Ireland Pulls Out of Eurovision 2026 After RTÉ Says It “Cannot in Good Conscience Take Part”

Ireland is out of Eurovision 2026. RTÉ confirmed the decision shortly after the EBU wrapped up its Winter General Assembly in Geneva, where Israel’s participation for next year was approved without much hesitation.
For RTÉ, that was the moment to repeat what it has been saying for weeks: Ireland won’t take part, and it won’t broadcast the contest either.

The broadcaster’s reasoning is blunt. According to the statement, the scale of civilian deaths in Gaza, along with a humanitarian crisis that “continues to put so many at risk,” makes Eurovision participation impossible for Ireland this year.

A Position That Hasn’t Shifted an Inch

RTÉ’s stance hasn’t budged since autumn.
The wording hasn’t softened either.

The broadcaster says it cannot look past the targeted killing of journalists during the conflict, nor the fact that international journalists are still being denied access to Gaza. For an organisation built on the principle of public scrutiny, those two points alone seem to have made the decision inevitable.

There’s no attempt to dress it up as anything else.
Just a line drawn, and that’s it.

Israel In, Ireland Out

The EBU confirmed Israel’s participation first thing.
RTÉ responded almost immediately.

Ireland now joins Spain and the Netherlands, both of whom stepped away for their own ethical and political reasons. What once looked like a handful of isolated decisions is beginning to feel like something larger — a structural crack rather than a spasm.

The Statement, Unfiltered

RTÉ didn’t try to be poetic or diplomatic. It simply said:

“Ireland’s participation remains unconscionable given the appalling loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there which continues to put the lives of so many civilians at risk.”

And then:

“RTÉ remains deeply concerned by the targeted killing of journalists in Gaza during the conflict and the continued denial of access to international journalists to the territory.”

There’s no Eurovision gloss left in those lines.
Just a broadcaster saying: we can’t do this.

What Happens for Irish Viewers?

Right now, there isn’t a clear answer.
If RTÉ doesn’t show Eurovision — and it won’t — someone else would need to step in, and no one has put their hand up yet.
It’s possible that Ireland simply won’t have the contest on television next year. Something unthinkable not long ago.

A Contest Under Real Pressure

Eurovision has had political tensions before, but what’s happening this year feels different.
Three withdrawals, all for reasons tied to humanitarian concerns or press freedom — not staging choices, not jury debates, not voting systems.

Vienna 2026 hasn’t even selected a single song, and the contest is already overshadowed by questions that have nothing to do with music.

Source: RTÉ