Over a thousand people took to the streets of the Irish capital on Friday, June 26, gathering for the 2026 Dublin Dyke March. Chanting and waving flags through the heart of the city, participants marched for an end to war and genocide, to advocate for a fit-for-purpose model of trans healthcare and more key issues for the community.

The first Dyke March to take place in Dublin happened in 1998, when the event attracted a crowd determined to bring lesbians out of the shadows and into the spotlight. With the theme ‘Lust for Power’, the march was a celebratory event imbued with political meaning.

Over 25 years later, the Dublin Dyke March returned to the Irish capital in 2025 for an equally powerful moment of resistance and protest. The theme for last year’s march was ‘Space’, highlighting not only the need for increased lesbian visibility, but also a number of pressing issues, including Ireland’s housing crisis, the anti-trans climate and the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

Following last year’s success, the 2026 Dublin Dyke March was no less memorable. Under the theme ‘Resist and Persist‘, people reclaimed the streets to oppose war and genocide, counter the far-right, fight for same-sex parents’ rights, and advocate for a fit-for- purpose trans healthcare system.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Dublin Dyke March (@dykemarchdublin)

Gathering under the sun at the Garden of Remembrance, over a thousand people marched all the way down O’Connell Street and through the city centre. The march culminated at Barnardo Square, where the crowd gathered for the final speeches.

Speakers included activist, storyteller, Stonewall Survivor and butch Jay Toole, who joined the event from New York; Val from Dublin Lesbian Line; Niamh from LINQ Ireland; Siobhan from Queers for Palestine; Lottie from Transgress the NGS; and Ranae from Equality for Children, who couldn’t make it to the march but sent a speech to be read to the crowd.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Dublin Dyke March (@dykemarchdublin)

Addressing participants, Chairperson of the Dublin Dyke March Alice Linehan said, “When we brought the Dyke March back to Dublin last year, it exceeded my, and I’m sure many others’, expectations. And I was a bit nervous that we wouldn’t be able to top that this year, but you all really showed up and showed out, and I feel so proud and honoured to be here alongside you today.”

“While there is still so much inequality and oppression in the world, there is a reason to get out and march and protest for change, for a better world for all. We must believe that that is possible,” Linehan added.

“Those who stand in opposition to us want us to think that we have no power. They want to crush our spirit and make us roll over and accept whatever they throw at us. They want us to think we are weak. But look around you, we have power together.

“In community and in love, we have the power to Resist and Persist. So, today, we implore all of you to love. Love yourself, love your friends, love your partners, love the strangers that you meet, love the things that bring you joy. Fill up on all of this love and use it as fuel for the fight. No one is equal until everyone is equal. No one is free until we are all free.”