Being gay in ireland
By Anthony Ó Donnghaile-Drummond–
“I was bullied in a way that was so horrific because it wasn’t [just] by a group, wasn’t [just] by one person, it was by the [whole] school.”[1]
From 2004–2009 I lived in Northern Ireland whilst I was completing my PhD.[2] I resided in Belfast for three years, then in Derry/Londonderry (euphemistically referred to as stroke city!). As a mature student then aged 44, I had reservations about leaving England for NI. On arrival, however, I was delighted to detect a burgeoning post-‘Troubles’ queer scene in Belfast. I was struck by the way in which same-sex attracted Catholics and Protestants engaged with each other, seemingly unproblematically, in gay venues.[3]
Relatively little is known about gay men’s experiences during the ‘Troubles.’ Having heard anecdotes concerning cross-community relationships between gay men during the five years that I lived in NI, I wanted to perceive more. In November 2022 I was viewing a gay dating site when the profile of a 42 year old, queer male academic from NI appeared. Unusually for a such a site, under the ‘about me’ section of his profile he detailed his research specialism: queer studies. I got ‘chatt
Being LGBTQI+ in Ireland 2024
Being LGBTQI+ in Ireland is a research project that aimed to examine the mental health and wellbeing of LGBTQI+ people in the Republic of Ireland and investigated public attitudes towards LGBTQI+ people.
In 2016, the first ever comprehensive report on the mental health of Ireland’s LGBTQI+ community as adv as attitudes of the general public towards LGBTI+ people was conducted by Trinity College Dublin and published in association with Belong To and GLEN. That report, ‘LGBTIreland’ was based on research conducted by a team at Trinity. Now, eight years on, the new announce – ‘Being LGBTQI+ in Ireland’ – involving over 2,800 LGBTQI+ people, builds on the findings from that initial report and includes a comparative analysis.
Key findings from the novel study indicate that mental health and wellbeing acquire declined amongst the LGBTQI+ population since 2016, with significant challenges experienced by younger age groups and the transgender and gender non-conforming communities.
Significantly, since the 2016 LGBTIreland studythere has been a:
- 17% Increase in symptoms of severe/extremely serious symptoms of dep
Gay rights and reform in Ireland: A personal history
Senator David Norris has been a member of Seanad Éireann since 1987 and was the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in Ireland. A Joycean scholar and former Senior Lecturer of English at Trinity College, Dublin, he was a founder of the Campaign for Homosexual Law Reform in the early 1970s. To launch our theme for the month of May, “Pride in our Research,”Senator Norris has shared his own experience of the fight for legal reform to establish and undertaking gay rights in Ireland. Note that this fascinating piece is a petite longer than our usual posts.
I had the unique experience of having made the transition from creature a criminal as a result of being same-sex attracted to the situation in Ireland where I could now marry another male (if I could discover one)! I spent so much time pushing the boat out that I forgot to jump on myself and the next thing I saw was the boat rounding the harbour and little figures waving back to me standing alone on the beach.
History of criminalisation of homosexuality
Homosexuality was actually provided for under the ancient Irish Brehon Laws. Criminalisation was only achieved in the early
Highlights
- Private Guided Tour of the Guinness Storehouse followed by the Connoisseur Exposure
- The Brown Thomas Personal Shopping Experience
- Private Pub Tour of Galway
- Red Carpet Private tour of National Stud & Japanese Gardens
Dublin, Kilkenny, Kerry, Clare, Kildare
Experience Overview
On 23 May 2015, Ireland became the first country to legalise same sex marriage through a nationwide referendum. The Irish Pride community is very welcoming. There are parades and festivals during Gay Pride in all Irish cities and many smaller towns. If your visit to Dublin coincides with the first Saturday of the month then a visit to the Excise Bar Affinity 4 Girls is a must! If you are a LGBT member these towns should be on your list.
Playwright Oscar Wilde, TV presenter Graham Norton, writer Colm Toibin, celeb milliner Philip Treacy and gay rights activist and performer Rory O’Neill (Panti) are just a scant famous gay Irish celebrities.
Ireland’s Minister for Health, Leo Varadkar, came out recently on a popular radio show and the recent passing of the Same Sex Marriag.