2023 marks a series of anniversaries of important milestones in the journey of Pride and the LGBTQ+ community in Dublin. It is 50 years since the first LGBTQ+ group in Dublin was established in Trinity College, 40 years since the famous Fairview march and the first Dublin Pride Parade and, on a national level, 30 years since Ireland decriminalised homosexuality.​

Starting with the St Patrick’s Day Parade and culminating in June at the Dublin Pride Parade, we celebrate 50 years of visible LGBTQ+ community, culture and inclusion in our city and the journey we took to become ONE.​

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Section 1:​

One Planet One Love sees a Globe float representing the colourful communities around the world, celebrated by the accompanying Flag Bearers, each representing the individual community they are part of including Trans, Pansexual, Intersex and many others.​

In a world filled with many choices and interests we welcome the many voices of our society. Dublin LGBTQ+ Pride is a safe space where acceptance is paramount, where all the colourful voices can feel part of one community. ​

Ireland is a multicultural and diverse country in 2023, and today we celebrate all colours of the rainbow, join under the National Parade and march for joy and acceptance.​

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Section 2:​

One History: The Pink triangle has been a symbol for the LGBTQ+ community, initially intended as a badge of shame, but later reclaimed as a positive symbol of self-identity and empowerment for queerness.​

1973​

The first LGBTQ+ group in Dublin, The Sexual Liberation Movement, was established in Trinity College, it organised a march in June 1974 to protest the laws criminalising homosexuality in Ireland. While the term Pride had not yet become popularised and it would be several years before Dublin had an organised Pride movement, this is generally accepted as the first Dublin Pride march. By the late 1970’s, the National LGBT Federation had begun to organise an annual Dublin Pride week that included events in the Hirschfeld Centre and a picnic in Merrion Square.​

1983​

Following the release of the killers of Declan Flynn, outrage from both the LGBTQ+ community and wider society led to the first large scale protest went from Liberty Hall to Fairview Park on March 19th, this is generally considered the birth of the modern Dublin Pride movement. Later that year in June, the first Dublin Pride Parade went from Stephens Green to O’Connell Street.​

1993​

Following 20 years of organised activism, both at a grassroots level through protest and at a legislative level through the Norris V Ireland case, Ireland finally decriminalised homosexuality, the bill passing through the Dáil during Pride week that year. Since then, Dublin Pride has grown to become one the largest and most popular events in the country.​

2023​

Though we have made huge progress in the past 50 years, and we deserve to celebrate those achievements, our march goes on. Ireland ranks worst in the EU for Trans healthcare, the ILGA Rainbow map only ranks us the 14th best place in Europe to be LGBTQ+, many children of LGBTQ+ parents are left without protection and legal recognition and violence against LGBTQ+ people has increased in recent years. Outside of Ireland, 67 countries still criminalise homosexuality, in 11 countries it is subject to the death penalty and in many countries, we have seen a recent rollback in our rights and safety.​