INCLUSIVE CEREMONIES IN IRELAND WITH RONAN
Whether it’s a large celebration or a quiet elopement, we ensure that love is celebrated in a way that feels completely authentic, sacred, and joyfully queer. BABY NAMING & WELCOMING CEREMONIES: HONOURING NEW LIFE More and more families are choosing baby naming ceremonies as a meaningful, secular alternative to traditional baptisms. These ceremonies welcome a child into the world and community with warmth, love, and a recognition of their inherent worth. Entheos Celebrants support parents and guardians in creating moments that reflect their values—whether spiritual, cultural, or entirely human. Inclusivity here also means recognising all kinds of families: solo parents, queer parents, blended families, and chosen families are all fully embraced. DIED WITH PRIDE: FUNERALS FOR THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY End-of-life ceremonies are among the most important ways we honour someone’s life, yet they are often constrained by tradition or disconnected from the person being remembered. This is where Entheos and their commitment to “Died With Pride” becomes vital. Died With Pride is an ethos that insists LGBTQ+ people deserve funerals that acknowledge and celebrate their full selves—not erase or ignore them. Too often, queer individuals have experienced their identity being glossed over or even denied in death. Entheos works closely with families, partners, and communities to ensure that the funeral truly reflects the person who has passed: their loves, their struggles, their joy, and their truth. These inclusive funerals may include elements of spirituality, poetry, music, community rituals, or personal storytelling—whatever best captures the essence of the departed. They are designed to be safe, sacred spaces for mourning and remembrance, free from judgment or exclusion.
Entheos Celebrants are also trained to offer support in cases of traumatic death or estrangement from family, ensuring that even the most complex goodbyes are handled with care, honour, and humanity. MORE THAN JUST CEREMONIES What makes us so special isn’t just the ceremonies we offer—it’s the philosophy behind them. Founded on values like equality, joy, participatory spirituality, and the celebration of diverse families, Entheos isn’t just a service—it’s a movement. Our ceremonies are rooted in the belief that everyone has the right to be seen, celebrated, and remembered just as they are. We also support Ceremonies of Transition, such as gender affirmation ceremonies, coming-of-age rituals, and rites to honour personal transformation. These ceremonies can be deeply powerful for queer and trans individuals, affirming identity and resilience in a world that can sometimes feel unwelcoming. PRIDE IN EVERY MOMENT At its heart, Entheos is about presence, pride, and possibility. It’s about making space for every person’s story—whether it’s told in a celebration of love, a naming of new life, or a final farewell. For the LGBTQ+ community in Cork and the whole of Ireland, this kind of inclusion isn’t just important—it’s transformative. It means being able to live, love, and leave this world on our own terms, with rituals that reflect our truth and communities that honour our lives. So, as we march in Pride this year, let’s also take pride in how we mark our most sacred moments. Let’s ensure that from birth to death, every life is celebrated with authenticity, colour, and care.
MARKING LIFE’S MOMENTS WITH PRIDE: INCLUSIVE CEREMONIES IN IRELAND As Ireland continues to embrace diversity in all its forms, more and more individuals and families are seeking ways to celebrate life’s milestones in ways that truly reflect who they are. Whether it’s the joy of welcoming a new baby, the beauty of two people committing to one another, or the deep emotions of saying goodbye to a loved one—these moments deserve to be marked with dignity, meaning, and inclusivity. As part of my celebrant training, I need to speak about the organization I am doing the training with. Before you ask- No, it’s not an online course that you can join for a few hours over the space of a few weeks and get a “Celebrant” certificate. It’s the opposite- all training is in-person, and the modules focus on bringing real change to the world of ceremonies in Ireland by focusing on inclusivity, and challenging heteronormativity however we can. Entheos is an Irish community and organisation offering inclusive, non- denominational ceremonies that reflect the lives, beliefs, and values of those they honour. Rooted in compassion, equality, and creativity, we ensure that everyone—regardless of gender, sexuality, faith background, or family makeup—can access ceremonies that feel personal and profound.
By Ronan Kenny (he/him)
From working in IT and Software for nearly 10 years, I am a strong believer that continuous education is extremely important. In 2023, I married my husband Joe, via an Entheos Celebrant and Solemniser, Sarah Collins. From there things changed, and it opened us up to new possibilities. I think when there is a difference in gender, race, sexuality, or ability (and more), the individuals planning weddings or baby naming ceremonies don’t necessarily think of the fairytale or envision being surrounded by friends or family to help support and guide them through life. In a lot of instances, these supports can be removed just by the person being their authentic self.
Thankfully for us, we did have the support. For that, we will be forever grateful! From the build up to the wedding, the planning calls and everything that seemed completely out of the ordinary for a same sex couple, but yet so normal for someone who was brought up going to mass and seeing those ceremonies in a traditional light, I never thought we would have gotten married in such a traditional way. For a lot of people in Ireland, there are key moments in your life, birth, marriage and death. As part of this piece I want to address some nice parts and some not so nice parts of life that we may not always prepare for in advance, especially when you are not part of a traditional faith path.
INCLUSIVE WEDDINGS: CELEBRATING LOVE IN ALL FORMS
My name is Ronan, I am currently training with Entheos Ireland to bring inclusive ceremonies to both Cork and Ireland. I am from Cork, and proud to call it my home. I am volunteering with Cork Pride now for roughly 4 years, starting with Work With Pride and now helping out with a variety of the events that take place during the Cork LGBT+ Pride Festival and organising the Cork Pride after party #PartyAtThePort !
For many LGBTQ+ couples, finding a ceremony that feels fully affirming and free from judgment hasn’t always been easy. We offer wedding and commitment ceremonies that are deeply personalised and proudly inclusive. Couples can work with trained Celebrants to craft a ceremony that blends meaningful rituals—like handfasting, ring warming, or unity candles—with words that reflect their unique journey.
Thank you for reading Be brave, Ronan
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