Drizzling rain on Saturday could not dampen the spirits of thousands of people who came out to celebrate Dublin's Gay Pride parade.
Featuring revellers on foot, floats and horse and carriages, a sea of multi-coloured flags and umbrellas led the procession from the Garden of Remembrance on Parnell Square.
This year's celebration of diversity was marked by a strong political presence. Members of the Labour Party, Green Party and Sinn Féin proudly marched along. Dominic Hannigan, Labour Party councillor for east Meath, was enjoying taking part in the parade for the first time with his partner, Chris.
"This is a celebration of Ireland's tolerance. Irish society has moved on significantly from having issues with people's sexuality. The electorate are more concerned with things like the economy and anti-social behaviour," he said.
Joining Cllr Hannigan on the red Labour Party bus was TD for Dublin South East, Ruairí Quinn, and Ivana Bacik, another member of the Labour Party.
Despite political presence, the drag queens in stilettos and leather-clad men grabbed all the attention as they strutted their stuff down O'Connell Street as the parade got into full swing.
"We want to show everyone that we're all around and that we're proud to be gay. We want everyone to see us and take notice," said Victoria Secret, a drag queen who works in the George pub in Dublin.
"The George theme this year is hippies, 60s and flower power. The rain won't stop us, it'll make us more determined to come out and celebrate today," added Devina Divine, also dressed in drag. Pop and dance music blared from the floats as everyone soaked up the party atmosphere. "The great thing about this parade is that there's never any trouble. Everyone seems to respect it," said one man sporting a pink cowboy hat.
A broad sector of the gay community were represented at the parade. Gay sporting and youth groups as well as activists and social groups all attended. The Emerald Warriors, a Dublin-based gay rugby team, marched in their jerseys. "We hope to host the next gay rugby world cup, called the Bingham Cup, so we're here to get support from the gay community," said team member Ciarán O'Sullivan.
An online social network, angrypotato.net, brought their own samba band along. "We represent the many people who don't necessarily want to be out on the gay scene but want to be in touch," said Pádraig.
Leading the parade was a group of people from countries worldwide waving international flags. Members of Free! magazine carried a 240ft gay flag, which they danced under as O'Connell Street was momentarily transformed into a multicoloured oasis.