A Day in May: Real Lives, True Stories

by Charlie Bird, Colm Tóibín (Foreword by)

Overview

On May 23rd, 2015 the people of Ireland made history by becoming the first country in the world to introduce marriage equality by popular vote. The joyous scenes from Dublin Castle and across Ireland, as the historic vote was declared, made headlines across the globe. But more than anything else, the vote was about changing the 'real lives' of the largest minority in Ireland: the LGBT community. Charlie Bird, inspired by the extraordinary Yes Equality campaign, travelled the length and breadth of Ireland to record first-hand the moving life stories of over fifty people who were deeply affected by the marriage equality vote. These are the true stories from ordinary LGBT people who have lived in the shadow of inequality and oppression for decades. A Day in May is a poignant record of their lives - of the pain, terror, confusion and sometimes the laughter - all of these emotions are beautifully captured by Charlie Bird. Stunning portrait photography complement the voices on paper to powerful effect amplifying the life affirming impact of that day in May 2015 when Ireland said yes to marriage equality. *** "The ordinary men and women who tell their remarkably eloquent stories create a fascinating tapestry of voices and experiences that epitomizes the phrase 'the personal is political.' As Colm Toibin writes in his introduction, each gay testimony 'moves our lives from shadow into substance.' A Day in May is an uplifting, enlightening and powerful collection." —Kevin Howell, Shelf Awareness, Social Science, July 1, 2016 *** "...moving anthology of firsthand testimonies from members of Ireland's LGBT community. Highly recommended!" —Midwest Book Review, Wisconsin Bookwatch: September 2016, The LGBT Studies Shelf [Subject: Marriage Equality, Politics, Gender Studies, Cultural Studies]

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781785370762
Publisher:	Irish Academic Press
Publication date:	06/01/2016
Pages:	268
Product dimensions:	7.20(w) x 8.80(h) x 1.30(d)

Table of Contents

Foreword Colm Tóibín xi

Beginnings Charlie Bird 01

'It's the same love that I have for my wife' Enda Morgan 19

'We're both going to wear dresses. No dickey bows for us' Rachel Morgan Marion Doherty 23

'Three-quarters of myself was consistently hidden' June Hamill 31

'I lost my college peer group, to AIDS. I stopped counting after thirty' Bill Hughes 37

'They beat the living daylights out of me' Ben Slimm 45

'I was out of control and very destructive' Jenny Hannon 51

'What will the neighbours think' Arthur Leahy 55

'We are a very post - modern family' Kathryn O'Riordan 59

'We were in love, and it felt really good' Nuala Ward 63

'I prefer having two women as parents' Sharon Slater Stephen Clancy 67

'Like there were no lesbians in Ireland' Rebecca Murphy 71

'So the gay thing was never mentioned' Ed O'Callaghan 75

'When I verbalised that I was gay, they sent me to a priest' Des Crowley 81

'I tried not to allow it consume me. But it became more and more difficult' Philippa Helen Jenny Ryder 87

'Everybody knows that Dominic and I were a married couple' John Paul Calnan 97

'I thought you were going to say you were pregnant. Oh, Christ, thank God' Garry Hynes 103

'You are my son, I love you, it's not a problem' Steven Sharpe 109

MyDad said, 'You are gay, are you?' Gary Ridge 113

'I tore myself apart for the sake of the referendum' Sharon Nolan 117

'My Action Men used to live together in my sister's Sindy house' Eamon Farrell Steven Mannion Farrell 121

'Do you know, I couldn't ask for a nicer partner in my life' Caroline Stewart 127

'So I put on my t-shirt and went knocking on doors' Will Keane 133

'I just lost my speech, to be honest with you' Kathleen Sharkey 137

'I had a lot of friends. They were just predominantly female' Noel Sharkey 143

'That absolutely messed with me, messed with my head' Oein DeBhairduin 147

'Mike, do you have something to tell me?' Mícheál Ó Ríordáín 151

'Will you be Gillian's wife or her husband?' Lora Bolger Gillian M^cKenna 155

'I knew at the time was that I couldn't stay married, that was just not an option' Anita Furlong 163

'I suppose you heard Leo Varadkar's story?' Tommy Roddy 167

'I kept meeting lesbians and, you know, it was great' Breda Larkin 171

'People were just sobbing because it was just so beautiful' Brian Sheehan 175

'We both wore the same coloured dickey bow, just so people kind of made the association' Adam Hannon Joan Dodd 185

'He says, your mother wears her gay son like a badge of honour' Colin O'Mahony 191

'It all started with flavours of yoghurt' Claire Goss Anne Marie Lillis 195

'The priest did say he would say a prayer for me' Mark Govern 203

'It's going to be a great day today, isn't it?' Patrick Dempsey 209

'He sprung up from the chair, gave me a big hug and an embrace' Ursula Halligan 213

'If a girl showed interest in you now, what would you say?' Síona Cahill 221

'Sometimes if everyone's favourite colour was red, I always wanted to be a different colour' Sabina Gavin Brennan 231

'I hadn't a clue that he was gay. I really hadn't a clue' Luke Barber 237

'they are family now' Vivian Cummins Erney Breytenbach Brandon Martin 241

Acknowledgements 249

List of Photographers 252