Rebecca Tallon de Havilland announced as Dublin Pride’s Grand Marshal for St Patrick’s Day parade

The former GCN cover star will lead Dublin Pride’s ‘Inclusion’ pageant on March 17.

Top News . Written by Alice Linehan.

Portrait of Rebecca Tallon de Hallivand beside a photo of her with Dublin Pride.
Image: Left: Hazel Coonagh, Right: Dublin Pride

On Tuesday, March 8, Dublin Pride announced Rebecca Tallon de Havilland as the official Grand Marshal for the organisation’s ‘Inclusion’ pageant at the 2022 St Patrick’s Day Parade.

Tallon de Havilland, known as being the first person in the Republic to have undergone gender-affirming surgery, has had huge influence in the areas of LGBTQ+ and HIV activism, both at home and abroad.

As Grand Marshal, she will lead the Dublin Pride pageant which aims to celebrate Ireland’s journey to becoming one of the most inclusive and welcoming countries in the world. It will also highlight the benefits of a having diverse society, and outline the role we as a nation play in promoting diversity, equality, and inclusion worldwide.

Speaking on the theme of the upcoming event, Dublin Pride stated: “This year, we celebrate our national day under the shadow of the greatest affront to fundamental human rights Europe has seen in 75 years.

“As thousands of Ukrainians prepare to seek refuge in Ireland, we want to send a clear message to them all – ‘We are an inclusive and kind people, and you are welcome here.’”

Following the announcement, many took to Twitter to express their joy surrounding the appointment of Rebecca Tallon de Havilland as Grand Marshal.

Chair of TENI and Trans activist Sara R Philips celebrated the news, tweeting: “Congratulations @BexDeHavilland greatly deserved”.

https://twitter.com/sararphillips/status/1501240325502873612

Artistic Director of the 2022 St. Patrick’s Day Festival, Karen Walshe, stated: “The Team @StParticksFest are truly honoured to have @DublinPride & @BexDeHavilland participating in the St Patrick’s Day Parade next week as we celebrate the theme of Inclusion across our nation.”

https://twitter.com/WalsheKaren/status/1501514598033371141

Similarly, the official St Patrick’s Festival account tweeted: “The honour is ours – Congratulations! […] We can’t wait to see the Pageant.”

Rebecca is a former GCN cover star and participant in the LIVING exhibition in partnership with HIV Ireland. Having spent many years working in the UK, she now hopes to return to Ireland to help the country’s Trans community, stating, “Ireland has come a long way, and I intend to be a part of the solution, not the problem.”

The annual St Patrick’s Day Parade will take place on Thursday, March 17, and will be broadcast live by RTÉ. To find out more about the Festival events kicking off on March 16, click here.

© 2022 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.

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