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Product Description
The modern story of LGBTQ liberation in Ireland is often framed as one of success, with the triumph of the vote on the Marriage Equality referendum in 2015, the passing of the Gender Recognition Act that same year, and later the ascendancy of Ireland’s first gay Taoiseach in 2017.
However, the variety of LGBTQ life across the island is too abundant and too diverse to be contained to these singular moments of progress. Utilising both archives and testimonies, this book offers a rich and kaleidoscopic window into the lesser told stories of Ireland’s LGBTQ activism and history. From the visit of Hollywood royalty to Dublin’s ‘gay scene’, to the mother of a gay son who caught the ear of a government minister and changed history, from a group of LGBTQ people who became involved in the Republican struggle to how Ireland’s current President fought against conservatism to ensure an AIDS awareness campaign made it to television.
As we approach 50 years since the founding of a gay rights movement in Ireland, REELING IN THE QUEERS, (my candidate for book title of the year) offers an overview of individual perseverance, poignant losses and stirring collective gains, giving readers a front-row seat to over five decades of LGBTQ life across the island.
Marking fifty years of the founding of an LGBTQ rights movement in Ireland, Reeling in the Queers explores the lesser-known stories of the fight for LGBTQ rights since 1974, beyond decriminalisation and Marriage Equality. From 1990s boy bands to the AIDS priest, Fr Bernárd Lynch, from the Belfast Lesbian Line to proud parenting, from the earliest Pride events to the last days of Alternative Miss Ireland, fourteen distinct moments map the changing social and cultural landscape of Ireland.
These stories, from across the island of Ireland – and further afield – celebrate a strong community and its allies, and speak across the generations. Together, they tell a new story of the gains, losses, devastation and community rising from the ashes of defeat. It is a hugely enjoyable and insightful read for both those who lived through this movement and for those who enjoy its benefits today.
Drawing from oral history as well as archives, Reeling in the Queers brings even more to life the great big queer tapestry in Ireland. Queer history in Ireland is Irish history and acknowledging and celebrating the light and the dark of it protects all of our futures as much as our pasts.
‘A fascinating read. Charts the inspirational lesser-known stories of the relentless personal heroism of queer activists over many tough years. They helped make the case for change compelling and deserve their place in that proud narrative. Páraic Kerrigan gives it to them. ‘ — MARY MCALEESE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
PÁRAIC KERRIGAN is an author, researcher and Assistant Professor at University College Dublin, where he teaches on LGBTQ Irish culture. Páraic published his first book, LGBTQ Visibility, Media and Sexuality in Ireland in 2021.
