TheShannon Region (which consists of counties North Tipperary, Clare and Limerick) seeks to host EuroPride 2028.
Clare festival blends traditional matchmaking with modern pride.
The organisers of “The Outing 2025“ have announced that the world’s only LGTBQ+ matchmaking festival will return to the Shannon Region, this Valentine’s Weekend(14th-16th February).
Eddie McGuinness, Festival Director and Matchmaker of “The Outing” pictured with Elle Uminati at The Inn, Dromoland in Newmarket-on-Fergus, County Clare.
Ireland’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer or questioning (LGBTQ+) community will descend on The Inn at Dromoland in Newmarket-on-Fergus for a fusion of music, comedy, ceilí bands, queer arts, and the best of Irish and international performers, drag artists and DJs.
Special guests at this year’s 12th annual festival include Charra Tea, a fan-favourite from RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 6, and Actavia, the breakout star of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 16. Irish queer artist Shobsy and English boxing manager and promoter Kellie Moloney, who managed Lennox Lewis to become the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world, also will be participating.
Organised in conjunction with Fáilte Ireland, Blacknight, Visit Clare, Goudie Talent, The George, Limerick Pride and Quare Clare, the award-winning festival is being hosted by “The Queen of Matchmaking” Eddie McGuinness, alongside Paul Ryder and Victoria Secret.
Staff at The Inn, Dromoland in Newmarket-on-Fergus, County Clare pictured ahead of The Outing this Valentine’s Weekend.
The Outing organisers have also confirmed that their joint letter of intent with Quare Clare, Limerick Pride and Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau, to bring EuroPride to Limerick, Clare and the Mid-West Region in 2028 has been officially accepted for Wild Atlantic EuroPride 2028. Attracting over 100,000 people from all over the world annually, EuroPride is hosted by a different European city each year.
Speaking ahead of “The Outing”, Eddie McGuinness commented, “After what has been a tough January for everybody, we are excited to bring The Outing back for its 12th year. The Outing offers attendees a blend of traditional matchmaking with modern pride and with more than a hundred relationships and two marriages borne out of the festival to date, I am looking forward to playing my part in forging new relationships this year.”
“From ceilí bands to drag performances, we’re creating a uniquely Irish LGBTQ+ celebration that draws people from around the world to County Clare,” added Mr. McGuinness. “Having international stars like Kellie Moloney, Charra Tea and Actavia joining our lineup of incredible Irish talent shows just how much this event has blossomed over the years. We are extending everyone, whether you’re single or taken gay, lesbian, trans, straight or bi, to come along and join us this Valentine’s Weekend.”
Mr. McGuinness said the acceptance of the Region’s letter of intent to host EuroPride in 2028 has provided a significant boost for the Irish LGBTQ+ community.
“The potential to host EuroPride 2028 could be transformative for tourism in the Mid-West, showcasing our vibrant culture to an international audience. Should our bid be successful, our goal will be to paint the Wild Atlantic Way pink during 2028,” he concluded.
Karen Ronan is General Manager of the Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau, which has worked to attract business and sports tourism to the Shannon Region over the past two decades. She said “The Outing has helped put Ireland’s Mid-West Region on the global LGBTQ+ map.”
“This unique event not only strengthens Ireland’s reputation as a welcoming destination for LGBTQ+ visitors but also brings significant economic benefits to the region. We are delighted to once again support Eddie and his team in hosting The Outing 2025 and in their bid to host EuroPride in the Mid-West Region in three years’ time,” added Ms. Ronan.
The Outing 2025 takes place at The Inn, Dromoland, Newmarket-On-Fergus, County Clare, on Valentine’s Weekend from Friday, 14th February to Sunday, 16th February.
Every so often the lyrics of a song, its music and vocal quality, pleasantly, makes those little hairs on the back of your neck stand up; such is the song hereunder.
Lyrics: American singer, songwriter and musician Vince Grant Gill. Vocals:Vince Gill and American bluegrass-country singer, fiddler and music producer Alison Krauss.
Whenever You Come Around.
Face of an angel, pretty eyes that shine, I lie awake at night wishing you were mine. Standin’ here holding the biggest heartache in town, Whenever you come around. I get weak in the knees and I lose my breath. I try to speak but the words won’t come I’m so scared to death, When you smile that smile, the world turns upside down, Whenever you come around. I feel so helpless I feel just like a kid, What is it about you that makes me keep my feelings hid. I wish I could tell you, but the words can’t be found, Whenever you come around. I get weak in the knees and I lose my breath, I try to speak but the words won’t come I’m so scared to death, When you smile that smile, the world turns upside down, Whenever you come around. I get weak in the knees and I lose my breath, I try to speak but the words won’t come I’m so scared to death, And when you smile that smile, the world turns upside down, Whenever you come around. And when you smile that smile, The world turns upside down, Whenever you come around. Whenever you come around. END
Singer and actress Ms Marianne Faithfull sadly died today at the age of 78 years. Marianne passed away peacefully in London, in the company of her loving family.
