Clubbing Criminals: The Hirschfeld Centre and the Emergence of Queer Club Culture in Dublin

Ireland in the 1970s and 80s was an extremely hostile place for the LGBT community: male homosexuality remained a criminal offence and social, legal and political oppression was the norm. This article documents the emergence of a nascent queer clubbing scene in Dublin in this period and investigates the historical intersection of partying and politics in a DIY translocal music scene defined by the sexual politics of the time. In particular, this research focuses on exploring the social and political importance of Ireland’s first purpose built queer club, Flikkers, which opened in the Hirschfeld Centre, Temple Bar on St. Patrick’s Day 1979. In addition to addressing the club’s pivotal place in the evolution of professional clubbing practices in Dublin, this article explores its social and political importance as space for those who felt their sexual identities did not align with the heteronormative status quo.