Ireland will sit out the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest for a second consecutive year, national broadcaster RTÉ announced on Thursday, pointing to the continuing loss of life and humanitarian emergency in Gaza.
Ireland was among five countries that withdrew from the 2026 contest in protest at Israel’s inclusion. Iceland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain also declined to participate.
Dutch public broadcaster AVROTROS confirmed last month that it, too, would boycott Eurovision again in 2027.
In a statement, RTÉ said Ireland’s participation could not be defended while “the appalling and ongoing loss of lives in Gaza” continued, along with a humanitarian crisis placing countless civilians at risk.
RTÉ said it would neither enter the 2027 competition nor broadcast it. The event is scheduled to take place in Burgas, on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, after the country secured its first Eurovision victory in May.
The broadcaster also cited Eurovision Song Contest director Martin Green, who said the European Broadcasting Union regretted RTÉ’s decision but respected it. The EBU is responsible for organising the annual music competition.
“They remain a valued part of our family and will be missed,” Green was quoted as saying by RTÉ.
Israel’s foreign ministry had not immediately responded to a request for comment.
A Eurovision flag flies at the port of Burgas on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, the host city for the 71st Eurovision Song Contest in 2027
Ireland also withdrew from Eurovision the previous year after Israel was permitted to compete despite its military campaign in Gaza. Pictured: Israeli contestant Noam Bettam at the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest
The 2027 Eurovision final is expected to be held in Burgas in May, following Bulgarian singer Dara’s 2026 victory with the upbeat party track “Bangaranga.”
Eurovision was launched in 1956, partly as an effort to bring together a Europe still recovering from the devastation of the Second World War.
Every year, performers from dozens of nations compete for the continent’s most coveted musical title.
Israel has participated in Eurovision since 1973 and is one of the few competing countries located outside Europe.
However, demands for Israel’s expulsion from the contest have intensified amid criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and its conduct during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrations and tighter security measures have surrounded recent contests, including the 2024 event in Malmö, Sweden, the 2025 competition in Basel, Switzerland, and this year’s show in Vienna.
Ireland’s renewed Eurovision boycott comes as criticism also grows around singer Ed Sheeran’s decision to remove rapper Macklemore from his tour following Macklemore’s public comments about Palestine.
Macklemore, whose legal name is Benjamin Haggerty, was dropped after delivering a pro-Palestinian speech during performances at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on September 4 and 5. In the remarks, he voiced support for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
In an Instagram statement issued after his departure was confirmed, the rapper said Sheeran had told him that billionaire stadium owner Robert Kraft was behind the decision. Macklemore alleged that Kraft had issued an ultimatum, warning the tour would be cancelled unless he was removed.
Sheeran responded separately, saying he would not publicly adopt a political position and reminding fans that he had never taken a political stance in public.
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.
