FROM OUR BOARD

FROM THE TEAM

Welcome, dear reader, to an issue where we celebrate the

In Memory of Jon Hanna

How can I distil down into words who Jon Hanna

1979-2019: 40 Years Of The National LGBT Federation

The National LGBT Federation (or the National Gay Federation as we were called on our formation) was formally launched on St Patrick’s Weekend 1979 and has played a prominent role in the Irish LGBT movement in the intervening 40 years

Championing Older LGBT+ People

As we get older, we tend to become more invisible in general, we can feel less relevant and it is harder to voice our issues. For older LGBT+, who grew up in a very different Ireland, this is an even deeper issue, particularly when it comes to our health and social care needs

Celebrating Ageing

I turn 60 this year and I intend celebrating as I want to mark the event for a number of reasons: to remember all of my friends, mostly gay men, who didn’t make it to 40 and beyond, and to celebrate my wonderful family and friends, my great colleagues at work and people I volunteer with

Our House

With the recent news that the LGBT+ resource centre, Teach Solais, is facing closure due to a lack of funding, it is time for the community to rally behind this essential service. Peter Dunne reports

ACT UP ACT NOW!

ACT UP Dublin member Noah Halpin speaks about his decision to begin PrEP and the process of gaining all the necessary information

Culture Club

Ariana Grande will return to Manchester this August to play a headline show at their Pride Festival, but her booking has raised some questions about the place of straight artists in headlining queer celebrations and the lack of queer musicians in headliner roles

Lay of the Land

Outside of big urban areas, the experiences of the LGBT+ community can vary greatly from a feeling of community to one of isolation. Sarah McKenna Barry spoke to those who call rural areas home

A Corner of History

Nestled in the corner of the iconic George nightclub is a piece of history. Brian Dillon gets the lowdown on Bridie’s Bar - Dublin’s first openly gay bar

Style Council

Putting paid to the notion that it’s the youth who lead the charge in the style stakes, each of these gorgeous portraits by Babs Daly proves that there’s no time limit on style

GREEN BOW

Established in 1996, Greenbow, the group for deaf LGBT+ people, is still going strong. Peter Dunne speaks to some of the members

NO SAFE REFUGE

Rampant homophobia and violence in Honduras has led to an influx of LGBT+ people seeking sanctuary in an unwelcoming US. Linda Farthing reports

Identity

Giving support and solidarity to LGBT+ asylum seekers, the Identity group is an invaluable resource for LGBT+ folk in Direct Provision who can feel isolated and set apart from the queer community. In this issue, GCN speaks to Preet, one of the members of Identity, who tells us their story and discusses the issues that matter to them. Photo by Hazel Coonagh

Galway

NUI Galway has introduced a number of new initiatives to

Nova Bar

GCN has recently heard of the closing of Nova Bar

Sports News

Following their huge success at last year’s Gay Games in

Birth of the Battle

Tonie Walsh, former president of NGF and founding editor of GCN, looks at the early days of the Irish gay rights movement, the growth of the NXF and the history of the iconic Hirschfeld Centre

INSIDE OUT

One of the founding members of the national LGBT Helpline and centre manager of Dundalk Outcomers (amongst many other things), the invaluable Bernie Quinn has long been a tireless supporter of our LGBT+ family. Photo by Babs Daly

Shirley’s BREXIT Burn Book

Breda Gormley’s knickers have been kissed by more fellas than