The original rainbow flag designed by Gilbert Baker is now on display as part of Ireland’s first LGBTQIA+ exhibition, hosted by Cork Public Museum. The exhibition, We Were Always Here – Cork LGBT History, was developed in collaboration with the Cork LGBTQIA+ Archive. It features interactive audio installations, a timeline of Cork’s LGBTQIA+ history, and an extensive physical and digital archive.

The original rainbow flag was designed by Gilbert Baker in 1978 and went on to become a symbol of the LGBTQIA+ community. The flag has been on display in Cork since 19 August and will remain there for four months. This is the first time the historic section of the flag has been exhibited outside the United States. The Lord Mayor of Cork said: “The visit of the Gilbert Baker Flag offers a unique opportunity to strengthen the ties between Cork and San Francisco, while also demonstrating Cork’s commitment to equality, inclusion and community engagement.”

Orla Egan, exhibition curator and founder of the Cork LGBTQIA+ Archive, emphasises the importance of recognising LGBTQIA+ history. Egan believes this history has too often been ignored and suppressed, and that the exhibition will help address this. It sends a powerful message of respect and inclusion. According to Orla Egan, this is more important than ever in the face of rising homophobia.

The exhibition also features original documents, objects and personal belongings belonging to LGBTQ+ people connected to Cork’s queer history. The collection also includes material from individuals and community groups who campaigned for the protection of LGBTQIA+ people until 1993, when homosexuality was still criminalised in Ireland.

This is not Cork’s first LGBTQIA+ milestone. In 1981, Cork hosted the country’s first conference for gay people. In 1983, Loafers Bar, Ireland’s longest-running gay bar, opened, and in 1992, the world’s first LGBTQIA+ float took part in the St Patrick’s Day parade.

With the exhibition, an important part of Ireland’s LGBTQIA+ history has been given a permanent place in a museum. And with the historic section of the flag, that history also has a tangible symbol. What began in 1978 with a handmade flag in San Francisco grew into a global symbol of pride, visibility and connection. Now, a piece of that original symbol is being displayed outside the United States for the first time – in Cork.