Eurovision: Ireland to boycott song contest for second year in a row

Ireland will boycott the Eurovision Song Contest for the second year in a row in protest at Israel's participation, broadcaster RTE says.

The boycott follows that of Dutch broadcaster AvroTros last month, who announced they would boycott next year's show as it was no longer consistent with "trustworthiness, independence and humanity".

Both Ireland and the Netherlands were among the five countries to ​not take part in the 2026 show, along with Iceland, Slovenia and ​Spain.

RTE, Ireland's national broadcaster, said in a statement: "RTE feels that Ireland's ​participation cannot be justified given 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."

They also said they would not be broadcasting the competition, which will take place in Bulgaria in 2027 after singer Dara's victory for the country in May.

Eurovision director Martin Green said he "regretted" RTS's decision, but "fully respect their decision".

He added that he hoped the broadcaster would return to the contest in the future.

Israel's foreign ministry did ​not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Eurovision rule changes in a bid to quell dissent

Ireland has won Eurovision seven times, a record they share with Sweden.

In 2025, the country's song Laika Party by Emmy failed to qualify for the semi-final, while their 2024 entry Doomsday Blue finished in sixth place.

Last month, the EBU announced it would be updating the contest's rules, relating to the countries which could host the event. Normally, countries are invited to host if their act has won the contest the previous year.

Under the new rules, broadcasters cannot host if their country is involved in armed conflict or a "sensitive geopolitical situation" that could affect the safety of the event.

Broadcasters will now "automatically be ineligible to host the contest if an armed conflict, a sensitive geopolitical situation, or any other situation materially affects the security, safety or stability of their state or immediate region".

While there is a tradition of a country hosting if its act won, changes have been made in the past. In 2023, the contest was held in Liverpool, in the UK, following Ukraine's win the previous year - because of the Ukraine war. At the time, the EBU said Russia's invasion made it impossible to begin the 12 months of preparation needed to organise the show.

The EBU said the rule changes had been made following feedback from participating broadcasters, and that the updates would provide greater clarity for artists and production staff.

As the world's largest live music competition, Eurovision is watched by millions around the world.

(c) Sky News 2026: Eurovision: Ireland to boycott song contest for second year in a row