May 2000

27/05/00

The Wilde World Of Postage Stamps

Celebrated dramatist, the gay and Irish author 'Oscar Wilde' is to appear on a new collection of stamps. There was a time when the great man was ignored but now all this is to be reversed. The stamp is lifted from a photograph taken of Oscar in New York by William Sarony. The first day cover also  carries some of Wilde's more memorable quotations. What gay Irish stars shall we see on stamps in the future? Mr. Pussy? Graham Norton? Boy George? Shirley Temple Bar? Only time will tell.

Heart of Belfast

There will be a Gay Fundraising Event held tomorrow (Sunday 28th May) from 3pm to 9pm at The Parliament bar in Belfast this is to benefit 'The New Children's Hospice'. Admission is £3.00 and entertainment will be provided by the Mullans, there will also be Karaoke by Mizz Mae and Disco with DJ Kieran.

Se7en - Lucky for some

The biggest success story of the past year 'Lynchs' has decided to become a 100% gay venue. Originaly the venue was gay only on Saturday nights, they outraged many by having a strict men only door policy but the men arrived in their 100's so due to demand Sunday nights were also transformed into a gay night. The pub still couldnt meet demand so now from this week on the pub will be gay 7 nights a week. It is now the third 100% gay bar in Dublin and seems to be getting higher reviews than any other pub. It is also interesting how this area seems to be attracting several gay venues with Molloys, Mother redcaps and the Tivoli regularly holding gay events and now Vicar Street is starting to chase the pink pound but for more information on that you'll have to read the next news item - one paragraph down.... to be continued

Making Waves

This 4th of June see's the arrival of 'Splash' the latest arrival to the  Sunday night club circuit, Providing all clubs are still running that brings the total of Sunday clubs to 5, (The George, Playground, Fantasy, Sugar and Splash)

Splash looks like its going to be something special, it appears to be modelled very similarly to the old and missed Wonderbar. Dance fans will especially like this club, it will have guest DJ's and the latest acts including 'DJ B' - 'Fragma' (who's latest song I need a Miracle was a huge chart topper) and 'ATB' (who sang the dance hit '9pm til I come')

The club is hosted by Alternative Miss Ireland winner 'Siobhan Broadway' and opens in Vicar Street every Sunday at 11pm - Admission is £8.00

Belfast to get softer approach to gay activity

THE RUC is to take a new lower-key approach to complaints of homosexual activity in public places. From next month, undercover operations will only be carried out as a last resort and will need the permission of an Assistant Chief Constable. Those arrested will normally be dealt with by means of a caution. When complaints are received, police will try to deter those involved by operating high-profile patrols, putting up signs and making media appeals. They will also seek to build contacts with the gay community to get their message across, although they acknowledge many of those arrested regard themselves as heterosexual. Senior officers were particularly concerned by reports that men who were "named and shamed" in court have committed suicide. 

Assistant Chief Constable Alan McQuillan said: "This is a genuine problem and there are real conflicts. "But rather than placing a sticking plaster over the problem, we are trying to solve it." Mr McQuillan said that the force was acutely aware of the trauma caused by a court appearance. He said: "We recognise that when men are caught it can destroy their lives and push them to the brink of suicide." He added: "Some people may be unhappy, but we feel that this is a better approach and provides a better balance between the two groups." 

The move was welcomed by the Northern Ireland Gay Rights Association, whose spokesperson said: "We are happy that the RUC is adopting this approach which is humane, civilised and modern. "There are figures that every tenth person charged or taken to court for this sort of offence commits suicide. "It is within the equality agenda of the Belfast Agreement and I believe it will save lives." Jim Rodgers, who sits on Belfast City Council's parks committee, also praised the police move. He said: "There has been a lot of concern about the way the police have handled these cases in the past. "I hope this helps to reduce a growing problem and wipe out some of the disgusting behaviour we have had to contend with." See Belfast Telegraph for more info.

Mothers - Lock up your clothes

This Sunday (May 28th) Mothers of Dublin are advised to lock up their wardropes as The Playground Nightclub are hosting a 'Drag Queen Ball'. Guests are invited to dress up in the latest girlie fashions, the more outrageous the better. The playground which celebrated its sixth birthday last week is sure to be packed, so arrive early and if you do borrow your mothers best frock do the decent thing and have it dry cleaned.

Your call is being diverted - Please hold

This news item could have been included above but its unique enough to get its own section. The playground, in yet another great idea are introducing a mobile phone room this Sunday (May 28th). People in the room will display their mobile phone number and will be able to 'Text Message' each other. The strange but wonderful event will be held every week and will be hosted by 'Mobile Mandy' and 'Miss Gigi Bell'. Be sure to charge your phone before you go.

Stephen Gately Interview

On Thursday 18th the examiner newspaper printed an interview with Boyzone star Stephen Gately where he spoke about his sexuality. Here is an extract --> 

BOYZONE star Stephen Gately says his life has changed completely after admitting he is gay. The 24 year old said he no longer had to hide his partner, Eloy de Jong, and worry about making elaborate arrangements to cover his sexuality. 

