Limerick Pride Rainbow crossing pictured above has been installed on a pedestrian crossing next to Limerick City and County Council’s offices at Merchant’s Quay
Limerick Pride Rainbow crossing installed outside Limerick City and County Council offices
A Limerick Pride Rainbow crossing has been installed on a pedestrian crossing next to Limerick City and County Council’s offices at Merchant’s Quay. The new crossing, located on Bridge Street, is designed to proudly express how inclusive Limerick is as a place to live, work and call home.
It is the first time the Pride Rainbow has appeared on a crossing in Limerick. The new addition has been installed by Limerick’s Active Travel team as part of its wider plans to upgrade and improve the pedestrian and cycling network in Limerick.
Mayor of the City and County of Limerick, Cllr Daniel Butler said, “One of Limerick’s strengths is its diversity. The LGBTQ+ community is a huge part of who we are in Limerick, and I am delighted to see the Pride Rainbow colours appear in such a prominent way. Thousands of people pass along this route every day, and this Limerick Pride Rainbow crossing is a very visual way for us to say that Limerick is inclusive and welcoming to all.”
The idea to create rainbow crosswalks appears to have first emerged in Taipei, Taiwan . A campaign for promoting gender equality organised by the National Taiwan Normal University at the beginning of June, 2008. The creators were Dr.Prof. Jerry H. Hsia and the creative team formed by the Graduate School of Fine Arts, NTNU.
The idea to create rainbow crosswalks in West Hollywood was part of the 2012 Gay Pride Month celebrations, initially proposed by the LA-based artist Martin Duvander with the crosswalks at the intersection of San Vicente Boulevard and Santa Monica Boulevard painted rainbow colours for the month of June.
DIY rainbow crossing was a protest movement that emerged in Sydney in 2013. The campaign involved individuals creating rainbow pedestrian crossings in chalk to protest the removal of a temporary rainbow crossing from Oxford Street in Sydney. The temporary crossing was created by the City of Sydney as part of the 35th-anniversary celebration of the Sydney Mardi Gras. When the crossing was to be removed, the community protests and internet activism campaign emerged. In 2013, NSW’s first permanent rainbow crossing was approved and installed on Lackey St, Summer Hill. In 2019 a permanent Sydney rainbow crossing was unveiled in Taylor Square, on the corner of Bourke and Campbell streets. Since then Pride rainbow crossings have sprung up all over the globe.
Lisa Daly, Chairperson of Limerick Pride said it would become a tourist attraction.
“It is in a brilliant location as City Hall is where we start our Parade every year. This is another step forward for LGBTQIA visibility. We are really excited to have worked with Limerick City County Council behind the scenes on providing a historic moment with the first rainbow crossing in Limerick, it’s designed to proudly express how open and accepting our city.
During the planning and research process it was decided to place the lines at either side of the crossing as to not distract guide dogs, we wanted to insure it was as safe as possible for all.
This is a great moment for our community and city with Limerick showing equality for all, which I’m personally proud to see happening and hope it brings as much joy to the rest of the community.
Thanks to Mayor Daniel Butler for working with the Limerick Pride committee to make this happen and for his continued support towards Limerick Pride and the LGBTQI community of Limerick.
We are very excited to have a physical Parade this year and welcome everyone in Limerick to come out and fly their rainbow colours in support of Pride in Limerick.”
Limerick Pride Festival 2022 is scheduled to run from Monday, July 4 until Sunday, July 10 with the Limerick Pride 2022 Parade taking place Saturday, July 9.
The Limerick Pride committee is now accepting registrations for groups for this year’s Limerick Pride 2022 parade. The Limerick Pride 2022 parade will take place on Saturday, July 9, when the parade will gather at Merchants Quay at 12.50 pm and leave at 2.15 pm promptly, following the route up O’Connell Street and back to the Hunt Museum for the annual Pridefest event.
International drag queen, drag race alumni, and Celebrity Big Brother UK winner, Courtney Act has also been announced to headline the Climax Party in Dolans which takes place the evening of Saturday, July 9.
This is the first year that the Limerick Pride parade has been set to go ahead physically since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. For the last two years, the festival has taken place virtually. Last year, Limerick Pride won a Non-Profit Community Group of the Year Munster Innovation Award for Virtual Events at the Irish Enterprise Awards 2022, hosted by EU Business News for their 2021 Pride Festival.
To Register a group for Limerick Pride Parade 2022 go HERE
For more info on Limerick Pride go HERE