You are saying to a whole country that you are not good enough.
In a moment that blends cultural symbolism with geopolitical conscience, Ireland has chosen the absurdist comedy of Father Ted over the spectacle of Eurovision, joining four other European nations in refusing to participate while Israel remains in the contest. The decision, rooted in RTÉ's stated concern over the killing of journalists in Gaza and the obstruction of press access, reflects a deeper moral reckoning that Ireland — a country shaped by its own history of occupation and resistance — has been navigating since the Gaza conflict began. What appears on the surface as a broadcasting choice is, in truth, a statement about solidarity, international law, and the limits of cultural neutrality in times of war.
- Ireland, alongside Iceland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Spain, has withdrawn from Eurovision 2024 in protest of Israel's inclusion, marking one of the most politically charged boycotts in the contest's history.
- RTÉ's decision to air a Father Ted episode — in which characters accidentally enter a song called My Lovely Horse — transforms an act of protest into a piece of pointed national irony, coming from the country that holds the joint record for most Eurovision wins.
- Israel's Foreign Minister has called Dublin 'the capital of antisemitism,' while members of Ireland's small Jewish community warn that the boycott risks conflating legitimate criticism with collective punishment and cultural exclusion.
- The controversy is spreading beyond music: an open letter signed by former football manager Brian Kerr and musicians including Paul Weller is now calling on Irish football authorities to boycott upcoming Nations League matches against Israel.
- With over 72,600 reported deaths in Gaza, 251 hostages still unaccounted for, and journalists killed in the conflict zone, the human stakes behind the cultural dispute continue to grow — and Ireland's rupture with Israel shows no sign of resolution.
Ireland will not be sending a singer to Eurovision this year. Instead, RTÉ plans to broadcast a 1996 episode of Father Ted — the one where the characters accidentally enter a novelty song called My Lovely Horse into the contest. It is a pointed choice, and it signals something far larger than a scheduling decision.
Ireland joins Iceland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Spain in boycotting the competition over the European Broadcasting Union's decision to allow Israel to participate. For a country that holds the joint record for most Eurovision wins, the absence is conspicuous. RTÉ cited its concern over the targeted killing of journalists in Gaza and the barring of international press from the territory. Taoiseach Micheál Martin framed the withdrawal as an act of solidarity with those killed in violation of international humanitarian law.
The decision has exposed deep fractures. Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar called Dublin 'the capital of antisemitism' after Ireland backed South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. Graham Linehan, one of Father Ted's creators and a vocal supporter of Israel, petitioned against RTÉ's choice to air the Eurovision episode, calling it antisemitism — a charge RTÉ declined to address.
Israel's participation in Eurovision has been contentious since its war in Gaza began in October 2023, following a Hamas attack that killed roughly 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. The Gaza health authority reports over 72,600 people killed in the subsequent offensive. At recent contests, Israeli participants required armed security, and last year's public vote result prompted accusations that Netanyahu's government had mobilised followers to skew the tally.
Within Ireland's Jewish community of around 2,500, the mood is troubled. Oliver Sears, founder of Holocaust Awareness Ireland, said he has always opposed cultural boycotts, arguing they amount to collective punishment of an entire population — 20 percent of whom are Arab Muslims. He described a pattern of incidents in Ireland that reflect chronic ignorance about Jews, antisemitism, and Zionism, with all three terms, he said, having been weaponised and distorted. Former minister Alan Shatter accused RTÉ of moral bankruptcy.
The tensions are likely to deepen. Ireland is scheduled to face Israel in UEFA's Nations League this autumn, and an open letter signed by former Ireland manager Brian Kerr and musicians including Paul Weller has called for those matches to be boycotted too. The Eurovision decision is one moment in what appears to be a widening rupture — with no clear resolution in sight.
Ireland will not be sending a singer to Eurovision this year. Instead of broadcasting Saturday's grand final, the national broadcaster RTÉ plans to air a 1996 episode of the sitcom Father Ted—one in which the show's characters accidentally enter a novelty song called My Lovely Horse into the contest. It's a pointed choice, and it signals something larger than a scheduling decision.
Ireland is one of five European countries boycotting the song competition over the European Broadcasting Union's decision to allow Israel to participate. Iceland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Spain have made the same choice. For a nation that holds the joint record for most Eurovision wins alongside Sweden, and whose cultural memory includes Johnny Logan's victories and years of dominance in the early 1990s, the absence is conspicuous. RTÉ's statement made clear the reasoning: the broadcaster remains troubled by the targeted killing of journalists in Gaza during the conflict and the continued barring of international press from the territory. Taoiseach Micheál Martin framed Ireland's withdrawal as an act of solidarity with those journalists killed in violation of international humanitarian law.
