John Dolan: I’m new to this boycotting, am I allowed to watch Eurovision?
“Who do I call when I want to talk to Europe?” he asked rhetorically.
The American diplomat had a direct line to several U.S. presidents, but was exasperated by the many chiefs across the Atlantic, none of whom appeared to be acting on behalf of the whole.
His point still stands.
Ursula von der Leyen is President of the European Commission, but her German boss, Angela Merkel, often acted as the mouthpiece of the EU, sometimes - but not always - in cahoots with the French leader.
The present German leader is, I gather, Friedrich Merz, and nobody listens to a word he says. Ursula has hardly stepped in to fill the power vacuum, while neither the French President nor the UK Prime Minister have the gravitas or authority to be the de facto European leader. The latter isn’t even in the EU.
The EU is a leaderless void, essentially, which makes it devilishly difficult to know who to talk to about it.
Our Irish government had a similar problem recently when protesters took to the streets in anger at fuel prices. Who should they call to hear their grievances or negotiate? There didn’t appear to be any single person or organisation running the show.
I find all of this unsettling because I’m a Ghostbusters type of guy. If I see some ghouls floating around the streets, who am I gonna call? You know it. I want to talk to the person in charge of busting ghosts.
Which brings me rather clumsily on to the point I am trying to make.
This boycott by Ireland of the Eurovision Song Contest next month, who is in charge of that?
Because I have questions.
Yes, yes, I know what a boycott is - it is defined as an act of non-violent, voluntary abstention from a product, person, organisation, or country as an expression of protest.
And I know the RTÉ union took the decision to boycott Eurovision this year, and ensure Ireland would not be sending an act to the event, in protest at the inclusion of Israel and its actions for the last few years in the Middle East. Nor will RTÉ be broadcasting this year’s event.
But the song contest is still going ahead, and will still be broadcast by the BBC, who are not among the five boycotting nations.
My question for whoever is in charge of the boycott is, can I watch the event taking place this year in Austria on TV next month, or would I be classed as, heaven forbid, a scab, or a betrayer of the cause?
Watching Eurovision on the BBC instead, and still enjoying one of the daftest TV events of the year, strikes me as a reasonable British solution to an Irish problem.
Or perhaps I’m wrong.
But who in authority can address my moral dilemma?
I am prepared to accept that lots of people in Ireland - I would actually hazard a guess, a handy majority - are in favour of the boycott, and that’s their choice.
I just wouldn’t class myself as one of them.
For me, all the wars in the Middle East have complex and long-standing roots, and I am uncomfortable taking one side against another in any of the terrible conflicts that almost continually dog that distant region.
If lots of Irish people are outraged enough by the actions of Israel to back the Eurovision boycott, that’s on them. But am I still allowed to enjoy the contest?
At the risk of sounding picky, what are the terms of the boycott? Can we even listen to the contenders for the song contest this year on YouTube? Can we place a bet on the event?
I have another question for whoever is in charge of the boycott.
What is your grand plan here?
Because Ireland, via RTÉ, and Israel both participated in the Eurovision Song Contests of 2024 and 2025, while Israel’s retaliation for the October, 2023, Hamas attack on its territory was still going on
A ceasefire occurred in October, 2025, and only then did RTÉ announce the boycott for this year.
The timing seems off.
My question is, why are we boycotting now and not before?
Does Israel have to be banished from the contest forever? Because that scenario seems highly unlikely.
In December, when the national broadcasters who stage Eurovision got together and decided Israel would remain in the contest, the predicted mass withdrawal did not take place.
Just five countries, including Ireland, have pulled out, leaving 35 still standing. Like it or not, we are an outlier.
So, how do we get back into the contest next year, or any time in the next few years?
Is it a case of not just goodnight, Vienna, as regards this year’s event in Austria, but goodnight, Vienna, for good?
The shame of it all is that the Eurovision Song Contest has always stood for unity, peace, joy, and reconciliation across our diverse and wonderful continent, and indeed beyond. Anyone remember Germany’s Nicole winning with the delightful ?
The showcase also offers an annual chance for talented singers, musicians, and songwriters to make a name for themselves on the world stage.
We have chosen to withdraw that opportunity in Ireland, and it’s not clear to me if we will ever enter again.
A final question I would ask the person in charge of the boycott, if I could locate them.
Are you a fan of Eurovision yourself? Because if you’re not, this boycott isn’t really hurting you at all, is it? It’s like me boycotting , which I haven't seen since Dot Cotton was smoking a fag in the launderette.
The last time Ireland reached the Eurovision final, courtesy of Cork’s Bambie Thug in 2024, 660,000 people watched it on RTÉ.
It’s those viewers who are missing out this year - fine for those of that number who agree with the boycott, not so much for those who don’t.
Will they all watch it on the BBC?
I think we should be told. Anyone know who to ask?
App?
