13 Years of Mother

The year was 2010, the last vestige of time in which, when the beat dropped in the club, there would be thousands of hands in the air simultaneously cutting through the laser lights instead of holding up little glowing bars to film it. It was the year Mother launched. Damian Kerlin looks back at the beginnings of an old-school club night for dance-loving LGBTQ+ people and forward to what has become a colossus on the queer scene.

“It was a response to the recession. Several places had closed, and we wanted to provide a space for the community to gather and connect during what was a really difficult time for people. Clubbing does just that,” Mother’s Lisa Connell recalls.

Over the last 10 years, Ireland has suffered huge cultural losses. To some extent, it is part of the great shrinking of shared and collective space, which takes in everything from pubs and bars to community centres and libraries. But this particular change stands alone: a striking example of how something that was once thriving and important can hit the skids, and precious few people in positions of power and influence will even notice.

Last year, The Times reported that four in five Irish nightclubs had shut since 2000. The reasons for this decline are partly about what has happened to our cities, and the mindset of many of the people who run them: a story of rising rents, authoritarian councils, and the kind of gentrification that involves people moving into bustling urban locations and then having the brass neck to complain about the noise. Of late, clubs’ finances have been made even more impossible by the effects of the pandemic, and colossal rises in running costs.

But without the burgeoning costs of bricks and mortar, Mother has only continued to thrive, cementing itself as part of Dublin’s nightlife. Not only has the club raised the bar regarding queer nightlife culture in Dublin, but it is also a main player in creating magical moments at some of Ireland’s biggest festivals, including their own upcoming Pride Block Party queer music festival.

“We’re really lucky because we have fantastic punters. People get it!” co-founder Cormac Cashman reflects, “The people who’ve come to Mother over the years have all been incredible. They get what we’re trying to create, and they appreciate it. They’re the reason we’re still going 13 years strong.”

For as long as we’ve walked this planet, we’ve gathered in places and spaces with people with whom we share common values. These spaces have helped birth communities, provided us with opportunities to collaborate and to learn, and perhaps most importantly, they have given us a sense of belonging, which for the LGBTQ+ community has been essential and as Theo Parrish, a DJ, once said “people who say that the dance floor is about losing yourself, that’s the outsider view, the dance floor is about solidarity.” Mother delivers on all fronts, but it is also much more than that. It’s more than your average club night.

“One thing we pride ourselves on with Mother, is the music,” says Lisa, “The (LGBTQ+) scene can be really poppy and venues can sometimes feel a bit generic. When we launched there wasn’t much in the way of any sort of alternative night. There were some big bars and big nights, but there was nothing for people that saw themselves a little left to centre of that. We wanted to create a space that has the fun and energy of the cheese, but also bringing different music. That was a very core component for us.”

Another key component is understanding the community and listening to their feedback. This may seem like quite an obvious thing to do, but it’s surprising how many LGBTQ+ venues, and venues more generally, don’t.

“We remain curious, and we listen to our customers. We actually talk to them, we aren’t hidden away in an office or behind the bar, we do the door to make sure that our inclusive policy is upheld, we can be there all night,” Lisa says..

“This is key,” Cormac continues, “sometimes when a night becomes very established, there is a belief it can run itself, as they say, but we work with venues to make sure everybody’s on the same page, and that their team is briefed to meet our expectations. It’s about keeping an eye on detail.”

As Lisa states, “You can have a great night out, but then you could have a shitty encounter in the cloak room and it’s like the poisoned apple, even though the DJ and the lighting and the sound was amazing, your night can still be badly affected by a poor experience. So, from the minute you come in until the minute you leave, we try to make sure you have an amazing time.”

With Dublin Pride coming up in June, the pair are busy planning their Mother Pride Block Party, which has become a staple of the celebrations.

“Last year we really did have a bit of a wonder year.” Cormac said, “It was the first year back after Covid. We booked a really fun line-up that we were super proud of, and the energy in Collins Barracks was just unbelievable.”

Lisa continues, “Pride has long since become our busiest weekend of the year. We don’t celebrate or experience Pride in the same way as anybody else because it’s a big, big, gig day for us. But there’s something really exciting even within that, because of what we’re doing. There are moments - like when we were at the side of stage when Anitta was our Saturday headliner. The Main Stage area was full and people were so excited to see her and there was just a really electric energy. That felt very good. It was very memorable to be like, ‘Oh, we did this’ – like this is our party and what a beautiful vibration of an audience to share it with.”

Mother understands that there is an important distinction between being accepted by and blending into the mainstream. The goal is to have a strong sense of identity that is universally respected and celebrated, not for it to melt into more of the same.

Having dedicated queer spaces is fundamental to sustaining our unique identity and matters not just for the gays, but for the greater LGBTQ+ community, and for any groups who are marginalised – be it by ethnicity, religion, or sexuality. For many, their experience of these spaces is a turning point in coming to terms with their sexuality. Over the years Mother has enjoyed many sweaty nights (and sometimes early mornings) popping up at venues and spaces across Ireland. It’s a mesmerising night of hot bodies thumping to the seductive beats of the community’s favourite songs under the disco ball.

It’s a place where people have met friends and lovers, creating lasting connections that could only be formed through these shared experiences in a dedicated queer space. Expansive, vivacious, curious and celebratory, and, just like ball culture, Mother is an esteemed community leader who takes LGBTQ+ folks under her glittering wing.

Visit www.eventbrite.ie to grab your Mother Block Party tickets.