AN ESTIMATED 200 million viewers worldwide tuned in to watch 26 finalists duke it out in the Eurovision tonight in Tel Aviv.

Ireland weren’t in this year’s final lineup after Sarah McTernan failed to make it through from the semi-finals on Thursday night.

After a two-hour long contest and an interval act that included a performance from Madonna, The Netherlands’ Duncan Laurence eventually triumphed after the public votes were revealed.

The televised show played out largely without incident amid tight security at the venue. Pro-Palestine groups around the world, meanwhile, held alternative events as part of a boycott campaign, including, in Ireland, a concert at the National Stadium headlined by Christy Moore.