LGBT History in Ireland - Post-independence

Post-independence

After independence, Ireland became a very insular society, dominated by the Catholic Church and was conservative, however in the midst of this, there was an acceptance of homosexuality of those within the acting profession such as Micheál MacLiammóir. It was widely accepted that Micheál MacLiammóir was gay, and that his long time life partner was Hilton Edwards. MacLíammóir would even appear on Irish TV in the fifties and sixties performing in drag. It is because of this that Irish people were never really surprised to see men dressing up as women on TV and even today, one of Dublin's drag queens Shirley Temple Bar presents bingo on prime time national TV. MacLíammóir claimed when talking to Irish playwright, Mary Manning, to have had a homosexual relationship with General Eoin O'Duffy, former Garda Síochána Commissioner and head of the quasi-fascist Blueshirts in Ireland, during the 1930s. The claim was revealed publicly by RTÉ in a documentary, The Odd Couple, broadcast in 1999. However, MacLíammóir's claims have not been substantiated by any evidence.