RTÉ spent over €336k funding Ireland's 2019 Eurovision entry
RTÉ spent over €336k to funding Ireland’s 2019 Eurovision entry’s trip to the contest in Tel Aviv, Israeli.
The Sun has revealed, under a Freedom of Information request, that the total cost of the trip was €336,617 - an increase of 10% on last year’s figure of €304,088.
The organisation sent a delegation of 19 people to the contest, including singer Sarah McTernan, a crew of five performers and commentator Marty Whelan.
Some of the costs include:
- €21,922
- €940
- €48,875
- €16,384
- €42,763
The public service broadcaster was also required to pay a participation fee of just under €85,000 to the European Broadcasting Union.
RTÉ said the cost hike can be attributed to a number of factors including the travel distance from Dublin to Tel Aviv, compared to Lisbon, Portugal for the 2018 event.
They also said the higher subsistence costs are reflective of the cost of living in the host country.
All flights were economy class.
Ireland failed to reach the final of the competition, placing last with just 16 points in semi-final two.
Calls to boycott this year's contest were rife in the lead up to May, Galway City Council even passed a motion in support.
RTÉ consistently held the line that the Eurovision is a non-political event and that no member of the European Broadcasting Union was intending to boycott this year’s competition.
As a long-running non-political, entertainment event, the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) is designed to bring audiences and countries together. RTÉ is confident that the European Broadcasting Union and the host broadcaster will take all necessary steps to safeguard the non-political character of the event throughout the organization of the competition
