Gay Byrne

On December 13, 2015, Edmund Lynch interviewed Gay Byrne as part of the LGBT History Project. During their conversation, they spoke of the now legendary Late Late Show and how the nation’s biggest television programme helped to change the attitudes of an Irish viewership unused to LGBT+ representation. In memory of Gay, we publish excerpts of their conversation.

“I do remember too that on the radio programme as on the Late Late Show, talking for the very first time to parents [of LGBT+ people] who were prepared to come on and, this was a big jump for them, this was a big, big leap for them, because it was not a thing that people spoke about readily, but the parents... spoke about their children being gay and the acceptance of that and the fact that there was love there anyway and it didn’t matter...and they came to understand and accept and all of those things. And those were mighty leaps...

“The fact that little old Ireland, little old tin pot Ireland, was ahead of the rest of the game, was ahead of the world in bringing about this [Marriage Equality] legislation. I think that’s a wonderful thing and I think that day, that particular day, will be long remembered by everybody in the country. And I was glad in some obscure way, in the background through the years to have been part of that campaign and so many people have thanked me for allowing the campaigners to use my photograph on the leaflet...