A MESSAGE FROM THE LORD MAYOR I would like to take this opportunity to wish the organising committee, volunteers and attendees, the very best for this year’s Cork LGBT+ Pride Festival. Cork City Council has been to the forefront of many initiatives over the years to lead and deliver an inclusive city and society in Cork. We pride ourselves on being a Healthy city, a Learning city and also a Rainbow City. Tremendous work is done by community groups, and while much of this work is often completed behind the scenes it has real and significant impact on the lives of so many through the development and implementation of inclusive policies and practices. Recent challenges in Poland and Hungary, to the hard-won freedoms and rights for LGBT communities, highlight the reason why Pride is still relevant and essential. Pride is not just about celebrating but it is also about asserting rights and demanding inclusion and equality. Cork City is proud to support the LGBT community. In Ireland, we were the first city council to adopt a motion in favour of marriage equality and the first city to fly the Rainbow Flag over the council chambers and we continue to do more. Cork Pride and others have asked for the installation of Rainbow Crossings to give a permanent visual expression and presence and City Council will consider this in the coming months. The theme for this year’s Festival is Together Apart and was inspired by the response to Covid-19, restrictions and lockdown. I hope that together as a city of communities and families we can come back together in a new and reimagined way when lockdowns are fully lifted. Our societal response to Covid clearly demonstrated that even though we had to be apart we were all in this together.
The Pride Festival in Cork continues to grow from strength to strength with an increasing audience and programme of events and is the key event in the City during the August Bank Holiday weekend and the week preceding it annually. I would like to conclude by thanking the Cork Pride Festival Board and Organising Committee for their commitment and dedication over the past number of years.
Wishing you a happy and safe Cork LGBT+ Pride Festival,
Mise le Meas,
Councillor Colm Kelleher Lord Mayor
#CorkPride2021
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