Latest news with #Irish-Scottish
RTÉ News
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Glasnevin Cemetery is set to host its first queer history tour
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."
CBC
06-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
This old house: Bathurst group finalist to win $50K for repairs to historical property
A New Brunswick organization is hoping to get a big helping hand to restore a heritage site. Doucet Hennessy House in Bathurst is a finalist in the Next Great Save, a competition from the non-profit National Trust for Canada, where the winner gets $50,000 to go toward preserving or renewing a heritage place. Melynda Jarratt, president of the Doucet Hennessy House Association, said there are a lot of deserving heritage sites in Canada, but she still thought it worth entering. "I thought, oh well, it's a chance," she said. "If you don't apply, it's like winning the lotto, right? If you don't buy the ticket, you can't win." Getting chosen felt like graduating from university, said Jarratt. "I threw my hat up in the air!" Doucet Hennessy House is more than 200 years old. The homestead, which sits at the top of a hill on St. Peter Avenue and overlooks the Bay of Chaleur, was home to the Doucet family first and then the Hennessy family. According to the group's submission to the competition, the house was built in 1812 by Charles Doucet, an Acadian. In the early 1900s, the 200 acres were passed on to the Irish-Scottish Hennessy family. Now, the house is used for cultural programming, such as theatre, artist residencies and exhibits. The first phase of the house's restoration is already completed, said Jarratt, but Phase 2 will require some monetary support. The main focus in the past was structural repairs and the exterior, she said, while the second phase is focused more on the inside. Jarratt said winning the $50,000 prize money would allow the group to access different funding streams to help complete the project. She said for most heritage grants, groups need to be able to contribute a small portion of the money to get the money. Even a 10 per cent contribution can add up, she said. "When you've got a $500,000 project, what's 10 per cent? It's 50,000 bucks," said Jarratt. "And it's hard to raise money in Bathurst, and it's hard to raise money in an economically challenged community that's facing many difficulties of its own." Public voting started on Monday and goes until April 17 when the winners are chosen. Along with the grand prize, there are two runner-up prizes of $10,000 and $5,000. The finalists include three in Newfoundland and Labrador, one in Alberta, two in British Columbia, one in Manitoba, one in Nova Scotia, two in Ontario and one in Saskatchewan. The Bathurst project is the only New Brunswick finalist. Phase two of the Doucet Hennessy House project has involved gutting the first floor, which has revealed some 200-year-old ceiling beams, said Jarratt. New wiring and plumbing, new entryways to the rooms, insulation and a wheelchair accessible bathroom still have to be completed. Part of this phase also includes making the house energy efficient, including adding solar energy. "This will open up doors for us that we've been pushing and kicking … to try to get into those funding structures," said Jarratt.
