Ireland will boycott the Eurovision Song Contest for the second consecutive year, its national broadcaster RTÉ announced on Thursday, citing the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
RTÉ said it would not participate in the 2027 competition. The Netherlands' broadcaster Avrotros had already announced its own boycott the previous month.
In a statement, RTÉ said: "RTÉ 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."
Ireland was one of five countries that refused to take part in this year's competition in protest against Israel's participation. The others were Iceland, the Netherlands, Spain, and Slovenia.
Avrotros said it would not take part, claiming the competition "can no longer be considered neutral, with a participating country still involved in a large-scale military conflict."
The 2027 Eurovision Song Contest is to be held in Burgas, a Bulgarian city on the Black Sea coast, after Bulgaria won the competition for the first time in May.
Eurovision's director, Martin Green, said he regretted but respected RTÉ's decision. "They remain a valued part of our family and will be missed," he said.
"That power to bring people together is at the heart of what makes the contest so special and is even more important now in an increasingly difficult and divided world," he added. "All broadcasters decide on an annual basis to participate in the following year's contest. We will remain in dialogue with RTÉ and hope to welcome them back to the contest in the future."
The European Broadcasting Union, which organises the event, has made several attempts to address broadcasters' concerns over Israel's participation.
Last year it reduced the number of votes that could be cast online or by telephone by a single individual, amid allegations that Israel had mounted a disproportionate campaign for public votes.
Last month the EBU announced that broadcasters would no longer be eligible to host Eurovision if their country was involved in an armed conflict or in a sensitive geopolitical situation.
The contest has faced protests both inside and outside competition venues in recent years over Israel's participation. Israel has competed in Eurovision since 1973.
In 2024, the European Commission made an unusual intervention after organisers banned audience members from waving the EU flag at the grand final in Sweden, describing the decision as "mind-blowing" and "regrettable."
Palestinian authorities report that more than 73,000 people have been killed in Israel's war on Gaza, which was launched after Hamas-led fighters killed 1,200 people in an attack on southern Israel in October 2023.
A US-brokered ceasefire agreed last year calls for the eventual reconstruction of the territory, but Israeli strikes have continued. According to Gaza's health ministry, 1,369 Palestinians have been killed and 4,627 wounded since the ceasefire took effect on 11 October 2025.
