'Position remains unchanged' - RTÉ confirm major update for Eurovision 2027
The decision means Ireland will be absent from the Eurovision Song Contest for a second consecutive year
RTÉ has confirmed that Ireland will not participate in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2027, saying its position regarding the competition remains unchanged.
The national broadcaster confirmed its decision on Thursday, September 17, and said it will also not broadcast next year's contest.
The 2027 Eurovision Song Contest is due to take place in Burgas, Bulgaria, next May.
In a statement issued on Thursday, RTÉ said:
“RTÉ is today confirming that its position regarding participation in the Eurovision Song Contest remains unchanged. RTÉ will not participate in the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest, nor will RTÉ broadcast the competition.
“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.
“RTÉ also remains deeply concerned by the continued denial of independent access to international journalists to the territory.”
The decision means Ireland will be absent from the Eurovision Song Contest for a second consecutive year, having also withdrawn from the 2026 competition in Vienna.
Ireland was among five countries which did not participate in this year's contest, alongside Spain, Iceland, Slovenia and the Netherlands.
RTÉ previously said its decision not to participate was taken in light of the loss of life in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there.
The broadcaster had also raised concerns over the deaths of journalists in Gaza and restrictions on access for international journalists.
Earlier this year, Eurovision Song Contest director Martin Green said organisers hoped there could be a "pathway back" for RTÉ and other broadcasters which had withdrawn from the competition.
The European Broadcasting Union has maintained that Israeli public broadcaster KAN is independent of the Israeli government and should not be held responsible for the actions of the state.
Ireland remains one of the most successful countries in Eurovision history, having won the competition seven times.
Ireland first won with Dana's All Kinds of Everything in 1970, while its most recent victory came in 1996 when Eimear Quinn won with The Voice.