You’ve got a friend in me
The Founding Cara-Friend exhibition, launched February 3, 2025, at The Linen Hall in Belfast, preserves the legac y of Northern Ireland’s oldest LGBTQ+ charity. Founded in 1974, eight years before the decriminalisation of homosexuality in the north of Ireland, Cara-Friend provided a vital lifeline to thousands of individuals during some of the darkest days of the Troubles. Photos by Timothy O’Connell and interviews by oral historian Dr Molly Merryman .