LIMERICK CITY will be awash with rainbow colour and celebration throughout this week as the Limerick Pride Festival returns to party until July 13.
But Lisa Daly, festival director of Limerick LGBTQ Pride 2025, said the week is also about addressing very real discrimination that still exists.
“Our theme this year is ‘United in This Together’ and we hope to see you showing your support and colours at our annual Pride Parade gathering at Merchant’s Quay taking place on Saturday (July 12) with the PrideFest party directly after the Parade at the Hunt Museum,” she said.
“We have just celebrated 10 years of marriage equality in Ireland but people in our community are still being discriminated against so when we march up O’Connell Street for the parade, this year we will be united toward a future without discrimination where all people have equal rights under the law.
“We are seeking to illuminate the good that can and has been accomplished through uplifting and supporting one another.”
Lisa said that this year’s theme seeks unity within and throughout the LGBTQIA+ community “and is a call to action for all allies, especially those in government and the private sector, to demonstrate their alliance with the community at large at this critical time in our history”.
This year’s Pride Parade grand marshal is Limerick’s Tonie Walsh, a lifelong advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights.
He is well known in the community and beyond for his early involvement with the National LGBT Federation, the National LGBT Archive, and his work with Gay Community News.
Tonie wanted to give the message that Pride isn’t just an opportunity for people to “show off their finest for one day of the year” but the message and history is a lot more than that.
“It’s about all of the city embracing what we’re offering and coming with us on our journey. That’s really important,” he said.
Limerick could also play host to up to 100,000 people for the biggest pride event to be held in Ireland with EuroPride 2028.
EuroPride is hosted by a different European city each year, and a joint bid to host the prestigious event in Limerick and Clare has been submitted by Limerick LGBTQ+ Pride, QuareClare, and The Outing Queer Arts Collective and Festival.
The host location for EuroPride 2028 will be announced later this year.
A full list of events for Limerick Pride 2025 is available at limerickpride.ie/events.
