Until decriminalisation of anti-gay legislation in 1993, the social opportunities for Ireland’s LGBTQ minorities were limited and accessing them presented numerous difficulties and dangers. Often refused service in bars and subject to persistent harassment on the city’s streets, Irish queers eventually sought out sympathetic landlords, creating ‘safe spaces and literally building their own dancefloors. Queer spaces were hugely important in allowing LGBT people to negotiate desire and intimacy, normalising what was once illegal, taboo and transgressive.
Over time, these social spaces became the glue that bound countless friendships, allowing the development of a vibrant community that was self-aware and ready to take its rightful place at the centre of Irish society.

START POINT: Trinity College Entrance, Nassau Street, Dublin 2