022 to ban Russia from the competition following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Broadcasters and activists have questioned why similar punitive measures have not been applied to Israel, intensifying a profound debate regarding the future governance, neutrality, and international standing of the world's most prominent song festival.
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