Week 3! This week is all about the 80′s, we’ll explore the effects of emigration on the gay community here in Cork.

• The Other Place, South Main Street
• 19:00-1930: Start time.

In our more recent past being homosexual was legalised in Ireland in 1993. And since then the gay community in Ireland has thrived. But we often forget that before it was legal many our community who are still with us lived in fear for their lives. The 1980’s serves in living memory as a very sad time in our past where Ireland lost many sons and daughters to the economies of America, Canada and the United Kingdom as they left home in search of work. What we often forget is that during that time and for many years before the Gay Communities in Ireland suffered badly at the hands of this emmigration. While many of these men and women left openly seeking work they secretly hoped for a new start. A more accepting society. Where they could be who they were, without living in fear.

A word from the project organisers…

We are still inviting contributions from people around the world who may remember stories and things going on in Cork during this period.

It is an appeal to the cork gay Diaspora around Ireland and the world to make a contribution, to call us up on what you think is wrong or should be included. All criticism and contributions are gratefully welcomed!

Please just post a comment with your story or just a brief note and we’ll get back to you!

We are looking especially for pictures at the moment! As we begin to prepare the information we’ve gathered for presentation. This or any other material you can provide us with, copies or originals would be GREATLY APPRECIATED!

Behind Closet Doors Committee

Behind Closet Doors History Project presents the 70′s. A social History of Cork. Well this week is all about the 70′s and this week I don’t think much explanation is needed. This is all about Dance, Disco & Divas. The 70′s in Cork. A vibrant decade, full of yet untold stories.

• Location: The Other Place, South Main Street.
• Start time: 19:15-19:30

The 70′s in Cork was a vibrant period with many new happenings and cork. The turnout last week was amazing! This week we have more people available to talk to us about their past. It’s going to be a lively and going on from last weeks workshop a lot of fun!

Looking forward to seeing you all there tomorrow!

Behind Closet Doors Committee

www.history.corkgayproject.com

• 27th of October 2009
• The Other Place, South Main Street.

On the evening we will have a main theme that of “The Revolutionary 60′s”. As we all know a number of events took place during the 60′s and the one that jumps immediately to mind is 1969 and Stonewall. But not only that there was the spirit of Revolution in the air.

This, the first of our evening workshops aims to engage with this spirit of revolution and see were we really affected by it here in Ireland. What sort of ripple effects washed up on the shores of conservative Ireland from the land of liberty across the ocean.

A word from the project organisers…

We would like to take this opportunity to invite contributions from people around the world who may remember stories and things going on in Cork during this period. It is our aim to include some short stories and anecdotes to be passed around on the evening for people to read or take home as they want.

It is an appeal to the cork gay Diaspora around Ireland and the world to make a contribution, to call us up on what you think is wrong or should be included. All criticism and contributions are gratefully welcomed!

Please just post a comment with your story or just a brief note and we’ll get back to you!

Behind Closet Doors Committee

The main aim of “Behind Closet Doors” which is the working title at the moment is to record the gay social His/Her-Story of cork. Unlike the political history of gay activism over the last number of years the social His/Her-Story is more embedded in the communities of Ireland. They are stories, memories locked away in the minds of many people all over Cork. It is our aim to record this pink social His/Her-Story before it’s lost to the ravages of time and even more sadly the grave.

Means to the end:

As this is a unique form of His/Her-Story in that the majority of the sources are still living the acquisition of notes, materials and sources generally is going to be through speaking with people.

So to this end I feel the most appropriate way of moving forward with recording such information in a time efficient, accessible, reusable, redistributable, age appropriate format is to run a series of workshops. Our way of achieving this is as follows.

• Running a series of eight workshops held each season. These workshops would operate under the Project “Behind Closet Doors” each would have a set theme, each of the eight evenings different. And a core speaker who would have a prepared piece ready which would kick off a period of questioning where a group of at least two, ideally three panelists who could have questions put to them to stimulate recollections otherwise forgotten. Active discussion. The only good way to pry this valuable asset from the mind! We would hope such an evening would last from between an hour to two hours. Giving every opportunity for spontaneous debate.
• Distributing this is the next objective, the ultimate goal after recording. This would be divided into several methods.