Gately came clean about his relationship with the Dutch boy band member last year when someone tried to sell the story of his sexuality to a newspaper. “I’m just a completely different person. I used to be that stressed,” he said yesterday. “I had the weight of the world because I was in the public eye, because I was worrying about where I was going or what I was doing. “If I got flights Eloy would have to get a later flight. Different flights, different cars, check ins at the hotels at different times. It was a lot of pressure.”

 Gately, soon to launch his solo career with the single New Beginning, said the pressure was also difficult for his boyfriend. “It was the same thing for him because he was in a big band in Germany. “He was going through the exact same thing so we said let’s do it together at the same time. “I’m so much more relaxed. I can go out shopping, Eloy and I can go for walks and it’s not a problem. I’ve had loads of guys come up and say ‘fair play to you it takes a lot of guts and courage to do that’, which it does,” he said on ITV’s This Morning programme. 

The Boyzone idol received messages of support from celebrities like fellow singers Sir Elton John and George Michael, British TV presenter Dale Winton and drag comedian Lily Savage when he made his admission. The Irish star’s family, friends and the rest of the band knew he was gay, although he denied he had been advised to keep his sexuality a secret from fans.

Still Sexy at Six

Bit of a tounge twister that, but no better reason to tie your tounge up in knots, Popular nightclub 'The Playground' is celebrating its sixth birthday this Sunday. The club first began over on Dublin's northside in the Ormand Hotel, however when the Ormand closed its doors for refurbishment the club moved over to its new spot in 'The Earl of Kildare' Hotel. It is one of the oldest gay clubs in the country and with the introduction of two sister clubs 'Fruit Factory' and 'Shag N Tag' is continuing to grow. Expect a big bash this weekend.

Libida strikes again

Libida the girl club that changes its venue like it was a game of musical chairs will be popping up this weekend in Cheif O'Neils hotel in Smithfield village. While i've never been inside the venue it looks great from the outside, the square was recently renovated and has very impressive street lighting outside. The other good news is that Libida seems to have changed its door policy as its now allowing boys in!! Guests will be treated to sounds by dj Sweet also present will be the angels of lust. Admission is £5/£6 and it looks like a cool way to spend this Saturday night.

Waterford Pride 2000

Waterford Pride will be held in late August, probaly 19th to the 21st tho this has still to be confirmed. At present they are trying to source venues and live acts, as well as fundraising and trying earnestly to recruit volunteers! The organisers have built a website up for the event:-
http://members.fortunecity.com/waterfordpride/index.html and hope to recruit as many volunteers as possible thru the site.

Pour some Sugar on me

The Sugar Club on lower Leeson St (in the old Irish Film Theater) recently went "Alternative" on Sundays. Apparently it is a great night and has attractions such as a drag show with "The Dyin for it Sisters" and each week a movie is played behind the DJ (eg:- "Queer as Folk")
The venue itself is lovely in a modern, luxurious, uplit velure and wood sort of way - think Gubu upstairs crossed with Columbia Mills downstairs.
It used to be the old Irish Film Theatre so the seating, which consists of booths with their own table and seating, all slopes down to the stage area, in front of which there is also a dance floor. In this area it is a
"service only" bar which means you must order your drinks from the roaming lounge boys, all of whom must have been chosen for their good looks. If thats all a bit too decadent, there is a second "normal" bar which
runs the length of one side where you can have a drink and still look in on the main event from a large window running the length of the bar.
Its a bit of a trek from the main drag, but hopely the "scene" gives
this night the support it deserves, as once it builds its crowd it could become a highlight of the week. We will be posting a FULL review of this venue later in the week, keep an eye on our 'Guide to Dublin' section.

Belfast Pride 2000

 A full meeting of everyone involved in Belfast Pride 2000 will take place on Saturday 13th May 2000 at 2:00pm. Anyone involved or are still interested in becoming involved should go along to the Rainbow offices, 33 Church Lane, Belfast on Saturday. Should  you require any further information  contact the Hotline on (028) 9059 8111 or call Aidie on (028) 9031 9030

Belfast Pride 2000 will be held from July 29th - August 5th. It will be launched from the prestigious Waterfront Hall. Popular nightclub 'The Kremlin' has pledged full support for Belfast Pride 2000. Funding the initial administration costs and providing meeting places for workgroups and the committee, Kremlin is the first gay venue to have given it's support to Belfast Pride 2000.

A New Beginning

 Boyzone star, Stephen Gately made his first solo appearance on the popular Irish TV show 'the late late show', he treated the audience to a rendition of his new single 'new beginning' before having a chat with host 'Pat Kenny'.