Born in Hampstead, London, UK in December 1946, to parents, father Major Robert Glynn Faithfull (a British intelligence officer) and mother Eva (a ballerina), in the 1960s became famously the girlfriend of ‘Rolling Stones’ frontman Mick Jagger. She rose to fame in 1964 with hit songs like ‘As Tears Go By’, written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, which then reached the UK top 10. She will also be remembered for starring roles in films including the 1968 ‘The Girl On A Motorcycle’.
The Ballad of Lucy Jordan.
Lyrics: Late American writer, cartoonist, songwriter and musician Shel Silverstein(1930-1999). Vocals: The late English singer and actress Marianne Faithfull[Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull], (29th December 1946 – 30 January 2025). Song featured is from her 1979 album ‘Broken English’.
The Ballad of Lucy Jordan.
The morning sun touched lightly on, The eyes of Lucy Jordan, In a white suburban bedroom, In a white suburban town. As she lay there ‘neath the covers, Dreaming of a thousand lovers, ‘Til the world turned to orange, And the room went spinning round.
Chorus. At the age of thirty-seven, She realised she’d never ride, Through Paris in a sports car, With the warm wind in her hair. So she let the phone keep ringing, And she sat there softly singing, Little nursery rhymes she’d memorised, In her daddy’s easy chair. Her husband, he’s off to work, And the kids are off to school, And there are, oh, so many ways, For her to spend the day. She could clean the house for hours, Or rearrange the flowers, Or run naked through the shady street, Screaming all the way.
Repeat Chorus. The evening sun touched gently on, The eyes of Lucy Jordan, On the roof top where she climbed, When all the laughter grew too loud, And she bowed and curtsied to the man, Who reached and offered her his hand. And he led her down to the long white car, That waited past the crowd. At the age of thirty seven, She knew she’d found forever, As she rode along through Paris, With the warm wind in her hair.
END
After a period of heroin addiction in the 1970s, which at one point saw her living homeless on the streets of Soho; she resurrected her career with the classic album ‘Broken English’. The singer also had previously suffered multiple health problems, including bulimia, breast cancer and emphysema, latter caused by decades of smoking.
Ms Faithfull received the World Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2009 Women’s World Awards, and was made a commandeur of the ‘Ordre des Arts et des Lettres‘, by the government of France.
The singer was married and divorced three times, to artist John Dunbar in 1965, Ben Brierly of the punk band the ‘Vibrators’ in 1979, and actor Giorgio Della Terza in 1988.
Lyrics: The Late American singer/songwriter John Townes Van Zandt(1944–1997). Vocals: The Late American country music singer/songwriter Don Williams(1939–2017).
I’ll Be Here In The Morning.
There’s no stronger wind than, The one that blows, Down a lonesome railroad line. No prettier sight than looking back, On a town you left behind. There is nothing that’s as real, As a love that’s in my mind. Close your eyes I’ll be here in the morning. Close your eyes I’ll be here for a while. There’s lots of things along the road, I’d surely like to see. I’d like to lean into the wind, And tell myself I’m free. But your softest whispers louder, Than the highways call to me. Close your eyes I’ll be here in the morning. Close your eyes I’ll be here for a while. All the mountains and the rivers, And the valleys can’t compare, To your blue lit dancing eyes, And yellow shining hair. I could never hit the open road, And leave you laying there. Close your eyes I’ll be here in the morning. Close your eyes I’ll be here for a while. Lay your head back easy, love, And close your crying eyes, I’ll be laying here beside you, When the sun comes on the rise. I’ll stay as long as the cuckoo wails, And the lonesome blue-jay cries. Close your eyes I’ll be here in the morning. Close your eyes I’ll be here for a while. Close your eyes I’ll be here in the morning. Close your eyes I’ll be here for a while.
Irish sax player and singer Mr Paddy Cole passed away this afternoon, aged in his 86th year. He had recently celebrated his 85th birthday, on December17th last. The musician and singer was just 12-years-old when he first played took to the stage at a venue in his home town of Castleblayney, Co Monaghan.
Mr Cole joined the Capitol showband in the early 1960’s and widely toured the country with them. He would later be recruited by the Big Eight Showband, latter a group of Irish musicians who went to play in Las Vegas, before returning home to Ireland, in later years.
Mr Cole co-owned a pub and restaurant in Castleblayney town with his wife Helen, and in more recent years resided in Co. Dublin.
In a statement, his son Pat said: “The music world mourns the loss of the legendary Paddy Cole, a beloved entertainer who brought joy to thousands with his vibrant personality and infectious music. From the Capitol Showband to his own Superstars, Paddy Cole’s saxophone, clarinet, and vocals filled dance halls and concert stages with his signature blend of jazz, Dixieland, and showband sounds. His music transcended generations, creating memories that will forever be cherished. On behalf of his family, we express our deepest gratitude for the outpouring of love and support during this difficult time. Paddy’s legacy will live on through the music he created and the joy he shared with the world”.
Mr Cole is survived by his wife Helen and three children, Pat, Pearse and Karen.
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