Pride in Every County
2026 has been a year of growth, development, and new beginnings for queer communities across Ireland. Soon after opening the first peer-led trans health clinic in Ireland, our volunteers got busy planning how to show up and support as many Pride events as possible. While we couldn’t get to every Pride in Ireland, you might have heard us speaking at Trans & Intersex Pride Dublin, picked up our printed Trans Survival Guides from our table at Wexford Pride, or saw us representing Kindred at Cork Community Pride.
This was a very special year for Pride events, as it marks the first year that there has been a Pride in every single county across Ireland! This is a phenomenal milestone, which took an immense amount of effort from organizers around the country. We sincerely appreciate everyone involved with co-ordinating these events!
To mark this incredible achievement, we want to highlight some of the “firsts” we witnessed and took part in this Summer.
Cavan’s First Pride
Cavan Pride ran for its very first year! It started with a march around town, before platforming speakers from a variety of community organizations, and concluding with stalls and music in the town square. It was a lively day! The organizers were eager to help, chat, and engage with the community. We were truly grateful to be invited to speak, and to be offered a table afterward!
The Cavan Pride team were also passionate about collaboration, and worked with us on a petition to Cavan County Council, outlining the failures of the Irish healthcare system for trans people, and calling on the Council to demand better. If you were in town that day, we hope you signed the physical petition passed around! If not, you can sign it digitally right now! Cavan Pride also helped us to organise a workshop for after the main event. In our “Talking to Politicians” workshop, we walked people through the process of learning who their local politicians were, how to contact them, and how to highlight their issues.
Cavan Pride delivered a remarkable event, which was doubly impressive as a debut! We can’t wait to see what the team can pull off next year!
First Marches for Trans Pride Limerick and Heartlands Pride
We also saw existing events grow larger and stronger to reach new milestones, such as Trans Pride Limerick and Heartlands Pride. Both managed to pull enough attendees to take their first ever marches! We took to the streets to support them in both Limerick and Athlone, banner in hand!
By focusing on the trans and gender-diverse community, Trans Pride Limerick naturally draws in fewer people than the general Pride events. However, smaller does not mean quieter! The Pride-goers vigorously marched through the city centre, chanting and cheering for trans rights – loud and proud. The day also featured a diverse set of enthusiastic speakers, including one of our Limerick-based volunteers. Congratulations to the Trans Pride Limerick team continuing to build a vibrant local trans community. We'll be sure to come back and march again next year!
Heartlands Pride has been running in Athlone, Westmeath for years now, and has also seen an increase in attendance, allowing them to march across Athlone for the first time and celebrate along the Shannon! Stalls were lined up near the riverside in Burgess Park, selling everything from handmade scarves, to lego Pride flags. That evening, there was even a queer night club party to cap off the day's events. But here comes the best part – all of that was a single day out of a 9 day festival! Heartlands Pride hosted 17 different events during that time! These ran the gamut from wild parties to cozy open mic sessions, with a little something for everyone. The amount of effort that has been put in by the Heartlands Pride committee over the last few years is staggering, but it is clearly paying off! They truly are punching above their weight, and putting on a festival that rivals any of Ireland’s large cities!
Our First Time as Grand Marshals - Galway Community Pride
While there is nothing new about Galway Community Pride (with over 30 years of history), they did offer THA an exciting new experience as an organization – our first chance to be Grand Marshals! Of course we accepted! We’re truly grateful that our work is being recognised by the wider community, and are proud of the impact that Kindred Clinic Cork is making.
To honour this fantastic opportunity, we showed up to as many activities as we possibly could. We met with so many like-minded people across the week of the Galway Pride; we hope that we made as good of an impression on the people of Galway as they made on us. Between sharing poetry at the flag raising ceremony, chatting at the community hub, leading chants on the day of the march, and letting loose at the afterparty, our volunteers came away with many treasured memories. Our passionate speakers did their utmost to capture the spirit of this year’s Pride: “Still we rise”.
We can only hope that we lived up to Galway Community Pride’s expectations, and that they will continue to support us in our struggle for liberated healthcare.
Looking Forward
Queer communities around Ireland continue to grow and flourish. We’re already excited to see what next year has in store, and what “firsts” the next Pride season will bring. If you’ve enjoyed any Pride this year, be sure to appreciate all the hard work that goes into making these events possible. Don’t take these Prides for granted! This growth is only possible through consistent effort from dedicated organisers and volunteers. If you want to help them grow, consider reaching out to your local Pride organization and getting directly involved. Help make 2027 even bigger and better!
Whether you’re trying to build a new local community, or you’re an established community organisation striving to reach new milestones, may 2027 bring you every success you seek.
Siúlaigí le bród, agus go n-éirí an bothar libh.
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Announcing Kindred Clinic Cork!
**Trans Healthcare Action is proud to announce the launch of Kindred Clinic Cork, the first peer-led trans health clinic in Ireland!** Created in partnership with the Sexual Health Centre, Kindred Clinic Cork is a small pilot clinic that offers care that is free, safe, local, gender-affirming, and de-pathologised to trans adults living in Cork City & County. Services are centred on self-determination, created by and for trans people, to reduce barriers to health and wellbeing that trans people experience. Care is provided by licensed clinicians working within their professional competency, and viewed through the lens of harm reduction. This allows those who face barriers in accessing services to avail of care friendly, community setting.
Volunteer
We are looking to fill volunteer roles across the organisation. Commitment will vary depending on the role, but is generally 4+ hours per month. Most communication and collaboration takes place online, with in-person socials and co-working. To find out more about volunteering with us, email join@transhealthcare.ie.
Join usEnquire
Have questions about Trans Healthcare Action or requests for partnership, research participants, or media spokespeople? Reach out to us by emailing action@transhealthcare.ie. Keep in mind that we are a fully volunteer team so we'll get back to you as soon as we're able.
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