ALWAYS A REBEL Cork Trans History Cork has a rich trans history and not just in recent times but throughout the past 200 years. From Dr James Barry, born on Merchants Quay, to Dr Margaret O’Regan providing services to the community in the 1990’s, Lorraine O’Regan, fighting for medical care and to the birthplace of Transgender Equality Network of Ireland (TENI), the National organisation for the trans community. There have been countless trans activists that have worked to bring the acceptance, visibility and advancement of our rights today. Here are just a few examples from Cork trans history. During the 19th century, we find many individuals, throughout the world, breaking the well- established societal binary of male and female. Many of those documented happen to be of Irish origin. Names such as Albert Cashier or Edward De Lacy Evans may be the ones we can find, but my research with the Irish Trans Archive throws up many Irish people across the globe breaking the binary.
Dianne Hughes During the late 1990’s Dianne Hughes started to advocate for her rights and especially state funding for her surgery. By 1998, Dianne, in an interview with the Sunday Tribune, was reported to have received funding through the Southern Health board. But by mid-1999, she was still asking the state to fund gender reassignment surgeries. The fraught nature of looking for medical support was evident throughout all her interviews. Originally from Wales, Dianne was now living with her wife and son, on a farm outside Macroom. Over the next few years, she was featured in many media pieces both in newspapers and in television documentaries. Throughout 1999, Dianne turned her focus to activism, at first calling out the government for not enacting EU Directive 1177 giving equal rights to trans people with guidelines on standards of medical care. In 2002, Dianne and Angel O’Doherty appeared in an RTE Documentary ‘Dianne and Angel’, sharing their stories. Through her activism, Dianne provided submissions to the Nexus report and in 2004 was a founding member of TENI.
TENI
In late 2003 and 2004, a number of activists came together in the hope of forming an advocacy group to work on issues, specifically healthcare, that concerned trans people’s wellbeing and rights. At the first meeting, held in Cork, were Dianne Hughes, Nick Krievenko, Sara Jane Cromwell, Lynda Sheridan, Catherine and Kyra. Sara Jane Cromwell in her Book ‘becoming myself ’ tells us that the name was devised by Dianne Hughes and Nick Krievenko during their submissions to the Nexus Report. Over the next two years they worked with the Healthcare system, and the Equality Authority to advance the rights of the trans community in Ireland. By 2005, a number of the founding members had moved on and were no longer involved. In late 2005, Sara Jane Cromwell, the then Chair, reached out to the Trans Peer Support group in Dublin to bring in new members and create a committee that could enhance the work with the few individuals that were left. Throughout 2006 many meetings, debates and discussions, a committee was formed and the current version of TENI came into being. Never always as simple as it seems, let’s not forget TENI was formed, to paraphrase Lynda Sheridan, in ‘a cold kitchen in Cork’. In late 2006, Sara Jane moved on to set up GIDI (Gender Identity Disorder Ireland). Over the years, we have seen the formation of two trans support groups in Cork. Dr Lydia Foy was honoured as Grand Marshall in 2015 and the community itself was represented as Grand Marshall in 2019. I was delighted to have joined my friend (and adopted son) Noah Halpin in representing our community at the head of the parade. From people involved in setting up TENI, running support groups, being visible in the media and fighting for gender recognition and trans rights, it is clear that Cork has always played a central role in the advancement of trans rights and trans visibility. The documentary by Carol O’Keefe ‘Written on the Soul’ documents the stories of 3 trans people living in Cork and provides critical examination on what life was like for our community. Over the years, the work of individuals like Moira and Corrine, Ben Power, Darrin Matthews, and more recently, Chloe and Jaime O’Herlihy, Jack Fitzgerald, along with countless others, whether individual, through TENI or the support groups continue to place Cork central and visible in Irish Trans History.
Dr James Barry This is true of Cork’s most famous trans son, Dr James Barry. Born on Merchants quay circa 1779, James Barry was to make his mark on history and especially the development of medical science and procedures in childbirth. There is no doubt that as he grew up above his father’s shop in Cork, he was unaware of the groundbreaking life journey he was about to make. In the early 1800’s, women were not allowed to be educated in medicine. But neither James nor his family were going to accept that. In 1809, with the help of General Francisco de Miranda, Dr Edward Fryer, his tutor and Daniel Reardon, the family’s solicitor, James changed his name and presentation to male and enrolled in Edinburgh University school of medicine. After qualifying James joined the British army and was posted to Cape town. He held many ranks, sometimes being demoted, in the army. After many years serving in the British army, James rose to the rank of Inspector General (equivalent to Brigadier General) in charge of military hospitals, the second highest medical office in the British Army. He was well regarded for his work in both sanitation and nutrition. Barry also performed one of the first known successful Caesarean sections in which both mother and child survived. There were many controversies through his life, whether it was his highly held strong opinions or arguments with Florence Nightingale, James Barry was
a Cork man to be reckoned with. After a quiet retirement in London, Barry finally died on 25 July 1865. There is no doubt his life was one of highest achievement. For whatever reason, in death, Dr James Barry requested arrangements that would ensure his secret would be carried to the grave and his legacy preserved. It is difficult to place Dr Barry in a trans framework of today. The language didn’t exist in the 19th century, never mind the understanding of trans identities. Something we can be sure of is that Dr Barry did everything in his power to secure his legacy, and that he be remembered as a man. No matter how you want to see him, please give him the respect of his dying wish. He was not given that in death, we should at least give him that now. Interestingly, James Barry was not the only, nor the first, person assigned female at birth that undertook this journey. Around 1804, 5 years before James went to Edinburgh, a Cork woman known as Margaret King, previously Lady Mount Cashell, went to medical college in Jena, Germany, presenting as a man. King eventually studied under the professor of surgery, Andrea Vaccá Berlinghieri of the University of Pisa. Interestingly, and unlike James Barry, King only presented as male to complete her studies and reverted to living her life as a woman. There is evidence that the families may have known each other through mutual acquaintances. Was this something Dr Barry considered? And if not why not?
If you have a story to share or paperwork or books that you could donate to the Archive, we would be delighted to hear from you. Sara R Phillips Irish Trans Archive irishtransarchive@gmail.com
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