Pride festival in Tipperary celebrates love, diversity and fellowship

After raising the progressive Pride flag with Tipperary County Council, TUS Clonmel and Tipperary University Hospital, Clonmel Pride was beyond proud to kick off their fifth annual Pride Festival this month.

The festival not only celebrates love, fellowship and diversity, it creates a safe space in Clonmel for LGBTQ+ individuals, their families and all allies.

Clonmel Pride was honoured to welcome historian and civil rights activist Tonie Walsh back to Clonmel as Grand Marshal.

The main day of the festival was hosted by the fabulous Eddie McGuinness of The Outing Festival.

Drag queen Jeanie Mac, who is from Clonmel, and Dublin-based drag queen Éire Comme wowed audiences with performances all day, and later at the evening show in O’Keeffe’s they were joined by comedy cabaret duo The Wild Geeze and Just May, star of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK.

After the parade, crowds filled The Kickham Barracks Plaza with the colours of the rainbow, where many local musical and dance acts performed on stage.

Raising awareness of issues that still affect the LGBTQ+ community, Clonmel Pride also linked with local and national organisations, such as Neuro Pride Ireland, who hosted a quiet zone.

LGBT Ireland, Mammies 4 Trans Rights, BelongTo, TENI, GOSHH, Chill Out LGBT Youth South Tipp, Queers for Palestine, Tusla Fostering, Trans Healthcare Action and STDC all either took a stall, spoke at the plaza or marched in the parade.

Above: The Pride parade walks under the West Gate into O’Connell Street, Clonmel. Picture: Billy O’Riordan

Educational events included the screening of the award-winning documentary ‘Invisible Women’, followed by a Q&A hosted by Certified Proud co-founder Eve Kerton, with Luchia Fitzgerald, 2020 Lifetime Achievement Winner at the Pride of Manchester Awards; Lisa Daly, Limerick Pride Chairperson; Jane Houlihan, Trans Activist; and Tonie Walsh, Grand Marshal 2024.

Further social events were organised to promote community building, including at 37 Queen Street, a dancercise class led by Luke Maziarek, Pride breakfast with Chill Out and a picnic that made terrific use of the green on Kickham Street.

This year Clonmel Pride is one step closer to creating an open community in Clonmel for all. The committee extends gratitude to their funders and supporters, volunteers, support from local businesses, and to everyone who participated in or attended the festival.