The decision has exposed deep fractures. Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar called Dublin "the capital of antisemitism" after Ireland announced support for South Africa's legal action against Israel at the International Court of Justice, accusing the country of genocide—a charge Israel rejects. The controversy extends beyond the contest itself. Graham Linehan, one of the creators of Father Ted and a vocal supporter of Israel, petitioned against RTÉ's choice to air the Eurovision episode, calling it antisemitism and demanding the resignation of the broadcaster's director general. RTÉ declined to respond.
Israel's participation in Eurovision has been contentious since the country began its war in Gaza in October 2023, following a Hamas attack that killed roughly 1,200 people and resulted in 251 hostages taken. The Gaza health authority, run by Hamas, reports that Israel's offensive has killed 72,628 people. During the 2024 and 2025 contests, anti-Israeli protesters were visible and the country's participants required armed security. Last year, Israel's entry unexpectedly topped the public vote, prompting some countries to claim the tally had been influenced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government's social media channels, which had repeatedly urged followers to vote for the song. The European Broadcasting Union issued a formal warning to Israeli broadcaster Kan after this year's contestant released videos instructing fans to vote ten times for Israel.
On the streets of Dublin, young people interviewed by BBC News NI expressed support for the boycott. Celine Flanagan said she believed the UK should also be boycotting. Aline Capucho agreed with Ireland's position because certain countries participating "shouldn't" be there. Others, like Neha Anna Joseph, called the boycott "great." But the picture is more complicated within Ireland's Jewish community, which numbers around 2,500 people.
Oliver Sears, who has lived in Ireland for forty years and founded Holocaust Awareness Ireland, said he has always opposed cultural boycotts. "You are saying to a whole country, 20 percent of whom are Arab Muslims, that you are not good enough," he said, questioning why any broadcaster would impose what he saw as collective punishment. He noted that Jewish people in Ireland feel dismissed and isolated, their concerns disbelieved. When asked whether he thinks Ireland is antisemitic, Sears described a pattern of incidents and language that reflects "a chronic lack of knowledge and ignorance about Jews, about antisemitism itself, about Zionism." He argued that all three terms have been "weaponised and distorted."
Former government minister Alan Shatter, himself a member of the Jewish community, accused RTÉ of "moral bankruptcy" on the Eurovision issue, saying the broadcaster was responding to pressure. The tensions are likely to intensify. The Republic of Ireland is scheduled to play Israel in UEFA's Nations League in the autumn, and an open letter signed by 39 people—including former Ireland manager Brian Kerr and musicians Paul Weller and Bobby Gillespie—has called on Ireland's football authorities to boycott those matches as well. The Eurovision boycott is one moment in what appears to be a widening rupture between Ireland and Israel, with no clear resolution in sight.
Citas Notables
You are saying to a whole country, 20% of whom are Arab Muslims, that you are not good enough. I don't agree with it, it's not going to save a single Palestinian life.— Oliver Sears, founder of Holocaust Awareness Ireland
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.— RTÉ statement
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does a song contest matter enough for a country to sit it out entirely?
Because Eurovision isn't just a song contest in Europe—it's a statement about who belongs in the community. When Ireland withdraws, it's saying something about its values and where it stands on a conflict that's killed tens of thousands of people.
But RTÉ could have just sent a song and let people watch. Why the Father Ted episode instead?
That's the thing—they didn't want to normalize it. The episode choice is almost defiant. It's saying we're not going to pretend this is business as usual, and we're not going to broadcast the contest as if nothing is happening in Gaza.
What about the people who say this is antisemitic?
That's the real wound here. Oliver Sears, who's lived in Ireland for decades, feels like his community is being told they don't count. He's not defending Israel's war—he's saying a cultural boycott of a whole country feels like collective punishment, and it makes Jewish people in Ireland feel erased.
Is he right?
That depends on what you think a boycott does. Does it pressure governments to change policy, or does it just make minorities feel unwelcome? Sears would say it's the latter. Others would say silence is complicity. Both things might be true.
What happens next?
The football matches in autumn. If Ireland boycotts those too, the rupture deepens. If they don't, it looks inconsistent. Either way, this isn't over.