Tipperary Pride festival 'is about celebrating who you are and living as your true self'

Preparations are well advanced for Tipperary Clonmel LGBTQ+ Pride, with most events taking place in Clonmel from August 27-29.

The voluntary committee has been working hard to ensure that a safe environment will be in place for all of the community events, which will be a mix of online and live events.
The online event involves stimulating conversations with the LGBTQ+ community, flag-raising ceremonies around Clonmel, live entertainment in multiple venues in the town, LGBT+ support information and awareness, live music, small outdoor events, a tour of Tipp with the Garda pride car and lots more.
The festival began with the raising of the Pride flag at Tipperary University Hospital last Monday.
On this Friday, August 20, there will be a flag-raising ceremony at the Tipperary County Council offices and the launch of the festival by Clonmel’s Mayor Michael Murphy.
On Friday, August 27, the Pride Garda car will visit Tipperary town and Clonmel youth centres.
On the same day there will be an LGBT+ movie screening at the IMC Cinema in Clonmel.
This event, which starts at 7pm, is a charity fundraiser for the River Suir Suicide Patrol. It’s a ticketed event and tickets are available on EventBrite.
The festivities will continue on Saturday, August 28 with Meditation in the Park with Jennie Hannigan from 10.30-11.30am in Denis Burke Park.
From 11.30am-12.30pm there will be coffee and chat, with the location to be confirmed.
Also on Saturday, from 2-4pm, there will be a Pride celebration at Market Place, with live performances and children’s entertainment.
The Garda Pride car will be present and there will also be LGBT information and support and lots more. This will be a seated event.

On Saturday night at 7.30pm there will be a live outdoor drag performance by Tina D Parton, with a live performance by the band Shadow Shakers, in conjunction with Clonmel Busking Festival, at Lily Lane, Hearn’s Hotel.
This event is walk-in only on a first come, first served basis.
The Pride Picnic in the Park will be held at Denis Burke Park from 1-3pm on Sunday, August 29.
At 8pm that night Gleeson’s in Irishtown will host an Imperium live performance, with music by DJ Nigel Byrne.
Conversations with members of the LGBT+ community will also be screened on Facebook during August.
“Pride is about celebrating who you are and living as your true self, but also ensuring that we don’t forget about the work that still needs to be done to ensure equality for all,” says one of the organisers, Gerard Sweetman.
“We want everyone to get involved by showing your support for the LGBT+ community and Pride.
“We would love for you to decorate your home, shop window or work place in Pride colours and show your excitement for Pride.”
Any updates on the events will be posted on the Tipperary Clonmel Pride Facebook and Instagram pages.
The Pride committee wants to provide a safe place for everyone during the festival and asks people to adhere to Government guidelines during the events and respect the volunteers and committee, ensuring that the events are safe for all.
Due to Covid restrictions, some of the events will be ticketed so people are requested to keep an eye on the social media pages.
The event is sponsored by Boston Scientific, Tesco and Tipperary County Council.

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