Bambie Thug missed out on a win for Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest.
The 31-year-old performed their song Doomsday Blue at the Malmö Arena in Sweden, impressing fans during the grand final, but failed to claim the victory.
The singer received 278 points which landed them in 6th place, as Switzerland nabbed the win.
The Cork native won a place in the final following their impressive performance in the first semi-final on Tuesday night.
The last time Ireland’s entrant to the song contest reached the semi-final was in 2018 when Ryan O’Shaughnessy performed.
During the dress rehearsal for their performance at the semi-final, the non-binary singer had the word ‘Ceasefire’ written in Ogham on their face.
Ogham is an ancient written language that was used in Ireland between the 5th and 9th centuries.
However, Bambie had to change the wording for their live performance due to strict rules and regulations.
This year’s Eurovision Song Contest had been marred by calls for Israel to be withdrawn from the competition, due to the ongoing war in Gaza.
There had been strong calls for Bambie to pull out of the contest over Israel’s inclusion, but the non-binary artist rejected this.
In March, Bambie and eight other Eurovision contestants, including the UK’s Olly Alexander, said they “do not feel comfortable being silent” about the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
“It is important to us to stand in solidarity with the oppressed and communicate our heartfelt wish for peace, an immediate and lasting ceasefire, and the safe return of all hostages,” they said in a joint statement.
“We firmly believe in the unifying power of music, enabling people to transcend differences and foster meaningful conversations and connections.
“We feel that it is our duty to create and uphold this space, with a strong hope that it will inspire greater compassion and empathy.”
In a separate statement, Bambi added: “As an Irish person with a shared history of occupation and a queer individual, I cannot and will not remain silent.
“I am aware of the calls to withdraw, but stepping back now would mean one less pro-Palestinian voice at the contest.
“My heart and solidarity has and always will lie with the oppressed, and I remain committed to supporting and using my platform to raise awareness and advocate for change.”
Speaking on The Late Late Show last month, Bambie also offered their support for those who have chosen to boycott Eurovision.
“I think if I wasn’t in the competition, I would also be boycotting,” they said.
“At the end of the day, without the group of us who is pro-Palestine, it is less competition for the other side to win and it’s less of solidarity there.
“Obviously it’s incredibly heavy and I am extremely behind everybody.”
