THE Eurovision Song Contest is to be held at the Point Theatre in Dublin next May.
RTE is to officially announce the venue this week, ending months of speculation and lobbying also where it would be held.
RTE has decided on the Point, where two successful contests took place, in 1995 and 1994. It will mean a saving of possibly £500,000 on the cost of staging the event outside Dublin.
RTE investigated holding the contest in Belfast, in conjunction with BBC Northern Ireland. While the organisers of the event, the European Broadcasting Union, had no objection, the non-restoration of the IRA cease-fire forced RTE to opt for Dublin.
The event will cost about £2.5 million, 20 per cent of which will be defrayed by other EBU members. Sponsorship will also help.
Sources in RTE have conceded, however, that the more often it is held in Ireland the more difficult it becomes to find sponsors.
This year the event was held in Oslo and won by Ireland's Emer Quinn, who sang The Voice.