FORMER Eurovision contestant Mickey Joe Harte has said that as long as Israel is involved in the competition, “Ireland shouldn’t be there”.
The Lifford native and ‘We’ve Got The World’ singer was speaking to the Donegal News ahead of the Grand Final of the 70th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna tonight.
Ireland, along with Spain, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland are not taking part in the competition this year due to Israel’s continued presence at the contest.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which acts as the governing body over the contest, has faced criticism for allowing Israel to participate in Eurovision despite the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
RTÉ has also taken the decision not to broadcast either of the two semi finals or the grand final.
The Irish state broadcaster cited “the appalling loss of life in Gaza” and “the targeted killing of journalists” in its decision.
Mickey Joe has also been open in his condemnation of Israel’s participation in Eurovision and was one of 70 past contestants who signed a letter calling for Israel to be excluded.
He said given EBU’s swift decision to ban Russia from the contest in 2022 after its invasion of Ukraine, Israel’s continued participation is “hypocrisy in the case of the EBU”.
Mickey Joe said he will not be watching this year’s contest and is disappointed that more countries have not joined Ireland in the boycott.
“It’s unfortunate that more countries haven’t followed Ireland,” he said.
“As long as Israel are there, Ireland shouldn’t be there.”
Mickey Joe says his stance on the boycott has been widely accepted by people locally. However, he says he received some backlash from an Israeli friend of his, who is not involved with Eurovision.
While it is against the rules for Eurovision songs to contain political lyrics, Mickey Joe said that works of art such as poems and songs have always been a form of protest.
He added that it’s “very difficult” for artists to separate politics from music.
“As an artist, in your life or your line of work, it’s not always possible,” he said.
“It’s impossible for the Eurovision Song Contest to try and step away from that sort of thing because no matter what, anti-war songs are always there.
“It’s the responsibility of an artist to create and send a proper message.”
Mickey Joe represented Ireland in 2003 in Riga, Latvia. In the years since, he has seen some changes in the contest, particularly an increased focus on staging.
Amidst the controversy, Mickey Joe finds it difficult to predict the future of the Eurovision Song Contest.
While he doesn’t rule out the possibility of Ireland returning to the contest, he added that he “can’t see a way back” for Israel’s reputation.
Mickey Joe is now turning his attention to recording new music and live performances in the summer.
He will be performing at Letterkenny Pride on Saturday, May 30.
The Eurovision Song Contest is being held in Vienna this year after Austrian singer JJ won in 2025 with the song ‘Wasted Love’.
A total of 35 countries are taking part this year. Bulgaria, Moldova and Romania are all returning to the contest after previous absences.
Israel, represented this year by the singer Noam Bettan with the song ‘Michelle’, qualified in Tuesday’s semi final for the grand final tonight.
Meanwhile, former Eurovision winner Charlie McGettigan has also released a video urging people to stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine.
The Ballyshannon man won the contest in 1994 in Dublin with the song ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Kids’, performing with Paul Harrington.
RTÉ made the announcement that Ireland would not participate in this year’s Eurovision in December.
An RTÉ spokesperson said: “Following the EBU Winter General Assembly in Geneva, at which Israel’s participation in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest was confirmed, RTÉ’s position remains unchanged. RTÉ will not participate in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, nor will RTÉ broadcast the competition.
“RTÉ feels that Ireland’s participation remains unconscionable given the appalling loss of life in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there, which continues to put the lives of so many civilians at risk.
“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.”