Going out and about in Lisdoon

WHILE the rest of the county goes saffron and blue, Lisdoonvarna will be turning pink this weekend.
History will be made in the North Clare town when it hosts its first gay festival, The Outing.
As well as promising an economic boost to local businesses, the international media attention the festival is receiving, organisers believe, is highlighting the town and the county to a huge new audience.

“County Clare is the most scenic part of the country, so why not hit a new market across the world. There has been worldwide coverage of this festival. From the BBC, the top US gay magazine Out, there have stories about this. It takes a fresh new approach to the month-long matchmaking festival. It is the weekend at the beginning of it and it gives the whole thing a fresh new look and a facelift,” event director, Eddie McGuinness told The Clare Champion.

The response to the festival in Lisdoonvarna, Mr McGuinness said, has been broadly positive.

“Naturally you have a few twitching-behind-curtains types asking what is going on but generally people have been great. They have nicknamed it ‘the pink weekend’ and the businesses themselves have jumped on board, understanding the pink euro is stronger at the moment than others and they need to tap into that market,” he added.

Mr McGuinness believes the weekend will attract a large crowd to Lisdoonvarna.

“The interest has been amazing. We have had people coming from the States, Switzerland, the UK and all around Ireland. I feel that with Galway Pride last weekend and Limerick Pride coming up, this is a new date for the calendar, not just for the West of Ireland but for the whole country,” he commented.

However, while towns and cities around the country are celebrating their Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) communities by holding ‘Pride’ events, The Outing is very different.

“We pitched this idea going back to the early 2000s but, at the end of the day, it wasn’t ready. Ireland wasn’t ready for a new festival like this. It is fine having pride celebrations around the country. As each town puts on a pride event it is embracing the community there but this is different, we are taking over the village. For this weekend, we are not ‘the only gay in the village’,” he explained.

Mr McGuinness believes The Outing could become one of the newest alternative music festivals in Ireland but stresses there will be a strong matchmaking element too.

Resident Lisdoonvarna matchmaker, Willie Daly believes the time is right for the festival and will be matchmaking as usual over the course of the weekend.

“I am going to be doing matchmaking at it but I haven’t been approached by anyone. Two years ago, a girl came to my office and I believe she was sincere. She said ‘I don’t want your help finding a man but could you help me find a girl?’ Last year, a boy came in and asked for to be matched with another boy. I’m not sure if he was codding but that was the first I really came across it,” he said.

“I think the time has arrived where there are a lot of changes in life and in the world and gay people are in many places and in cities and towns and countries. It is probably, from a lot of people’s perspective, a very new identity,” he stated.

The Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival itself draws in the region of 20,000 people to the spa town during the month of September and Mr Daly believes this year will attract even more.

“Interest is up considerably and I think this is based on the fact it has been a fantastic year weather-wise. From a farmer’s point of view, and a high percentage of people who come to the festival are farmers, most of the work is done. People are in a celebratory mood and more so because Clare are in the All-Ireland final. We are having a couple of wonderful weeks coming up to the match. This anticipation is wonderful. It is like getting married, it is very exciting,” Mr Daly said.