Ireland has not yet decided whether it will boycott Eurovision 2027
The Irish broadcaster, RTÉ, announced that it has not yet decided whether it will return to Eurovision 2027, after deciding last year to boycott the contest in protest of Israeli participation. The announcement from the Irish broadcaster comes after it announced it would boycott the contest this year as well.
The Irish broadcaster (RTÉ) has not yet decided whether it will return to Eurovision 2027, after boycotting the contest in 2026 in protest of Israel's participation. According to a report in the Irish Sun, the network said that a decision regarding participation in the 71st edition of the contest has not yet been made.
"We have noted the recent changes announced by the European Broadcasting Union regarding Eurovision," RTÉ stated, adding that they will make a decision regarding participation in due course. This comes after the Dutch broadcaster announced yesterday, despite conflicting reports, that it would not return to the contest because it is not satisfied with the contest's rules and does not believe it reflects its values: reliability, independence, and humanity.
Ireland, as is known, was one of five countries that withdrew from Eurovision 2026 in protest of Israel's continued participation, along with Spain, the Netherlands, Iceland, and Slovenia. Ahead of the contest in Vienna, the European Broadcasting Union stated that it hopes to continue working with RTÉ and discuss the concerns raised by the broadcaster regarding the contest.
"All I can say is that we are doing everything to alleviate their concerns," Martin Green, the Eurovision director, told the Irish broadcaster in early May. "As you can imagine, all conversations so far end with 'let's see how this year goes, and then we'll see where we go from there'."
Ireland first participated in Eurovision in 1965 and holds the record for the most wins jointly with Sweden, with seven wins each. In the 90s, it was one of the strongest countries in the contest and was the first to win three years in a row, from 1992 to 1994. In the 2000s, it struggled more and reached the final from the semi-final only 7 times out of 19 possible. In 2024, Bambie Thug brought Ireland its best result since 2000, finishing in 6th place. Bambie Thug was, as is known, one of the biggest opponents of Israel's participation in Eurovision.
