Ireland's First Permanent LGBT Museum Exhibition to Open in Cork
18/08/2026
Cork Public Museum is delighted to announce the opening of its latest exhibition We Were Always Here – Cork LGBT History.
This exhibition is a collaboration between the museum and the Cork LGBT Archive and will open to the public on Wednesday, August 19th, 2026. This event is historically significant as it marks the first time a permanent LGBTQ exhibition has been installed in any Irish museum. It also marks the 50th anniversary of the opening of the first gay centre in Cork at No. 4 MacCurtain Street in 1976.
The Cork LGBT Archive is the most active and accessible Irish queer archive. The Archive gathers, preserves and shares the rich history of Cork's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender communities. The Cork LGBT Archive was established in 2013 and includes a physical collection, a digital archive, a dynamic volunteer group and a public engagement programme, with publications, exhibitions, documentaries and walking tours.
The Cork LGBT Archive and Cork Public Museum began collaborating in 2017 when the museum agreed to house the Archive’s extensive collections. Since then, museum and archive staff have worked closely to catalogue, transcribe and digitise this important collection, helping to pave the way for the creation of a permanent exhibition. This work builds on the museum’s continued commitment to ensuring that a more inclusive version of Cork’s history and heritage is on display and follows on from the creation of other permanent exhibitions on Irish Travellers (2005) and the Cork Hebrew Congregation (2017).
The exhibition We Were Always Here, continues Cork’s tradition of firsts in Irish LGBT history. In 1981, the first National Gay Conference was held in the city. Cork also hosted the first Irish Lesbian and Gay Film Festival in 1991, and its 1992 St Patrick’s Day parade contained the first ever LGBTQ float seen at the festival anywhere in the world. With this permanent LGBT exhibition, Cork will once again be leading the way.
Orla Egan, Exhibition Curator and Founder of the Cork LGBT Archive said:
“Too often the history of the LGBT community has been invisible, ignored or erased. Having Cork’s LGBTQ history on display in the Cork Public Museum will ensure that is it accessible and cannot be forgotten or ignored. It sends a powerful message of respect and inclusion for a community that too often has experienced prejudice, punishment and exclusion. This is even more important in today’s world when we are witnessing an increase in transphobia and homophobia in the world. By creating this permanent exhibition, Cork can be a much-needed shining beacon of inclusion and respect for the LGBTQ community.”
Daniel Breen, Curator of Cork Public Museum said:
“This exhibition is another important milestone for Cork Public Museum. Ireland, and Cork, has changed a great deal in the 80 years since the museum has been open. In that time, the museum has often had to re-evaluate its exhibitions and collections to better reflect contemporary society and to better serve the people of Cork. The museum is proud to have worked closely with Orla Egan and her colleagues at the Cork LGBT Archive to create this exhibition and we hope it engages all our visitors, regardless of age, gender or sexuality.”
Using original documents, objects and personal possessions, this exhibition traces LGBTQ history in Cork through the stories of the people and organisations that sought to support and defend the LGBTQ community, especially when it was illegal to be homosexual in Ireland until 1993. The display is therefore a celebration of activists who created, and continue to create, social and cultural spaces, challenge prejudice and help bring about lasting social and political change.
This exhibition was funded by Cork City Council, the Heritage Council of Ireland and the Department of Culture, Communication and Sport.