AN ARCHIVE of thousands of private papers, journals and publications chronicling the transformation of the gay community over the century was officially handed over to the National Library of Ireland yesterday.
At an event marking the formal transfer of the collection – known as the Irish Queer Archive – curator Tonie Walsh said it was highly significant that the State was “finally taking ownership of lesbian, gay and transgender heritage”. The collection includes 250,000 press cuttings, clippings from gay magazines dating back to the 1950s, lesbian and gay films and an extensive photo collection. There are journals and diaries of members of the gay community stretching back almost 100 years that capture the loneliness and isolation many experienced.
The archive was collected and preserved by various groups since the late 1960s.
Mr Walsh has managed the archive since 1997 under the stewardship of the National Lesbian and Gay Federation.
He said the collection had found a safe, secure and utterly appropriate home in a State institution that guaranteed its accessibility to future generations of researchers. “And in validating and recognising the extraordinary and often difficult and turbulent history of its gay citizens, Ireland is now placed to celebrate, learn from and share this unique historical collection with all the people of this island.”
