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LAST UPDATE | 29 May 2025
THE IDEA OF rural Ireland as “backwards” runs deep in Irish society. In June 2022, a Mayo Pride event was one of the first to be targeted by the current rising tide of disinformation, scapegoating and hate. Sentiment afterwards from many we spoke to outside the county was how “shocking” it was that Mayo “still has to deal with this”.
But as we wrote at the time, rural LGBTQ+ organisations were, in fact, ahead of the curve on dealing with extremism and hate (not to brag or anything). Separate reports, both released in early 2023, by An Gardai Síochána and ILGA-Europe, an LGBTQ+ rights group, confirmed dramatic increases in hate crimes in Ireland and Europe.
When the temperature rises nationally or globally, rural Irish LGBTQ+ organisations feel it first. And we’re feeling it now.
In the US, numerous pride events were left in the red as sponsors pulled out amid a hostile climate for diversity and inclusion. In the UK, rural pride events have been folding or downsizing since 2022. Ireland is no exception, as illustrated only recently by the withdrawal of some commercial partners from Dublin Pride.
Last year, pride events took place in every nook and cranny on the island of Ireland. But many, especially rural or regional ones, will not survive the next three years without immediate help. And saying three years is optimistic.
That’s bad news for everyone.
Three years on from initially being targeted, we still find the people and businesses of Mayo incredibly supportive. Like the majority of people in Ireland, rural or urban, they have not been swayed by increasing disinformation that scapegoats LGBTQ+ people and other vulnerable groups.
Mayo Pride has survived repeated external interference and unwanted attention from those with a particular agenda. Still, we’ve grown year-on-year to serve more members of the community. This is thanks to local goodwill, support at the level of local government, and collaboration with other community groups.
What was lovely to see this year was just how many new committee members joined, particularly younger people. The momentum is with us. Irish people are still as overwhelmingly decent and fair as when the country voted for Marriage Equality 10 years ago.
But what worries us is not something like protests against the parade; it’s that every year, we notice more people falling down the rabbit hole of disinformation directed against LGBTQ+ people, particularly against trans people. And it’s the constant scrambling for funds.
And we’re troubled by the apathy of parts of the LGBTQ+ community who are still disengaged.
So, what would help?
Ireland ranks 14th on the Rainbow Map of Europe, an annual ranking of LGBTQ+ rights across European countries. Irish law must catch up with how supportive Irish people are of LGBTQ+ rights, particularly on protecting family rights, expanding trans healthcare, and banning conversion therapy.
We’re very lucky in Ireland to have a political culture that values interaction and collaboration. So, we need support from everyone.
Rural pride events and festivals need to be a top priority for policymakers, community leaders and LGBTQ+ advocacy groups. We need practical support like funding, skills development and knowledge sharing.
We get it: everyone is feeling the heat, particularly as the effects of the current US administration ripple across the Atlantic. But rural LGBTQ+ organisations were the last to be set up, and we’ll be the first to go. This will be an indescribable loss for LGBTQ+ people in rural areas, who are already struggling with increased isolation. There is currently not a single surviving LGBTQ+ bar, to our knowledge, between Mizen Head and Malin Head. Not one.
LGBTQ+ people have always lived in every part of this country, so there should be spaces for us to gather in every county.
We are much more than the one time of the year when rural LGBTQ+ people and our families and friends finally have a place to get together in person.
We are essential and underused tools in the fightback against extremism and hate.
We’ve seen year after year which methods don’t work to change minds. For example, you can’t challenge someone’s beliefs by just saying they’re “far-right”. This point is key. In any case, this is not the Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival. The far-right won’t arrive wearing easily identifiable badges.
What they will do is sew stories of fear. About how you can’t trust the “mainstream media”. They’ll repeat the very, very old conspiracy theory that LGBTQ+ people are coming for your kids. And in our experience, the people spreading these stories are a minority, but they’ve got a loud voice.
As the Hope and Courage Collective, which supports communities against extremism, points out, we need more inclusive stories of community.
The opposite of extremism is connection.
Rural pride events are places where those stories of connection and community begin. Stories like the young person who felt inspired to come out to her family, the trans woman who said she now feels she belongs in Mayo, and the gay man who is finally comfortable coming home.
Rural pride festivals are where those stories reach hearts and minds.
Fiona Wilde (they/them) has over 20 years’ experience working in the areas of equality, diversity and inclusion and LGBTQ+ policy and advocacy. Shaun Lavelle (he/him) works as a communications strategist in the public sector. He was previously Senior Editor at The Correspondent, a digital “unbreaking news” platform. More at MayoPride.com. If you are an LGBTQ+ person affected by rural isolation or any other issue, you can contact the LGBT Ireland helpline at 1800 929 539.
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