At Swim, Two Boys is a great Irish novel, and a groundbreakg gay love story | Books | The Guardian

Contents:

• AT SWIM, TWO BOYS IS A GREAT IRISH NOVEL, AND A GROUNDBREAKG GAY LOVE STORY
• STUNNG NEW BOOK LOOKS AT THE FASCATG HISTORY OF GAY AND LBIAN ACTIVISM IRELAND
• JOHN BOYNE'S THE HEART'S INVISIBLE FURI ABOUT A GAY MAN POST-WAR IRELAND
• QUEER LOVE: 'THERE AREN’T MANY BOOKS THAT FOC ON GAY PEOPLE'
• TRACKG A HISTORY OF IMAGARY QUEER OR GAY MEN MORN IRISH LERATURE
• “GAY GAELS” WHO HAVE ENRICHED IRELAND’S HISTORY AND CULTURE FOR THE WORLD

AT SWIM, TWO BOYS IS A GREAT IRISH NOVEL, AND A GROUNDBREAKG GAY LOVE STORY

We didn’t crimalise homosexualy until 1993 – more than a quarter-century after siar laws had been enacted Great Bra – and yet by 2015 we’d bee the first untry the world to vote by plebisce for same-sex marriage. There was still a sense of the clanste to what should have felt perfectly a young gay man behd a bookshop unter, I watched the people who bought At Swim, Two Boys – and there were a lot of them – and ed as a tool for flirtatn. Thanks, Jamie O’Neill, I owe you urse, At Swim, Two Boys is a universal novel that enpass much more than simply the gay experience.

As part of our #Gaylypicks seri, Team GCN gathered together their top tips to fill your bookshelv or stock up on for that staytn and we’ve round them up here for you to take your pick. A llectn of funny and sightful says om Roxane Gay chartg the journey of her evolutn and mentg on the state of femism today. Due to the possible repercsns of wrg about homosexual experienc the early 1900’s, this sential novel was not released until after Forster’s ath.

STUNNG NEW BOOK LOOKS AT THE FASCATG HISTORY OF GAY AND LBIAN ACTIVISM IRELAND

A charged llectn of 15 says, Lor tak on sexism, racism, ageism, homophobia, class, and propounds social difference as a vehicle for actn and change. Given the current suatn Poland, Swimmg the Dark giv ntext to the suatn faced by LGBT+ people a untry currently beg n by a eply homophobic ernment. Gay and Lbian Activism the Republic of Ireland 1973-93 explor the many varied activi that gay and lbian dividuals engaged to try to improve the liv of gay and lbian dividuals the Republic of Ireland om the start of gay rights activism here 1973 to the crimalisatn of sexual activy between mal and the amendment of the Unfair Dismissals Act to clu sexual orientatn 1993.

In particular, looks at the importance of gay and lbian anisatns creatg spac to meet throughout Ireland, whether that be the Hirschfeld Centre Dubl, the Phoenix Centre or Quay Co-Op Cork or meetg rooms hotels Galway.

JOHN BOYNE'S THE HEART'S INVISIBLE FURI ABOUT A GAY MAN POST-WAR IRELAND

It also explor the tablishment of important servic such as Tel-A-Friend, Lbian Le and Parents Enquiry, the rponse to HIV and AIDS 1980’s Ireland, and teractn wh the tra unn movement, stunt movement, Irish Council for Civil Liberti, polil parti and ternatnal gay and lbian anisatns. “In short, the book seeks to monstrate the extent to which gay and lbian activists Ireland did not solely mpaign to crimalise sexual activy between mal, but rather engaged much broar activism, which was not nfed to Dubl nor solely to the activi of men. Through the efforts, they helped to fe important allianc and brg about an improvement the liv of gay and lbian dividuals Ireland.

The book seeks to emphasise the extent to which Ireland’s gay and lbian muny has played a signifint role the transformatn of Irish society and further historil rearch should not om their stori or ntributn.

Arthur Leahy and Tony O’Regan of Cork Gay Collective handg out leaflets durg Gay Pri Week on Prc Street, Cork, c. The Cork Lbian Group provid an important outlet for lbian women Cork and Munster to meet and socialise and were centrally volved the anisatn of the Cork Women’s Fun Weekend and tablishment of the Cork Lbian Le 1985, while the Cork Irish Gay Rights Movement created the first gay centre Cork, known as the Phoenix Centre which ran the Gay Swchboard, diss and other activi for the muny Cork and Munster. A highlight of the Cork IGRM’s activi was the anisatn of the first Gay Pri events 1981 wh the Cork Gay Collective, which clud the erectn of a pk triangle at the top of the Comeragh Mountas.

QUEER LOVE: 'THERE AREN’T MANY BOOKS THAT FOC ON GAY PEOPLE'

The Cork Gay Collective, although a relatively small group, worked tirelsly and succsfully to get the tra unn movement behd gay rights, while also takg the lead rpondg to the emergg HIV and AIDS crisis Ireland. It was the Cork Gay Collective that anised the first Natnal Gay Conference Ireland, which took place May 1981.

For much of the early to mid-1980’s Walsh and Porter worked to create a space for dividuals Galway to meet, often anisg meetgs hotels where gay and lbian dividuals uld meet whout havg to ‘out’ themselv. The Galway Gay Collective promoted their existence through the lol prs and dividuals were able to ntact them. Durg a perd and a lotn where there were very few opportuni for gay and lbian dividuals to meet others, the existence of the Galway Gay Collective was a lifele for many.

“The stori are often overlooked but the activi were important creatg spac for gay and lbian dividuals to meet others, to bee more nfint and acceptg their sexualy and dog so unrmg the stat quo Ireland.

TRACKG A HISTORY OF IMAGARY QUEER OR GAY MEN MORN IRISH LERATURE

You certaly nnot wre the history of gay rights activism the Republic of Ireland whout cludg the role of lbian women. From the very start of gay rights activism Ireland the early 1970’s, lbian women were there challengg the homophobia and sexism that permeated Irish society. Like wh sexualy more generally, the topics were jt not to be talked about and this was particularly the se for homosexualy.

Members of the Sexual Liberatn Movement prottg outsi the Department of Jtice 27 June 1974 as part of Gay Pri. So when the Irish Gay Rights Movement was set up 1974, the few women who got volved wh the anisatn worked tirelsly to create a space for women wh the anisatn where they uld meet others and to talk about their sexualy. The same happened other regns Ireland, most notably Cork wh the Cork Lbian Group or Galway wh the Galway Gay Collective.

They tablished servic and supports for women, but also took to the media to create greater awarens and unrstandg, while also lobbyg others to support gay rights. “So throughout Ireland many lbian women refed to succumb to the homophobia and hostily Ireland and stead challenged the attus and fought to make Irish society more clive.

“GAY GAELS” WHO HAVE ENRICHED IRELAND’S HISTORY AND CULTURE FOR THE WORLD

Like many other untri, was the gay muny who were first to rpond to the emergg HIV and AIDS crisis Ireland. In Ireland, like elsewhere, the gay muny had to al wh early media reports that sensatnalised HIV and AIDS, scribg as the ‘gay plague’, ‘gay ncer’, or ‘gay disease’.

At a time when there was limed rmatn, this only add to the already difficult climate many gay and lbian dividuals faced Ireland.

However, unlike the ernment, Irish gay and lbian activists took a proactive approach to battg HIV and AIDS.