The discussion covered his much publicised coming out last year. Stephen spoke of how hard it was to come out, he said he'd known he was gay since he was 2 years old. His boyfriend 'Eloy' and sister were in the audience to give their support. Stephen thanked his fans for their loyalty thru-out the whole ordeal and is now looking forward to a Successful solo career. Fans in the UK can catch him in GAY at the end of the month. For more information on the late late show visit http://www.rte.ie/tv/latelate/index.html

Irish Aids Day 

May 20th is Irish Aids day, the event is hoped to highlight the issues of Aids in Ireland with workshops, interventions and a Candlelit memorial service amongst others.

The Memorial Service will be held on May 21st at 7.30 in St Patricks Cathedral. The service will be a method of support for those living with HIV/AIDS and will commemorate all those who have died.

Ups and downs

Gristle celebrates its first birthday tonight (12/05/00), the cabaret show which takes place every second Friday before HAM in the POD has been going from strength to strength since it first opened. It regularly pulls in a full house with performances by talented members of the audience aswell as routines from more established acts such as Auntie Panti, Shirley Temple Bar, Vada and newcomers Miss revlon and Siobhan Broadway. Heres hoping for another successful year.

Unfortunately the choice for places to go on a Saturday night has gotten smaller as the Tivoli theare has closed its doors. This leaves Flirt nightclub without a venue at the moment. Heres hoping that it is only a temporary closure or that Flirt finds a new venue to continue in.

Gay Oscars

There are celebrations in store at the moment for both the Kremlin nightclub and the DCU LGB society.

The Kremlin has won a coca-cola millennium award for the best Irish Gay venue, it beat other popular venues 'The George' in Dublin,'Zulu's' in Galway and 'Ascension' in Derry

DCU's LGB Society have won The Most Improved Society of the year 2000. This might not sound like a big deal but I can remember a few years ago when there were only two people in this society, one guy and one girl, so fair play to them. You'll find more info on their funky website http://www.geocities.com/dculgb/

New look for Freedom

Freedom nightclub at Switch in temple bar is taking a change in Direction this month. It is advertising itself as a cabaret style night

with bands, strippers and international artists on show every Monday night, with a new act promised every Monday night. Former Wonderbar host 'Eddie' will be hosting Freedom and the first act this Monday will be boyband 'New Entry'.

Fantasy Island

Announcing the third new nightclub in as many weeks, and its another club on the northside, soon you won't be able to move with all the gay clubs on Dublin's northside. The club is called 'Fantasy' and it opened last Sunday, surprisingly there was no advert in last months GCN to publicise its opening. It's on every Sunday night in 'Sirens bar' in the Ormand Hotel, ex-home to 'the playground' which now is held in 'The Earl of Kildare' hotel on Kildare Street.

Our 10,000th customer

I'm a bit late with this one because as I write the counter is at  10,303 but early this week we had our 10,000th visitor. The counter has only been online for roughly two months so i'm very pleased with the way traffic is increasing to the site. Thanks to the people at hitbox.com, who I highly reccomend I get a free detailed listing of stats for the site. For example I relaunched back in February and on Feb 29th I had 57 visitors for the whole day. On Tuesday April 25th I had 392 visitors to the site on that day alone. Which shows the progression of the site over a two month period. Also the reviews are starting to flow in, please keep them coming. In the coming weeks I am adding a guide to all Ireland, not just Dublin so please mail any reviews + guides to admin@gay-ireland.com

Mardis Gras to shine in September

Popular gay event 'Mardi Gras' has been rescheduled from this month to September,   this is to allow the organising Directors more time to organise the events.  This can only be a good thing, especially because the weather is usually better in September than it is at the moment. In the meantime Dublin Pride is being organised for a June date. See last months news for futher info.

Social Economy Workshop - Waterford

The Waterford Social Economy Forum will hold a workshop in the Tower Hotel on Thursday May 11th at 7:30pm.
The Social Economy is that part of the economy that is engaged in
economic activity in order to meet social objectives and which functions through independent democratic organisations.
There is a history of social economy projects within the gay and lesbian community in other Irish cities. With new government funding schemes and newly established local support structures, there seems to be the potential to establish projects that will benefit the local gay and lesbian community, e.g. a community owned bar, cafi, or bookshop etc. All are welcome to the workshop. Refreshments will be provided. For further information please contact: Alan Brett, Tel. 087-6387931 Or email resourceworker@europe.com

Gay advice group to set up in Mid-Ulster

A GROUP offering advice to gay and lesbian people is to establish a
local group in Mid-Ulster, it has emerged. It has been prompted because of the number of calls from the area to the
Londonderry-based Foyle Friend group.

Development officer Grainne Close said: "Going on the number of calls we decided we were going to have to do something. Isolation has forced a lot of people in their 20s and 30s to call us.  "There's a lot of fear and ignorance around lesbian, gay and bisexual
people. It can be very lonely, especially in a rural community."

"We have set up groups before. We know what to be careful about and what to watch out for," she added. For further information people can call 028 7126 3120 between 9am and 5pm, Monday-to-Friday. See Belfast Telegraph dated May 2nd for more info.