SOCIAL Democrats councillor Shane Hickey-O’Mara believes the bid to host EuroPride in Limerick will be as big as Limerick City of Culture, and “as big, if not bigger”, than hosting the 2027 Ryder Cup.
Cllr Hickey-O’Mara brought a motion to the June Metropolitan District meeting of the Council, which received overwhelming support to back the bid for the European Pride celebration.
In April, it was announced that Limerick Pride, QuareClare, and The Outing Festival had been shortlisted to host EuroPride 2028, a festival celebrating LGBTQI+ identity and culture in Europe.
If successful, the event could draw up to 100,000 people to Limerick, providing a huge economic boost for the Treaty and the wider Mid West, under the proposed name ‘Wild Atlantic EuroPride’.
The Soc Dems councillor said that the bid, if successful, will be “as big as Limerick City of Culture, and as big, if not bigger, than the Ryder Cup”.
“Manchester is also vying to hold the event – it will require all levels of government and communities to outdo their bid and secure what will surely be a transformative event for the Mid West”, he said.
“Across the world, the LGBTQI+ community is seeing its rights systematically rolled back – politicians are backing away from our issues, as are companies who formerly supported pride events.”
The Limerick City North rep went on to emphasise that the city “came out in force” on the days adjudicators were visiting during Limerick Pride, and praised support from the Council and wider community.
