Ireland’s national broadcaster RTÉ has announced it will not participate in the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest in Bulgaria and will not broadcast the event, citing the ongoing crisis in Gaza as the reason for the boycott.
It marks the second consecutive year Ireland has pulled out of Eurovision over Israel’s inclusion in the competition. RTÉ said the decision was driven by the “appalling and ongoing loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there which continues to put the lives of so many civilians at risk.”
Ireland is not alone. Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS announced last month it would also skip the 2027 contest. It stated that Eurovision “can no longer be considered neutral, with a participating country still involved in a large-scale military conflict.” Ireland, the Netherlands, Iceland, Slovenia and Spain had all boycotted this year’s contest in Vienna for the same reasons.
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Next year’s competition is scheduled for Burgas, Bulgaria’s Black Sea resort city, in May 2027. Bulgaria earned hosting rights after singer Dara won the 2026 event with her song “Bangaranga.”
Eurovision Director Martin Green said organisers regretted RTÉ’s decision but “fully respect” it. Also adding that the organisation hoped to welcome Ireland back in the future.
Israel has competed in Eurovision since 1973, making it one of the few non-European nations in the contest. Calls for its exclusion have grown steadily since the war in Gaza began. The situation has seen protests and heightened security marking the contests in 2024, 2025, and 2026 respectively.
