Cork LGBT Archive

The Cork LGBT Archive gathers, preserves and shares the rich history of an important part of Cork culture and heritage: the Cork LGBT community. There is a physical collection based primarily on the Arthur Leahy collection – a private collection previously stored in a damp basement. A digital archive has also been developed. The Queer Republic of Cork book and exhibition, along with social media accounts, enable people to engage with the dynamic history of this community.

Receiving Good Causes funding was hugely symbolic for the Cork LGBT Archive, as it showed that LGBT history is valued and seen as an important part of our national heritage, rather than a community that has historically experienced marginalisation, discrimination and exclusion. The funding enabled the team to take the valuable collection out of the damp basement and store it properly in acid free boxes, sort and catalogue it, and facilitate greater access to it. It also facilitated the development of the digital archive, whereby items from the collection are preserved digitally and shared freely with the public.

The story of the development of the Cork LGBT community is no longer invisible, and we’re so proud to support it.