New Books Network Páraic Kerrigan, "LGBTQ Visibility, Media and Sexuality in Ireland" (Routledge, 2020)
Nov 16, 2025
In this engaging conversation, Páraic Kerrigan, an Assistant Professor at University College Dublin specializing in media and LGBTQ studies, delves into the evolution of queer visibility in Irish media. He discusses the pivotal moments that shaped representation, from early stereotypes to the impact of the AIDS crisis. Kerrigan explores how activists navigated media landscapes and the role of significant figures like Gay Byrne. He also highlights the globalization of Irish queer culture and his ongoing projects capturing oral histories from the LGBTQ community.
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Look Beyond On-Screen Representation
- Kerrigan proposes "queer production studies" to look behind the camera at how media is made and who makes it.
- This approach reveals industrial, legal, and sociocultural forces shaping on-screen queer visibility.
Declan Flynn As A Catalyzing Moment
- Kerrigan opens with Declan Flynn's 1982 murder as a cultural hinge for queer Irish activism.
- Flynn's death catalyzed media activism and is remembered as Ireland's "Stonewall" moment.
Respectability Strategy In Early Media Work
- Early Irish gay rights organizers targeted scarce national media to reach broad audiences.
- They prioritized respectable, homonormative images to counter pathological stereotypes.
