Dear friends of Seeding the County, September is nearly over and we are back with news and updates from the project and the wider LGBT+ Community in County Cork and beyond. I hope that you have all enjoyed your Summer and with the full reopening of the Country happening less than a month away, we have so many wonderful events and get-togethers to look forward to!  

First of which is Youghal Pride by the Sea 2021, an autumnal celebration of Pride that will remind us all just how fun it can be to celebrate with the community, and how important our visibility is in keeping our spirits up! Happening on Sunday the 17th of October, Youghal’s inaugural Pride Parade will be followed by a Jazz Picnic in Green Park, with Deise Brass providing music for the afternoon, and will see a variety of information and activity stands being set up in celebration of LGBT+ identity and inclusion.

The Pride Parade will assemble from 1:30 pm at Youghal Town Hall and move off at 2pm sharp, and we’ll be filling the street with the big rainbow flag, thanks to Eddie McGuinness and Dublin Pride for bringing it to us. We will also have GCN filming on the day as part of a documentary series they’re making on rural inclusion.  The Parade will finish at Green Park, where the Jazz Picnic in the Park will be happening from 2:30pm onwards. It will be an event not to be missed! Along with the music, there will be information stands, activities for teens and children and opportunity to link in with the Seeding the County and East Cork LGBT+ Networks. Due to Covid measures, people are advised to bring their own picnic to the Green Park!

Here in Seeding the County we are supporting a brand new advocacy group called Saoirse Aiteach, who have come together to do their part in addressing inequalities and injustices against the LGBT+ Community in Ireland and further afield. After a successful first event in Youghal Town, where the group set up a stand to raise awareness of the growing number of homophobic incidents in Ireland , they are now taking over a Wednesday evening radio slot on CRY104fm Community Radio Youghal. The group is putting together a programme called ‘The Gay Agenda’ which will discuss and explore the issues affecting the LGBT+ community today and talk about all the LGBT+ topics you’ve been dying to hear discussed! More details next week, be sure to keep an eye out. If you would also like to raise awareness around LGBT+ issues and/or participate in the creation of this LGBT+ Radio Show, be sure to drop me an email on mariellexuereb@gmail.com.

This is your weekly reminder that our Teatime Zoom Sessions are always there if you need a space to chat, relax and simply be yourself. Simply send an email to mariellecumannadaoine@gmail.com or seedingthecounty@gmail.com to get your link for the sessions! Teatime Zoom happens every Thursday between 5pm and 6pm.

To round us off this week, if you are looking to learn more about Cork’s LGBT+ History, for this week only, you can watch the brand new documentary made on the key role that the Quay Co-op played in Cork’s emerging LGBT+ scene. This documentary was released as part of the Indie Cork Film festival and it costs 6 euro to rent the movie https://indiecork.filmchief.com/hub/QuayCo-op  .

Be sure to check out our facebook page and instagram page (@seedingthecountycork) to get all our latest news!