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The George is a gay bar and nightclub on
South Great George's Street South Great George's Street is a street in south-central Dublin, Ireland. History Early history and naming The area is associated with Early Scandinavian Dublin. Four burials excavated near South Great George's Street were also associated ...
in the city centre of
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
,
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
. It is one of Ireland's oldest and biggest
gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...
bars and is regarded as the best known gay bar in the city.
South Great George's Street South Great George's Street is a street in south-central Dublin, Ireland. History Early history and naming The area is associated with Early Scandinavian Dublin. Four burials excavated near South Great George's Street were also associated ...
has historically been a popular location for gay men in Dublin.


History

Opened in 1985, The George began as a gay-owned venture, eight years before homosexuality was legalised in Ireland. It was subsequently purchased by the group of bars and clubs owned by the
Capital Bars Capital Bars plc (formerly known as Break for the Border Group plc) was an Irish leisure company based in Dublin. Its core business was the acquisition, development and operation of bars, hotels and restaurants, all based in Dublin city centre. ...
Group and today it is owned by the Mercantile Entertainment Group who own several venues around the city including the popular music venue, Whelans. Originally a traditional pub on the corner of George's Street, The George was purchased by Cyril O'Brien who loved the atmosphere of the bar but wasn’t quite so sure about the décor and thought the place could do with a revamp. Back then, The George was the corner bar downstairs, now known as 'Bridie's Bar', which remained a straight bar while the bar upstairs was transformed into a gay disco bar called ‘The Loft’. Eventually, The George became a dedicated gay bar. It was only the second bar in the city to be owned by a gay proprietor and to be opened specifically as a gay bar; the other was ‘The Viking’ on Dame Street. The George provided a safe space where gay people could socialise with their friends without fear and prejudice. Through the years, the bar continued to grow in popularity and post decriminalisation in 1993 there was an explosion of numbers onto the gay scene and for the first time The George expanded. In 1998, The George extended again into the building next door, which had originally been an Indian restaurant. For many years it was the only large gay venue in the city, however the improved economy and liberalisation of Irish attitudes to homosexuality in the 1990s resulted in a diversification of the Dublin gay scene. This somewhat reduced the club's prominence, although it is still a central fixture of gay nightlife in the city. It retains an iconic status in spite of competition from newer gay venues, such as
Panti Rory O'Neill (born 16 November 1968), also known by his stage names Panti, Panti Bliss and Pandora Panti Bliss, is a drag queen and gay rights activist from Ballinrobe, County Mayo, Ireland. Early life O'Neill, the son of a veterinary surgeo ...
bar on
Capel Street Capel Street is a street in Dublin, Ireland. On 20 May 2022, it was made traffic-free, following a campaign by people who wanted to improve the quality of life on the street. It is now the longest traffic-free street in Dublin. History Capel ...
and formerly The Dragon, also on
South Great George's Street South Great George's Street is a street in south-central Dublin, Ireland. History Early history and naming The area is associated with Early Scandinavian Dublin. Four burials excavated near South Great George's Street were also associated ...
and The Front Lounge on Parliament Street, with both closing as gay venues since 2015. The original and smallest part of The George, referred to as 'Bridie's Bar', is a quiet bar frequented by an older crowd. Next door, the club venue extends over two floors and regularly stages popular
drag show A drag show is a form of entertainment performed by drag artists impersonating men or women. Typically, a drag show involves performers singing or lip-synching to songs while performing a pre-planned pantomime or dancing. There might also be so ...
s as well as personal appearances by Irish and international acts. It is also home to some of Ireland's best-known
drag queen A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and part o ...
s such as
Shirley Temple Bar Declan Buckley is an Irish television personality and drag queen from Dublin, Ireland, going by the persona Shirley Temple Bar. This name is a play on both Shirley Temple and a cultural area of Dublin city called Temple Bar. He also writes a we ...
, Veda Beaux Reves, Davina Devine and Dolly Grip as well as a host of other drag acts. The venue boasts a drag act 'almost' every night apart from Fridays when the crowd are entertained by gogo-style dancers. In June 2008, on the evening of the Dublin's LGBTQ Pride festival, a hoax caller said he planted a bomb at the venue. The Gardaí evacuated the venue at 11pm until the all clear was given 90 minutes later. The festivities then resumed to normal.


See also

*
List of pubs in Dublin This is a list of pubs in the city of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Pubs on this list are under the jurisdiction of Dublin City Council. Dublin pubs External links See also * List of bars * List of pubs in the United Kingdom * List ...


References


External links


Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:George, The Pubs in Dublin (city) LGBT culture in Ireland Nightclubs in Dublin (city)