Glasnevin Cemetery is set to host its first queer history tour

RTÉ News​

4 days ago

Dublin's Glasnevin Cemetery is set to host its first ever queer history tour, running from 20-22 June, celebrating Pride and exploring LGBTQ+ life in Ireland since the 1800s.
Anna Collins, a tour guide and researcher at Dublin Cemetries Trust, who has written and researched the tour joined RTÉ Radio 1 to share all the details - listen back above.
The oldest person discussed on the tour was born in the 1850s, while the most recent death discussed on the tour took place in 1995, so the range of characters included is incredibly comprehensive.
Collecting all this information was no mean feat, and Anna says that she relied on the knowledge of her co-workers, many of whom have been working at Glasnevin Cemetery for years now.
"The people who work here really care about everyone in the cemetery," she insists. "They have all these really interesting stories of people, so initially I just put a call out!"
The lengthy and thorough process involved months of research, leading to fascinating stories of LGBTQ+ people in Irish history being unearthed.
One of the best-known figures on the tour is Thom McGinty, an Irish-Scottish actor and street performer known as The Diceman, who spent many years performing as a living statue on Dublin's Grafton Street.
"He really brought so much life to the street," says Anna. "In fact, when he died, they carried his coffin down Grafton Street, and the shops all closed and contributed to the cost of his funeral."
Another great character featured in the tour is Jack Saul. Born in the 1850s in the Liberties, Saul was a sex worker who worked in the brothels of Dublin before moving to London, where he often found himself embroiled in high-profile scandals.
"This regular, working-class guy was having to appear in courtrooms against lords and dukes and things like that," she laughs. "So he really developed a bit of a name for himself, quite a scandalous figure."