On Thursday 19th June, Cllr Mary Linehan-Foley, representing the Cork County Mayor, raised the Pride rainbow progress flag at Youghal Town Hall to mark Youghal Pride and Pride Month.
Attending were Helen Mulcahy Walsh, Cork County Council; Nicola Lucey, HSE Community Manager; Anne Purcell of SECAD’s Community Connections project and Jason Sheehan, Coordinator East Cork Traveller Project along with Hayley Fox-Roberts, Development Worker with Cumann na Daoine and Treasurer of Youghal Pride; Youghal Pride’s Chair Sinead Lee and members of the Pride Committee Shane, Virgil and Ruby.
Raising the flag under a sunny sky, Cllr. Linehan-Foley said:
“It’s great to be here again today – I feel as if this is somehow ‘my gig’ as I have raised the flag here – and I’m so proud to do so. I want to wish everyone a happy Pride week. Remember what’s happening on Saturday, there’s fun and games in Green Park, and the Parade from Market Square to Green Park, it’ll be a blast. Thank you everyone for coming, and congratulations as always for this…nobody understands how much organisation happens behind the scenes, in Pride by the Sea, in raising flags, it’s all about organisation. Well done to Hayley, to all your team in Cumann na Daoine and the Pride committee. We are so grateful”.
Hayley Fox-Roberts responded: “Thank you, Mary. I want to thank Youghal Municipal and Cork County Council for facilitating this event and making it so easy to do. It’s important for me to thank everyone who’s made Youghal Pride happen this year and to the wider community for the support that’s been shown – and that I’m confident will be shown again on Saturday. Mary, I’m so glad it feels like ‘your gig’ because you have experience and genuine commitment that you bring to bear at all these events. Our sincere thanks to you, to the Council itself, and also to the Council for its financial support because really, it’s very hard to do anything with no money. Finally, let’s remember that Pride has always been important, it’s a historic event, it’s always been meaningful to our community, and to the wider community. In these challenging times we’re in now it is more important than ever. Thank you all for coming here today, and I hope you’ll all be joining us on the parade, or waving to us on the parade, this Saturday”.
We welcome this visible sign of the County Council’s inclusion and support of its LGBTQI+ communities.
Youghal Pride takes place on Saturday 21st June, assembling 1pm in Market Square with music and entertainments in Green park from 2 – 4pm.
Photos by Kat Blye
