Although Ireland's celebrated gays include Oscar Wilde,
Somerville and Ross, Eva Gore-Booth and, contemporarily, TV host
Graham Norton, prejudice against the gay community remains
considerable in the country. In 1988 the European Court of Human
Rights decreed that Ireland's anti-gay law contravened the European
Convention on Human Rights, and in 1990 the law was repealed and
the age of consent lowered to 17. The result is that, despite the
hegemony of the Catholic Church, gay voices are increasingly making
themselves heard in public debate, and Dublin now has a visible gay
scene. A good starting point for any gay travellers to Ireland is
Outhouse , 6 South William St (tel 670 6377) which has a gay
community centre and a café/restaurant. Alternatively, you can ring
Gay Switchboard Dublin (Mon-Fri & Sun 3.30-6pm & 8-10pm;
tel 872 1055) or the 24-hour information and events line (tel
1550/122 345). Lesbian travellers may wish to contact Lesbians
Organizing Together, which has a drop-in centre at 5 Capel St
(Mon-Thurs 10am-6pm, Fri 10am-4pm; tel 872 7770). It's also a good
idea to get a copy of the excellent freebie Gay Community
News - which you can pick up at the Temple Bar information
centre or Books Upstairs.
Gay and mixed meeting places include, The Globe, The Front
Lounge, Pravda and Hogans
. A lot of mainstream venues have themed nights and gay events,
and many of the city-centre pubs have a very mixed clientele. More
specifically gay places include:
Front Lounge , Parliament St. More a mixed than an
exclusively gay venue, its atmosphere is certainly camp which
appeals to quite a large gay crowd.
The George Bar and Bistro , 89 South Great George's St
(tel 478 2983). Three bars in total at this gay venue: the
Loft disco, trendy bar with music and a quiet bar. From
Wednesday to Sundays there's also a lively and vibrant club open
until 2.30am, with a "no effort, no entry" dress code.
Hogans
, 11 South Great George's St. Busy and stylish mixed crowd.
Molloy's , High St, Christchurch, Dublin 2. This is the
venue for Dublin's most popular lesbian night, Stonewaltz ,
on Friday nights.
Out on the Liffey , 27 Upper Ormond Quay. More relaxed
than the George , this pub is popular with gays and lesbians
alike.