There is a point every June where the conversation around Pride tends to get diluted. It gets wrapped up in corporate sponsorships, colourful street parties, and festive compliance. But if we lose sight of what this festival actually signifies—especially here, on this island, in 2026—then we miss the point entirely.
Pride is not merely a festival. It never has been. It is a living, breathing reminder of courage, of resistance, and of the enduring, exhausting pursuit of dignity for LGBTQ+ people.
It is very easy to look at how far Ireland has come over the last decade and fall into a comfortable sense of complacency. But progress isn't a permanent fixture; it’s something that has to be actively guarded. Look around us right now. Pride acts as a stark, necessary reminder of the immense amount of work still left to do. We are living in a climate where the LGBTQ+ community still cannot always live openly, safely, and freely without the looming fear of discrimination, vitriol, or outright hatred.
Until that fear is entirely eradicated, Pride remains a protest. It remains a refusal to be quiet, to be small, or to disappear into the background.
For me, sitting at my workbench every day, that spirit of defiance is the only thing that makes sense. True creativity and true independence only happen when you refuse to let other people dictate the parameters of who you are or how you should exist. There is a quiet power in backing yourself, standing your ground, and refusing to hide your truest instincts.
So, while my hands are full this week, my mind is firmly on that wider picture.
Next Saturday, 4th July, I will be bringing my work to Wicklow Pride – Pride at the Castle. Yes, it’s a market stall, and yes, it’s where I’ll be. But more importantly, it’s a space where I want to stand collectively with a community that refuses to be compromised. I’ll be there to celebrate how far we’ve traveled, to acknowledge the heavy road still ahead, and to stand together in plain sight.
Let's keep doing the work 🌈
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