23/02/2024
RTE Television, the public service TV network in the Republic of Ireland has broadcast the Eurosong heat to choose the act that will represent the Republic of Ireland at the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest to be held in Malmo, Sweden in the first week of May. LGBTQIA artists took part in the heats. Host of the programme Patrick Kielty said that he hoped that the Irish will be able to end a run of bad luck, which has seen the country knocked out in the preliminary stage of the contest in recent years. When asked about the campaign that has launched on social media to boycott Israel at the Eurovision, Kielty was clear in saying that he is not a representative for the EBU or Eurovision, but that what is going on in Gaza is of concern. He said, "I think what's going on in Gaza at the minute is heart-breaking. I think what happened in Israel in October was horrific. I think that, like most, people, I want to see a ceasefire there as soon as we possibly can, I want to see humanitarian aid in there, I want to see hostages released, I want to see people in Gaza being able to live their lives in safety and, you know, people in Israel living in peace. That, as I said before, seems like a longshot, but in terms of this [Eurovision], it's kind of somebody else's question."
