While many have extra time on their hands with lockdown and self isolation, there’s no better moment to learn more about the journies, protests, parties and celebrations our community has made over the years to get us to this point. With that in mind, there are some excellent Irish LGBT+ online archives available for you to check out.
Irish Queer Archive
The Irish Queer Archive contains the most comprehensive collection of material in Ireland. There are some quarter million press cuttings from the late 1960’s onwards, a library of several hundred international titles, a near complete set of all lesbian/gay titles published since 1974 on the island of Ireland, and a fascinating collection of audiovisual material, photographs and slides, flyers, posters, badges and other ephemera.
While its physical presence in the National Library is unavailable at this time, it has a Facebook page you can visit which contains images of many newspaper cuttings and written material which provide hours worth of fascinating reading.
As part of GCN’s #InAndOut Digital Festival of LGBT+ Creativity, Dr Mary McAuliffe will interview curator Tonie Walsh for an unmissable dive into the IQA’s history.
Cork LGBT Archive
Developed by activist and historian Orla Egan, the phenomenal Cork LGBT+ Archive is also available online. With the aim to preserve, digitise, share and display information in relation to the history of the queer communities in Cork, the LGBT+ online archives contain a wealth of information.
The collection represents Cork’s rich history of LGBT+ activism and community formation and includes digital copies of objects that are often lost or damaged, such as brochures, newspaper stories, and photographs.
GCN Back Issues
Founded in 1988, GCN, yours truly, is Ireland’s longest running LGBT+ publication. With over 30 years worth of queer news, you can trace Ireland’s progress through its pages. While not all copies are currently available for online consumption, we have years worth of back issues of the magazine available here.
Find out more about your country’s queer history through these LGBT+ online archives, and when lockdown ends you’ll be unbeatable at any LGBT+ table quizzes in the future.
Stay safe, stay home. x
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