Thousands turn out for powerful Pride marches in Cork, Navan and Wicklow

The LGBTQ+ community was celebrated across Ireland this weekend, as Pride season continues in emphatic style.

Community . Written by Alice Linehan.

A photo of marchers and flags at Trans+ Pride Cork.
Image: Twitter: @CorkPride

On Saturday, July 1, thousands took to the streets across Ireland in celebration and support of the country’s queer community. Cork, Navan and Wicklow were all lit up in rainbow colours for their respective events, which included both Trans+ Pride and LGBTQ+ Pride marches.

In Cork, it is reported that close to a thousand people turned out for the city’s second-ever Trans+ Pride. Themed ‘Break the Binary’, participants gathered at Grand Parade and marched down Patrick’s Street before making their way back to the Cork City Library via Oliver Plunkett Street.

Carrying flags and banners, the crowd bellowed chants such as “Trans rights are human rights” as it travelled its route. While a largely celebratory occasion, the event also served as a protest against issues such as the inadequate gender-affirming healthcare in Ireland and the increase in anti-trans attacks.

 

“We feel [the march] is an important act of resistance which is needed now, more than ever,” Trans+ Pride Co-Founder Saoirse Mackin said.

“Our library staff are under threat, transgender individuals have been assaulted and online ‘debate’ is rife about our existence. Trans+ Pride Cork is a celebration of trans lives and a demonstration that we’re here and we’re proud.”

Co-Founder Lousie O’Donnell added: “Marching is such an important part of LGBT+ history dating back to the origin of Pride at the Stonewall Inn in 1969. Issues of housing, healthcare, discrimination and political representation continue to the present day and so we will march for justice and raise our voices.”

 

In Navan, Co. Meath, Gardaí estimate that over 600 people, including Minister Helen McEntee, participated in the town’s first-ever Pride parade. The march was the culmination of a week-long festival that began on June 26 with the aim of raising awareness about LGBTQ+ issues and increasing the visibility of the local queer community. It also came just a month after a teenager was attacked in the town, and although preparations for the event were underway before the incident, many saw the event as an opportunity to show support for their LGBTQ+ neighbours.

In an Instagram post published after the march, organisers wrote: “A huge thank you to everyone who attended the Navan Pride Parade, it was amazing to see everyone attending.”

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Navan Pride? (@navanpride2023)

Wicklow also held its inaugural Pride parade on Saturday, with large numbers turning out. With HIV and trans activist Rebecca Tallon de Havilland as Grand Marshal, marchers gathered at the Grand Hotel car park before making their way through the county town.

 

Pride season is in full swing in Ireland, and the celebrations in Cork, Navan and Wicklow are just a few of the many events happening over the coming month. For a comprehensive list of what’s happening in July, click here.

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