Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Thousand march for pride in Dublin (virtue signal fest)
Irish Times Sunday ^ | 1st July 2018 | Donal Lynch

Posted on 07/02/2018 2:51:51 PM PDT by Ennis85

ENGLAND’S ‘stately homo’, Quentin Crisp, once said that “if you simply wait long enough in this life, you will find yourselves having travelled from the outskirts of acceptability to the very heart of society”.

Dublin’s public face confirmed the truth of that statement this weekend. Government Buildings glowed with the rainbow colours. The tech firms around the ‘silicon docks’ had swathed themselves in Prideful slogans such as ‘love is love’ — most of them had floats in the parade. And, of course, the pubs in town had bedazzled themselves with glitter, rainbow bunting and phrases like ‘yas queen’.

The hordes of young people with their faces painted, their hair dyed and their sponsored merchandise, showed that Pride, once a protest, has become a festival; inclusive, accessible and not a little corporate (Tesco was the sponsor this year). Members of the defence forces marched — the uniforms were triggering for some in all sorts of ways — and politicians such as Paul Murphy swapped the figurative bandwagons for literal ones. Peter Tatchell — the famous British human rights campaigner — was one of the notable overseas guests and a link to the event’s activist past, as was Queer Action Ireland’s memorable banner: ‘You only gave us rights because we gave you riots’.

If gay Ireland is now at the heart of society, it did not appear, to some, to be quite at the heart of the capital, however.

On Google maps, the path of the Pride Parade itself was laid out in rainbow colours but the playwright Philly McMahon was amongst those who noted that the route — which led from St Stephen’s Green to Smithfield Square, but avoided many of the main thoroughfares — showed that the parade had now been shunted into the city’s corners, a strange decision.

There were other clouds over the rainbow too; last week a brick, wrapped in a curious Irish-language slogan (‘Piteoga amach as Eireann’ — fairies out of Ireland) had been thrown through the window of the probable epicentre of Pride — Panti-Bar on Dublin’s Capel Street.

A teenager was apprehended by staff and Panti tweeted that he’d said, “I don’t like dem etc” — the young man was later arrested — but the incident seemed redolent of a darker time in Irish gay history.

In a separate attack, Collie Aquino Teixeira McQuillan, from Mexico, and his Brazilian-born husband Gui, said they were “mindlessly” set upon by a group of men with hurleys earlier in the month.

The photographs of McQuillan’s horrific facial injuries helped an online appeal for funding to pay for medical treatment to smash past its target, a sign, perhaps, that despite the ominous echoes of Fairview Park, this really is a new Ireland.

There were other beautiful moments to gladden the heart on this, one of the hottest days in living memory. Justin McAleese, the son of former president Mary McAleese, marched with his mother and father, and his husband, in a moment that must have seemed emblematic for families around the country.

Prior to the parade, Justin told the Sunday Independent “what a day it’s going to be. I couldn’t imagine as a 13-year-old child, growing up in the Aras, realising I was gay, that 20 years later myself, my husband, my parents and family would be walking in Dublin Pride.

“We’ve come a long way down the road of equality. No longer are we under the thumb of dogma and doctrine, no longer will we accept families being torn apart because of sexual orientation.”

He added that he and his husband, Fionan, “are so lucky to be living in this great Ireland — thousands of great people who came before us weren’t so lucky and we’ll be thinking of them today, too.”

This year, issues around transgender rights were discussed here like never before and were a particular theme at this year’s parade; Sara Phillips, the chair of TENI (Transgender Equality Network of Ireland) was the Grand Marshall of the parade and the transgender flag — distinct from the rainbow flag — flew above a number of public buildings, including the Royal College of Surgeons.

The weekend also provided a fillip for what some see as a declining gay scene in Dublin (one theory put forward is that young people don’t believe in ghettoising themselves and prefer mixed venues).

Despite there now being only two full-time gay venues in the capital, the various club nights organised to celebrate Pride sold out long in advance of it. And in a sign that Pride really is the gay New Year’s Eve/Paddy’s Day, at least one of those venues jacked up the entry price by 100pc for latecomers, who could count themselves lucky to get tickets.

By 2pm, the buzz in St Stephen’s Green had reached fever pitch, and several people had begun to wilt in the intense heat. Then the long wait was over.

Members of the army’s brass band blasted out YMCA and a procession of colour and fun flowed through the streets, toward the northside, like warm cream over strawberries.

‘I couldn’t imagine as a 13-year-old child — growing up in the Aras, realising I was gay — that 20 years later myself, my husband, my parents and family would be walking in Dublin Pride’


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: eussr; fartyshadesofgreen; gay; homosexual; homosexualagenda; ireland; lgtb; michaelfitzpatrick; patrickfitzmichael; pridemonth
I'm hearing supposedly the attendence this year was 60,000 in contrast to last year which was 30,000 supposedly according to organizers.

That figure sounds a little bit dubious if you ask ask me.

I'm just glad this month is past us now, if I have to come across just one more company shoving rainbow flags down my throat...

1 posted on 07/02/2018 2:51:51 PM PDT by Ennis85
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Ennis85

I’m glad I visited Ireland when it was still Ireland.


2 posted on 07/02/2018 2:53:02 PM PDT by Don Corleone (Horse heads work!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Don Corleone

That abortion referendum was the final nail in the coffin.


3 posted on 07/02/2018 2:56:07 PM PDT by Ennis85
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Ennis85
The last of my European ancestors left Ireland in 1881...most left years earlier.The Ireland of my ancestors was a great country beset by enormous problems.

But the Ireland of today is simply just another tawdry little European cesspool.

4 posted on 07/02/2018 2:59:18 PM PDT by Gay State Conservative (You Say "White Privilege"...I Say "Protestant Work Ethic")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Ennis85
I suppose it would be bigoted to point out that heterosexual intercourse could result in a charmingly cute new little life with the potential to grow up to be a useful adult whereas the homosexual equivalent could result in a nasty disease which could prove fatal.

Not to mention the former is also a lot of fun, whereas the later is disgusting.

5 posted on 07/02/2018 3:08:44 PM PDT by Vigilanteman (ObaMao: Fake America, Fake Messiah, Fake Black man. How many fakes can you fit into one Zer0?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Ennis85
Thousand march for pride perversion in Dublin (virtue signal fest)

FIFY

6 posted on 07/02/2018 3:37:33 PM PDT by rockrr ( Everything is different now...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Ennis85

7 posted on 07/02/2018 4:16:21 PM PDT by Lurkinanloomin (Natural Born Citizen Means Born Here of Citizen Parents__Know Islam, No Peace - No Islam, Know Peace)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Ennis85

Once Ireland’s muslim minority grows large enough to take power in that country (and in time it will), marching in “pride” parades will be the least of their concerns.


8 posted on 07/02/2018 5:21:54 PM PDT by ScottinVA (Liberals, f**k off. That is all.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Ennis85

The New Ireland: reinvented as the anus of Europe.


9 posted on 07/02/2018 5:28:15 PM PDT by madprof98
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ScottinVA

Once they hit that amoral bottom, they deserve Islam.


10 posted on 07/02/2018 5:43:39 PM PDT by wiley (John 16:33: "In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson