‘I used to think I was the only gay in the village’ – how a ‘queer shed’ is bringing LGBTQ+ people together in rural Ireland
Rural Ireland is much more welcoming to diverse sexualities than it was in previous generations, but many gay people a feel a ‘queer culture’ and community is lacking – which is why this group has been set up in Clare, with plans to branch out across Ireland
Orla Vaughan at her home in Kilfenora, Co Clare. Photo: Natasha Barton
If she were to do it all over again, Orla Vaughan would not change anything about her life or the way she grew up. Living with an LBGTQ+ identity in a small village pub was not the easiest journey, but now she looks back on all the lessons she has learnt along the way.
“We’re the Vaughans from Vaughan’s pub in Kilfenora,” says Orla (49). “My father is a farmer, an auctioneer and a publican — the only thing typical country thing we missed out on was undertaker.
