Ireland to boycott Eurovision for second year in a row

Ireland will boycott the Eurovision Song Contest for the second year in a row in protest at Israel's participation, broadcaster RTE says.The boycott follows that of Dutch broadcaster AvroTros last month, who announced they would boycott next year's show as it was no longer consistent with "trustworthiness, independence and humanity". Image: Joost Klein represented the Netherlands in 2024, but didn't perform in the final. Pic: AP Both Ireland and the Netherlands were among the five countries to ​not take part in the 2026 show, along with Iceland, Slovenia and ​Spain.RTE, Ireland's national broadcaster, said in a statement: "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."They also said they would not be broadcasting the competition, which will take place in Bulgaria in 2027 after singer Dara's victory for the country in May. Eurovision director Martin Green said he "regretted" RTS's decision, but "fully respect their decision".He added that he hoped the broadcaster would return to the contest in the future. Israel's for...