Pride in Kilkenny

Press Release

June is Pride month, that time of year when people come together to celebrate the history, creativity and diversity of Ireland’s LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer) communities. Pride was inaugurated in Ireland in 1983 as a public outcry over the murder of gay Dublin man Declan Flynn. As a movement, Pride galvanised people to fight for the decriminalisation of homosexuality, which was achieved in 1993. Today, as the country slowly starts to emerge from the darkness of lockdown, the symbolism of the rainbow flag and the hope its colours represent are more relevant to us more than ever.

For Pride 2021, Butler Gallery in collaboration with Kilkenny Leader Partnership have programmed an engaging series of talks and activities for a wide range of ages. Highlights include:

• Throughout the month of June Butler Gallery will host an online exhibition of works of photographer Gypsy Ray (1949-2020) who lived in San Francisco during the 80’s and 90’s and documented the lives and relationships of people living with HIV/AIDS. These collaborative portraits and the accompanying testimonies of their sitters are not only an extraordinary social record of those times and that epidemic but also of the human capacity to face the daunting challenges of life, of illness and of mortality, of love and of loss; to discover unknown inner strength and the solace of lovers, carers, friends and family.
• Artist Stephen Doyle will facilitate creative workshops with Ossory Youth Services and create an artwork to be displayed at Butler Gallery especially for Pride 2021 between June 21 – July 2.
• The screening of a series of award winning short films for free on butlergallery.ie and a debate about promoting diversity in Irish film-making for the big and large screen. Screenings run from June 21 – July 2 with special online talk Thursday 1 July, 1-2pm.
• An online ‘in-conversation’ with Nigerian-Irish poet and playwright Felicia Olusanya aka FELISPEAKS who is a dazzling new talent on the Irish arts scene on Wednesday 23 June, 1-2pm.
• The founder of TransLife Kilkenny, Rebecca Harold, will hold an in-conversation event with Irish Times journalist Una Mullally about how the Kilkenny based organisation is supporting trans people in the county and wider south east region on Friday 25 June, 1-2pm.
• Barnstorm Theatre will be the venue for theatre masterclasses with the International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival on Saturday June 26 with workshops happening at 11am-1pm (16-25 year olds) and 2.30pm-4.30pm (Adults).
• Fennelly’s in Callan will host a special courtyard screening of Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) on Saturday 26 June.

To view the full listing of events and to book check out the Butler Gallery website www.butlergallery.ie

Media enquiries to Alan Kirwan, Butler Gallery Learning and Public Engagement Curator

Email: [email protected]