Hey Kitty-girls! It’s International Drag Day! That means we get to celebrate all things Drag. Of course, RuPaul’s Drag Race has become the be all and end all when it comes to drag, but the culture is about much more than breaking out a miss vaaanjiiiiie every once in a while.
The Irish Drag Scene has been saving up nothing but fun fresh, fabulous queens for years. So let’s have a look at some of the familiar and unfamiliar faces that are slaying the game right now!
Panti Bliss
If you’ve ever wondered what RuPaul would look like if she were from Mayo, look no further.
Half drag superstar, half national treasure, Panti became something of a public figure back in 2014 when she made her noble call on the stage of the Abbey Theatre. She’s starred in her own award-winning documentary and even given a Queen’s speech on Christmas. People still travel from far and wide for a drink in Pantibar, and you can catch her performing in RIOT all over the world!
Veda
You can catch this living drag legend in the George for Witchy Wednesdays or for Saturdays karaoke. Her hair is almost as fiery as her attitude, and she manages to host on elf Dublin’s hottest, freshest Drag nights every week. All hail to this queen!
Candy Warhol
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Grand-nephew of the infamous Danny La Rue, Cork based Candy Warhol was introduced to Drag at a young age. Her name was inspired by Andy Warhol’s muse Candy Darling and was obsessed with films like To Wong Foo. It wasn’t until her second year of college that she ran and hosted a club night as a doll. A month later she competed in Alternative Miss Ireland and the rest, as they say, is herstory.
Trudy Scrumptious
Resident power bottom at The Kremlin in Belfast, Trudy is one of Belfast’s most fabulous Drag Queens. Catche her on Friday July 27 as she hosts Caberet Club Night ‘Illusion’ for Belfast Pride.
Phil T Gorgeous
Phil is Dublin’s is one of the long-standing members of Dublin’s drag scene and is one of the only regularly performing drag king who can be seen every Monday with his partner in crime Bunny. They co-host Win Lose or Drag which is full of “ridiculous games, drag shenanigans and life-changing prizes”.
Lady Portia Di’ Monte
Northern Irelands First Lady of Drag, Lady Portia is BBC Radio Ulster’s Entertainment and Arts correspondent and has won the PPI Award for ‘Best Newcomer’. She has also given a TEDxTalk and has appeared on Channel 4’s Come Dine With Me.
Davina Devine
Davina has been a staple on the Dublin drag scene for years and currently now hosts Thursty Thursday’s in The George. She is a self-proclaimed “international diva” who lives by the words of Marilyn Monroe:
“I’m selfish, impatient, and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I’m out of control, and at times hard to handle. But if you can’t handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don’t deserve me at my best.”
KiKi St Clair
Kiki St Clair has been performing around Galway as Kiki St Clair for seven years. He was first exposed to drag when he attended a bingo night hosted by local drag queens Dusty Flaps and Jane Eyre Square. Not long after, he saw Panti Bliss and Veda perform at a festival and was instantly enamoured.
Victoria Secret
Have you ever wondered how we’ve managed to get such incredible drag acts like Sasha Velour, Naomi Smalls, Trixie Mattel and Alaska (to name a few) to Dublin? Well, you can thank Victoria Secret. The queen behind DraggedUp, she continues to get some incredible acts from the RuPaul’s Drag Race hall of fame over to Ireland. She manages to organise, host and perform at these extravaganzas- 10s across the board girl!
Bunny
Bunny describes herself as “the little porcelain doll that you just want to crack…but that would be manslaughter, so don’t even think about it!”
Every week she hosts “Win Lose or Drag” with drag king supreme Phil T. Gorgeous, a gameshow-esque night in the George that will have you wanting to jump up o stage to make fool of yourself just for the sake of being graced with Bunny in all her glory. Serving old Hollywood looks with a northern Irish accent, Bunny is one helluva queen.
Pixie Woo
Pixie Woo has become a staple of the Dublin drag scene. Serving up looks and killer lip-syncs is her game, and if you’re lucky you’ll catch her on the decks in Prhomo on a Thursday. One of Veda’s witches, her performance of Celine Dion’s power-ballad ‘It’s All Coming Back To Me Now’ is transcendent, wind machine and all.
Rusty Hinges
Hailing from Belfast, “Full Time Mummy” Rusty Hinges is a regular in Boombox as the host of ‘Bitch Please’ every Wednesday night.
Dolly Grip
Another member of The George family, the age-defying Dolly and her gal pals the Gripettes have graced the stage for many sickening drag performances over the years. She can also be found in Bow Lane of a Sunday entertaining the hungover masses at Drag Brunch.
Regina George
Not only is Regina George famous for serving up body, but she’s a dancing queen like no other. And look at that face! She’s 1/4 of the DraggedUp team, so you can find her performing in the George or on stage with some of the world’s most fab queens.
Miss Taken
Miss Taken is self-described as “twice married, three times divorced, widowed, housewife from Dublin.”
Miss Taken hosted her own show for over three months this year in Chapelizod – and most recently put on a sell-out show in The Workmans.
She currently hosts a monthly club gig called Taboo – for the club kids and the alternative kids in the world.
Paul Ryder
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bjnke_BADS-/?taken-by=rupaulryder
You might have heard of Paul Ryder from a little show called Ireland’s Got Talent. Ryder wowed the judges with her incredible performance making it all the way to the semi-finals. She even earned praise from the queen of all queens- Michelle Visage.
Check out her performance here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UX2hbqs3Amw
Bradley Brock/Neon Love
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Like Kiki, Bradley Brock first came across drag in Galway as a teenager.
“It amazed me seeing this whole different character brought to life,” he remembers. “The sass, the glamour and the humour of it all just drew me in.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BiZVTl3BDkJ/?taken-by=neonlove96
The 22-year-old is based in Ballina, Co Mayo. He has been doing drag for the past six years and now performs as Neon Love.
Bonnie Ann Clyde
Bonnie Ann Clyde deserves nothing but snaps for organising a GALA award-winning drag fundraiser for Chechnya last year. She serves glamour by the bucket load! you can (and should) catch her performing all over Dublin.
Sheila Fits-Patrick and Madonna Lucia
Sheila Fits-Patrick and Madonna Lucia are Limericks’ first Ladies of Drag. As self-confessed ‘Gulchies’ (Glamorous Culchies) these Queens are no strangers to a bit of Craic at a céilí. This stage partnership also carries over into real life where both are in what is effectively a marriage which happens in man-drag.
Julian Mandrews
GCN’s very own Eurovision expert queer commentator, Julian Mandrews has been rocking the Drag King scene for many years. She spoke to Radio 1 about how drag kings are finding it hard to achieve the mainstream success afforded to their queen counterparts:
“I think there tends to be more of an opportunity for drag queens in terms of jobs just because of I suppose the more mainstream success of drag queens. Whereas I think with drag kings, they haven’t kind of broken into that mainstream appeal.”
Heiress Blackstone
Infamously known for knocking out a man who tried to snatch her wig, Heiress Blackstone is a national icon with regular shows in Dublin and Galway. She has a YouTube channel which she teaches the children about drag names and makeup.
Shirley Temple Bar
Shirley Temple Bar has done it all. (she’s even read the telly bingo). This queen is a pillar in the Irish drag community, and one of our all-time favourites. Bop along to her drag bingo in the George on Sundays for a chance to rub elbows with the mam, the myth, the legend.
Chanel
This hairy chested queen is on our ones to watch list. You can catch her giving her all in her performances in the George, often clad in everything from neon realness to Pearl beards. We can’t wait to see more of her!
© 2018 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.
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