Ireland will not participate in the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest for the second year in a row, national broadcaster RTE said on Thursday, citing the ongoing loss of life in Gaza.
Ireland was one of five countries to not take part in the 2026 edition in protest of Israel‘s participation, with Iceland, Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain.
Dutch public broadcaster AvroTros last month said it would boycott again in 2027.
‘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,’ the broadcaster said in a statement.
RTE said it would not take part in 2027 or broadcast the competition, which will be held in Bulgaria’s Black Sea city of Burgas after they won for the first time in May.
RTE quoted Eurovision Song Contest director Martin Green as saying that the European Broadcasting Union, which organises the event, regretted but respected RTE’s decision.
‘They remain a valued part of our family and will be missed,’ RTE reported Green as saying.
Israel’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
An Eurovision flag flies at the port of Burgas, on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, which will host the 71st Eurovision Song Contest in 2027
Ireland also boycotted Eurovision last year after Israel was allowed to participate despite its military operations in Gaza. Pictured: Israeli contestant Noam Bettam, who participated in the Eurovision song contest in 2026
Next year’s competition is due to take place in Bulgaria’s Black Sea resort of Burgas in May, after Bulgarian singer Dara won the 2026 event with her infectious party anthem ‘Bangaranga.’
The contest was founded in 1956, in part to help unite a shattered continent after World War II.
It pits acts from dozens of countries against one another for the continent’s musical crown.
Israel has taken part in Eurovision since 1973, one of a few non-European countries to compete.
But calls for Israel to be kicked out have swelled over the conduct of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in the Hamas-Israel war in Gaza.
The 2024 Eurovision contest in Malmo, Sweden, the 2025 in Basel, Switzerland and this year’s contest in Vienna saw pro-Palestinian protests and heightened security.
Ireland’s decision to boycott Eurovision again this year comes amid growing backlash against singer Ed Sheeran for dropping opener Macklemore from his tour over his comments about Palestine.
Macklemore, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, was dropped from Sheeran’s tour after he delivered a politically motivated speech in support of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank during his performances at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on September 4 and 5.
Responding with an Instagram statement after it was confirmed he was leaving, the rapper claimed Sheeran told him billionaire stadium owner Robert Kraft orchestrated the move, ‘issuing an ultimatum’ that the whole tour would be cancelled if Macklemore was not removed.
Sheeran addressed the controversy with his own statement, reminding fans he would never publicly take a political stance.
Following his comments, it emerged this morning that Irish radio station Classic Hits Radio announced it would no longer be playing Sheeran’s music ‘for the foreseeable future’ after feedback from their audience regarding the situation.
Dave Kelly, Group Programme Director at Bay Broadcasting, said the move had been ‘carefully considered’ and was ‘not intended as a personal judgement on Ed Sheeran’.
He said: ‘We acknowledge his own explanation of the circumstances surrounding recent events.
‘As an independent Irish-owned radio station, however, we believe it is important to listen to our audience and to stand alongside Irish artists who have made what is undoubtedly a significant professional decision based on their own convictions.’
Meanwhile, after news of Macklemore’s departure, all of Sheeran’s remaining support acts also stepped away from the tour.
American singer Finneas wrote: ‘Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed. I have decided to withdraw from my upcoming tour dates with Ed Sheeran. I stand with Palestine and its people.’
Irish performer Aaron Rowe took a strong stance as he wrote: ‘Ed has been a friend to me and has changed my life. I could never thank him enough for this. But as Irish people, we know all too well about genocide, forced famine and violent occupation.’
He continued by saying he ‘cannot stand by and allow billionaires to use their position of power to silence the rightful voices of those who speak up’.
Danish band Lukas Graham said: ‘We should be able to speak about war, about civilians being killed, about children who deserve to grow up. Wherever they live. Whatever flag flies over them.’
Irish band Beoga, who joined Sheeran for eight songs including Galway Girl, also revealed that they are removing themselves from the tour.
They wrote: ‘We have been friends with Ed for over ten years now and will continue to be.
It comes amid growing backlash against singer Ed Sheeran for dropping opener Macklemore from his tour over his comments about Palestine. Pictured: Sheeran and Macklemore in 2013
‘Playing to those crowds every night is the stuff of dreams but to play in venues that silence anyone advocating for a Free Palestine is simply not an option for us.’
Beoga added that Macklemore had been silenced by ‘Zionist lobbies’ and that the group believed in ‘dialogue as a means of progressing the plight of the Palestinian people’.
Sheeran lost more than 200,000 Instagram followers in 24 hours after fans criticised him for dropping Macklemore.
In a statement on Instagram, Sheeran addressed the controversy, writing: ‘I have always used my platform and music to bring people from all backgrounds and cultures together and this won’t ever change.
‘Those who have been to one of my shows will know that they are about unity, joy, escapism, love, and a place for everyone to feel welcome.’
He added: ‘I am not complicit. I have my personal views on this devastating conflict. Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn’t mean I don’t have them, and it doesn’t mean I don’t care.
‘There is a reason I do not use my professional platform for politics – my audience includes young people, often children, of all backgrounds. Those who come to my shows do not expect a political forum.’
He added that although he respects Macklemore’s ‘strength of purpose to stand up and shout for what he believes’, there are different approaches to advocating for peace.
