Famous Irish Gay Men and Lesbian Women
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The famous Irish gay and lesbian List includes homosexual men and women from the Republic of Ireland. These celebrities and people of note just happen to be attracted to people of the same gender. They include politicians, actors, and writers from the LGBT community in Ireland. You can sort this list by column, including name, birth year, and birthplace. You can also use this list of notable gay Brits to start your own people list.
Who are famous Irish homosexuals? The men and women on this list are some of the most famous gays and lesbians in the world. So take a look at this Irish gay celebrities and see which ones you'veÂ- Age: 79David Patrick Bernard Norris (born 31 July 1944) is an Irish scholar, independent Senator and civil rights activist. Internationally, Norris is credited with having "managed, almost single-handedly, to overthrow the anti-homosexuality law which brought about the downfall of Oscar Wilde", a feat he achieved in 1988 after a fourteen-year campaign. He has also been credited with being "almost single-handedly responsible for rehabilitating James Joyce in once disapproving Irish eyes".Norris is a former university lecturer and a member of the Oireachtas, serving in Seanad Éireann since 1987. He was the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in Ireland. A founder of the Campaign for Homosexual Law Reform, he is also a prominent member of the Church of Ireland. He was a candidate for President of Ireland in the October 2011 election. He topped numerous opinion polls and was favourite among members of the Irish public for the position but withdrew from the race months before the election, before returning to the race in September 2011.
- Age: 52Anna Nolan (born 16 October 1970) is an Irish television presenter, producer and former business manager, waitress and Irish international basketball player. She has presented numerous television programmes in Ireland and the UK.
- Age: 50Brendan Courtney (born 24 June 1973 in Dublin) is an Irish TV presenter, broadcaster & fashion designer. He has written many hit TV formats and made award-winning documentaries. His fashion label Lennon Courtney began in 2012, the first openly gay presenter in Ireland. He created and hosted Wanderlust on RTÉ Two, Treasure Island RTE2, Holiday Home Detectives RTE1 The Brendan Courtney Show on TV3, Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway on ITV2, Blind Date on ITV2, Love Match on ITV1, Look of Love on ITV1, The Clothes Show on UKTV and Off the Rails on RTÉ One. He is one half of design duo "Lennon Courtney" along with Sonya Lennon which is stocked in Dunnes Stores. He has most recently made the hit authored documentary titled "we need to talk about Dad" which aired on RTE1 in 2017 and looks set to change the law in Ireland. Other documentaries include "Living with Boy George" SKY TV and "Alias Ricky Grrvais" Bravo TV. Brendan and Sonya's partnership has extended to founding fashion discovery app "fafinder" hundreds of boutiques in one place.
- Dec. at 33 (1954-1987)Vincent Hanley (born in Clonmel, County Tipperary on 2 April 1954, died in Dublin on 18 April 1987) was a pioneering Irish radio DJ and television presenter, nicknamed "Fab Vinny". He worked mainly for Raidió TeilifÃs Éireann, and was the first Irish celebrity to die from an AIDS-related illness. He has been described as "Ireland's first gay celebrity."Hanley began presenting pop music shows on RTÉ Radio Cork in 1976. He also did stints in Dublin on RTÉ Radio 1 and RTÉ television, including a special on Gilbert O'Sullivan. When the first dedicated pop station, RTÉ Radio Two (now branded 2FM), was started in 1979, he was one of its best-known DJs. While in Dublin he shared accommodation with Charles Self. In 1981, he moved to London to work for Capital Radio. In 1984, he declined a lucrative offer to remain there and moved to New York City.Hanley founded Green Apple Productions in 1983 with Conor McAnally, an RTÉ television producer and son of actor Ray McAnally. The company produced MT-USA (Music Television USA), a three-hour-long music video show modelled on the new American cable channel, MTV. MT-USA was broadcast on RTÉ from 1984–87 on Sunday afternoons. Each block of videos was followed by a segment filmed in New York City with Hanley introducing the videos, discussing American music and culture, and interviewing a celebrity. RTÉ described him as Europe's first VJ (video jockey).In 1987, Hanley died shortly after his 33rd birthday. He had been visibly ill for some time, and was rumoured to have an AIDS-related illness, which he denied. This reflected the stigma then associated with the disease and with homosexuality in Ireland, which was not decriminalised until 1993. The illness admitted by Hanley was congenital cerebral toxoplasmosis, described as an "eye disorder"; he was blind in one eye by his death. Toxoplasmosis is very rarely fatal in adults who do not have a weakened immune system. In 2000, Hanley's friend and colleague Bill Hughes, who had himself come out in the 1990s, agreed that Hanley had in fact died of an AIDS-related illness. The same year, the Sunday Tribune newspaper placed Hanley at the top of a list of Irish gay icons.
- Age: 57Colm O'Gorman (born 15 July 1966) is the Executive Director of Amnesty International Ireland. He is founder and former director of One in Four. He is a survivor of clerical sexual abuse, and first came to public attention by speaking out against the perpetrators. O'Gorman subsequently founded One in Four, an Irish charity which supports men and women who have been sexually abused and/or suffered sexual violence.He was a Senator in 2007, representing the Progressive Democrats.
- Age: 75John Browne (born 1 August 1948) is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Wexford constituency from 1982 to 2016. He is a former Minister of State. His most recent role was as Minister of State with special responsibility for Fisheries at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (2007–2008).
