IRELAND – RTE spent at least €336,617 to fund Ireland’s Eurovision failure this year – an increase of more than €30,000 on last year’s figure. The broadcaster released the combined costs for sending a team of 19 people to Jerusalem, Israeli, for the song contest in May.
An RTE spokeswoman explained the cost increase, saying: “All flights were economy class and Eurovision delegates are always required to stay in officially designated hotels only.
“The higher subsistence costs are reflective of the cost of living in the host country. The high flight costs are reflective of the distance required to travel – eg distance from Dublin to Tel Aviv is almost 5,500km similar to Baku in 2012 – 5,200km – whereas Lisbon in 2018 and Kyiv in 2017 were approximately 3,000km away.”
Production costs for kitting out the Clare mum, her entourage, and the stage, came in at €42,763.
SOURCE: THESUN.IE
