Clive Davis / Chairperson Clive has been the Chairperson of the Cork LGBT+ Pride Festival for the past 10 years. Clive is a Regional Director with Youth Work Ireland, manages Youth Work Ireland Laois, and is a Director and Board Secretary of People First Credit Union; he is also Director on the ILCU’s Youth Committee and is a Director of LGBT Ireland where he is also Treasurer.
CHAIRPERSON’S WELCOME
Denise Boyle / Vice Chairperson Denise has been the Parade and Afterparty Manager for the past 7 years. A well known Cork building contractor, Denisew is a registered gas technician, CAD technician, and electrician. She is a huge Munster Rugby fan, is the Coach for Mallow Women’s Rugby team and is a Board member of the Cork LGBT+ Pride Festival.
Community Members, Allies, and Friends, I’m delighted to welcome you all to the 2023 Cork LGBT+ Pride Festival! If you’re reading this, you have the 10th edition of the Cork Pride magazine in your hand or on your screen - we’re very proud of this eagerly-awaited annual publication, which has developed itself from a small events listing leaflet into the largest Pride-produced magazine in Europe, which is entirely produced by our community, for our community. The Pride Movement has become the most successful human rights campaign in history, but whilst many international Pride events have developed into celebrations of our amazing LGBT community, our history, and our culture, Pride is, and always has been, a protest – and we should never lose sight of that. Our theme this year is ‘30 years On…’ which commemorates the 30 year anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Ireland. I say commemorate rather than celebrate, as whilst the removal of the repressive Victorian era law which criminalised our community was no doubt a cause for celebration, the fact that it remained unchallenged in law for over 140 years is shameful, and difficult to comprehend in 2023. Some of us might take the equality in the Ireland we live in today for granted, but we owe an enormous collective debt of gratitude to the trailblazers who tirelessly campaigned for our community in very different times, who became the architects of LGBT+ life in Ireland. It was their bravery, commitment, and single-minded sense of purpose that paved the way for the equal rights we all enjoy today – but whilst huge gains have been made over the past 30 years, there is still much work left to do. 2022 was reported as the most vicious year for LGBT+ hate crimes across Europe, but also in Ireland, and the bullying and harassment our community receives online is at an all-time high - attempts to erode our hard-won rights across the world over the past couple of years has also increased exponentially, and this is a huge cause for concern. Why do some people feel that our community’s existence in some way threatens theirs? Our Trans family is constantly being attacked for simply living their lives - to use a quote from a poster used to describe ‘Homosexuals and Lesbians’ at a demonstration on Patrick Street in Cork in 1981 “they are our brothers, sisters, neighbours and friends.” We must stand shoulder to shoulder with the Trans community – an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us, and none of us are equal until all of
us are equal. We were delighted to see Trans+ Pride Cork establish themselves last year and are proud to support their work and events. This year’s theme has also given us an opportunity to reflect and look back on the progression of Cork Pride as an organisation, which is going from strength to strength. Some of our team have sadly passed away in recent years, some have retired after many years of service, but we also have some great new members who have joined the team to help us to continue the development of our amazing Cork Pride. I would also like to pay tribute to Cork Pride’s sponsors and partners this year – some have been supporting Cork Pride for many years, but several have engaged with Cork Pride for the first time this year. Without this help it would not be possible for us to continue to grow the festival, and keep all of our events and initiatives entirely free of charge for our community. We thank you, and all of the community members and allies that work on these engagements annually, which help us to deliver our festival. Lastly, but most importantly, I’d like to thank you, our fabulous LGBT+ community for your help, love and support over the years. Cork Pride is your festival and your community, and I hope you will come and enjoy as many Cork Pride events as you can! Yours in Pride,
Damien O’Halloran / Company Secretary Damien O’Halloran is an executive leader working in IT for over 25 years, leading globally diverse teams. He is actively involved in multiple diversity and inclusion functions, most especially Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), focusing on encouraging team members to bring their authentic selves to the workplace. Damien is also the chair of the Work With Pride professional network.
Sam Lake / Secretary Sam is the newest member to the Board and holds the role of Secretary. Sam is a behavior therapist with Cope Foundation. Sam is an enthusiastic gym bunny and self-proclaimed dog lover! Sam is looking forward to working with others to ensure the Cork Pride Festival represents everyone.
Darren Fitzgerald / Treasurer Darren joined the Cork Pride team in 2021 and is the Legal Advisor. Darren is a Partner and head of Private Clients at Orbitus Law LLP. Darren’s goal, being a proud member of the community, is to promote community presence within the legal realm.
Kery Mullaly / Business Development Manager Kery handles the Cork Pride sponsorships remit and produces the annual Cork Pride magazine. Kery has brokered partnerships and sponsorships across many festivals and events including the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival, Electric Picnic, Cork Midsummer Festival, and the Cork International Choral Festival. He divides his time between Kilkenny and Cork.
Clive Davis Chairperson Cork LGBT+ Pride Festival
Dee Finn / Cork Pride Magazine Editor Dee is a theatre maker and community worker based in Cork. This is her first year in the role of Magazine Editor, having previously coordinated the Pride Reaching Out Project in 2022. Dee holds a MA in Women’s Studies from UCC and has completed research on LGBT+ experiences of education in Ireland.
Mary Flanagan / Administrator Mary joined The Cork Pride team in 2018, bringing experience in Youth Services, Finance, Education, & Logistics. She is an Office & Finance Administrator in Youth Services and also runs Music & Arts programs. Mary is the Programme Co-Ordinator for the Youth Work Ireland Laois “Electric Youth” programme held in association with Electric Picnic.
Geri Murphy / Events Manager Geri has spent the last several years producing events and festivals on behalf of local authorities (Cork City and Cork County Council), Commercial Chambers, Charity Organisations, businesses and Festivals, as well as working as a freelance Project Manager with Goldiefish Events on an ongoing basis. She has experience working in the Arts and Culture Sector and on site specific events and festivals.
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