First first-ever Kildare Youth Pride event was a success
Amber Mason, Amelia Lacey and Zoe Jacob
ATHY hosted its first-ever Youth Pride event this August, marking a milestone for LGBTQ+ inclusion in the town.
The event, which was a collaboration between Kildare County Council, Athy Comhairle na nÓg (Athy Youth Project), and In Sync Youth and Family Services — brought colour, music, and community spirit to the Athy Youth Café and Skate Park from 12pm to 4pm on Saturday, August 9.
Organised largely by young people themselves, the celebration replaced the traditional idea of a parade with a vibrant street-fair atmosphere. The day featured live performances by local youth artists, a pop-up art workshop to create a Pride-inspired mural, food stalls including pizza and ice cream, and a welcoming space for young LGBTQ+ people, their families and community members.
According to Athy Youth Project worker Dave Ryan, the idea began around four or five months ago when a Kildare County Council community worker identified the lack of Pride representation in Athy and consulted with youth groups.
“Very early on, the decision was that they didn’t want a parade-type thing,” Ryan explained. “They wanted more of a street fair vibe with a gig.” The young organisers were central to every stage of planning — from deciding on the food and entertainment to sourcing local bands.
On the day, over 100 people attended, exceeding expectations for the first-time August event.
Mr. Ryan said the positive reception from residents meant a lot to the young people involved.
“When you’re in a smaller town in Ireland, sometimes you don’t know what level of acceptance there’s going to be in the community,” he said. “The entire community showed them on that day the huge amount of support that is there.”
Highlights included performances from young musicians, some of whom had never played a gig before. Dave noted: “Seeing the event come off successfully for them and the confidence that it gave them was great.” The success of the day has organisers hopeful it will return next year — with new ideas building on what they’ve learned from this year’s event.
“Sometimes you have to plant the flag and see what happens to make the second iteration even better,” said Dave.
