This year, the luck of the Irish has run out for the Emerald Isle’s Eurovision fans, because in addition to boycotting the song contest in Vienna next month, Ireland’s state broadcaster, RTÉ, announced that it will not even broadcast the event, due to Israel’s inclusion.
Ireland has joined two other countries – Spain and Slovenia – which previously announced that their public broadcasters will not air the contest. Slovenia’s public broadcaster, RTV Slovenia, said that in place of Eurovision, it would broadcast Voices of Palestine, a collection of feature films and documentaries about Palestine. The website for Voices of Palestine offered no details about the content as of Sunday afternoon.
Iceland and the Netherlands are also boycotting Eurovision but will broadcast Eurovision.
Ireland’s 2024 representative, Bambie Thug, a Goth-style singer, painted themselves with the words for “Ceasefire” and “Saoirse Don Phalistin” (Freedom for Palestine) on their face and legs in the medieval Irish alphabet Ogham. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) made them remove these words before performing. They also said that they cried when Israel’s Eden Golan was voted into the final.
Bambie Thug also said in the summer of 2025 that they would not perform their Eurovision song, “Doomsday Blue” until Israel was kicked out of Eurovision.
Ireland has won Eurovision a record seven times, but its last victory was in 1996, while Israel has won four times, most recently Netta Barzilai in 2018 with “Toy.”
Michael Deacon, writing in The Telegraph in December, commented that contestants like Bambie Thug and others from the boycotting countries would not be missed at the glitzy, often outrageous song contest: “I’m somewhat puzzled that these countries should choose to withdraw over the war in Gaza, given that there is actually a ceasefire in place. In summary, then: they’re furious when Israel’s fighting – and furious when Israel isn’t. It’s almost as if they’d be furious with Israel no matter what Israel did. Still, even if we don’t miss them, it’s possible that they’ll miss Eurovision. But not to worry, because I’ve got an idea for them. Next May, while Eurovision is taking place, these four countries should hold their own rival song contest – and, in solidarity with the anti-Israel cause, invite a Gazan entry. Hamas would surely be delighted for Gazans to compete in a flamboyantly camp celebration of LGBTQIA+ culture. What a beacon of ‘peace, respect and equality’ it will be.”
Noam Bettan will represent Israel at Eurovision in May.