(i)            Blogging. It would be the intention that a transcript of the speech made at each of these lectures be typed up and posted online as well as the recordings written out and published also. So they are publicly accessible for all. *

(ii)           Podcasting. Continuing on from the accessible, reusable, redistributable and age appropriate format from the mission statement we would aim to have the recordings of the event made available to download from an online location, preferably the project website.*

(iii)         Print. It would be a nice aspect to ultimately produce a single printed volume of these lectures with possibly pictures provided by various sources. With money covering costs of print and any profit directed at funding if required further lecture series or a suitable organisation.

(iv)        It is also hoped to have some form of a lecture presenting the work of the project on a more formal basis in an effort to attract more people to share their story. And also as an advertisement to the planned easter workshop series.

*(Under the strict permission of those present do voice recordings become available, or edited appropriately so some of the sessions can be made available via podcasting. All Sessions will be recorded and transcripts of what said made available but identities protected as requested and required).

• Location and Publicity:

(i)            Location, it is hoped at this point that the series can be run in a location with space and is easily accessible by all. (TOP will be approached regarding this.)

(ii)           Publicity. By hosting such an event we hope to attract a large group of people to events as well as advertising via all the commercial venues, community centers, universities etc. and via web mediums such as gaycork.com and other such similar facilities available to us.

• Format. By this I mean mainly the way the workshop series will be presented. We would aim to do each series of eight on a theme by theme basis. It is the intention that this social His/Her-Story spans the entire LGBT community and as such the panelists and topics on discussion will aim to achieve this.

The End…

• For me I think the social His/Her-Story of gay cork is something that should never really end. But should be pushed as far back as living memory will allow. And failing that we should look to our own ingenuity and try and discover a means and a way to unlocking that. But for now we should try and record what’s available now to us. And even more importantly make sure the events going on around us aren’t forgotten too. Our present past as historians often call it.
• The political History of cork can be left to political annalists as the richness of our culture lies in our social past.

History, it’s definition says that is the study of past events, particularly those concerning the affairs of people. It also in it’s strict interpretation a continuous, typically chronological, record of important or public events a particular trend or insitution. This we know, and what we also know is that history is rarely so simiplified into definitions. It is after all more then that. History recorded well is the living breathing embodiment of the events and lives of our forebears. And this is what I aim to do here in Cork too.

In our more recent past being homosexual was legalised in Ireland in 1993. And since then the gay community in Ireland has thrived. But we often forget that before it was legal many our community who are still with us lived in fear for their lives. The 1980’s serves in living memory as a very sad time in our past where Ireland lost many sons and daughters to the economies of America, Canada and the United Kingdom as they left home in search of work. What we often forget is that during that time and for many years before the Gay Communities in Ireland suffered badly at the hands of this emmigration. While many of these men and women left openly seeking work they secretly hoped for a new start. A more accepting society. Where they could be who they were, without living in fear. This is he short term goal of Behind Closet Doors. To record the lives and stories of our community so we don’t forget who we are, what we’re a part of, how far we’ve come and what we’ve yet to do.

I want to try and log and record in an accessible way the living memory of Cork’s gay past. The immediate aim of Behind Closet doors is to be a series of short stories, anecdotes and thoughts on the gay community here in Cork. These will hopefully appear in blog format, podcast and hopefully perhaps appear in print. Most importantly this project aims to be a community affair. I want you all to share the stories that you’ve heard. Speak with older members of the community and relatives in your family you know are gay and how growing up in Ireland in the last 50 years and being gay made an impact on their lives. This is our shared past, let it be a shared journey as I think it’s going to be an interesting project that we’ll all learn and benefit from!

Shane Mc’Auliffe
Done in conjunction with the Cork Gay Project and GayCork.com