Eddie McGuinness

Eddie McGuinness
Born1969 (age 56–57)
Ireland
Occupationsgay rights activist and event organiser

Eddie McGuinness (born 1969),[1] also known as Mr Pride,[2] is an Irish gay rights activist and event organiser. He was formerly director of the Dublin Pride Parade and co-founded The Outing Festival.

Career

Eddie McGuinness is from Dundalk,[3] and has lived in Dublin since the early 1990s.[4] He took part in the first Dublin Pride parade after the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Ireland in 1993.[5] From 2017 to 2023 he served as director of Dublin Pride.[6]

In 1996, with Junior Larkin and John Pickering, McGuinness formed the first all-gay boyband 4Guys to rival Boyzone.[7][8] Launched in Wonderbar in April 1996, the line up featured Ken Quinn, Keith Lee, John McGuirke, Mark Power, and Karl Anderson.[9]

In 2019, he took part in a "kissing protest" at Leinster House to protest a homophobic attack on Brazilian man Danilo Matta. McGuinness recalled his recovery from a similar attack[10] with a knife in 2002.[11][12]

McGuinness organised and co-hosted of two virtual Dublin Pride celebrations in 2020 and 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.[5][13][14] He was awarded the "Covid Hero" award for his community work during the pandemic by the Dublin Lord Mayor.[15]

In 2013, McGuinness co-founded The Outing Festival, the world's only LGBT+ match making festival, in County Clare.[16][17]

McGuinness was diagnosed with stage 3 throat cancer in 2020.[18] He has since spoken about his treatment, and the importance of the HPV vaccine for men over the age of 26.[1][19]

In 2024, McGuinness ran as a Labour Party candidate in the Local Elections in Dublin Bay South.[4]

References

  1. 1 2 Hamilton, Andrew (16 February 2024). "The Rainbow Warrior - Eddie McGuinness speaks about his battle with cancer and HPV vaccine". The Clare Champion. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  2. ↑ "Dublin to host first-ever virtual Pride parade today". Irish Examiner. 28 June 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  3. ↑ "Dundalk man launches LGBT festival". Irish Independent. 30 January 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  4. 1 2 "Eddie McGuinness". The Labour Party. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  5. 1 2 Pope, Conor (26 June 2021). "'The rainbow equivalent of St Patrick's Day': Dublin celebrates Pride virtually". The Irish Times. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  6. ↑ Boland, Lauren (28 June 2025). "From less than a dozen marchers to tens of thousands: A history of Dublin Pride". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  7. ↑ Finnegan, Brian (24 July 2017). "Remembering Junior Larkin". GCN. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  8. ↑ "Matt & Andrej Koymasky - Famous GLTB - "4 Guyz"". andrejkoymasky.com. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  9. ↑ McGrath, Anthony (6 April 1996). "The boyz from the gayzone". Irish Examiner.
  10. ↑ McGreevy, Ronan (6 November 2019). "Homophobic attack prompts protest outside Leinster House". The Irish Times. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  11. ↑ "Being the victim of a crime because of your sexuality is wrong, says Eddie". Irish Independent. 1 July 2005. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  12. ↑ Dunne, Peter (5 June 2019). "'I had a knife to my throat': Eddie McGuinness shares his experience of homophobia". GCN. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  13. ↑ "Dublin Pride Festival to hold annual parade online". The Irish Times. 28 June 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  14. ↑ O'Connell, Sandra (25 June 2020). ""We're expanding on what St Patrick did and putting a rainbow on it"". The Irish Times. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  15. ↑ "Eddie awarded a 'Covid Hero' title by Dublin Lord Mayor". Irish Independent. 25 July 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  16. ↑ Hamilton, Andrew (15 May 2013). "Ireland's oldest matchmaking festival to welcome gay and lesbian singles". The Irish Times. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  17. ↑ Lavin, Rachel (25 October 2025). "The World's Only Lonely Hearts LGBT Festival". University Times. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  18. ↑ "Eddie's Throat Cancer Story". Irish Cancer Society. 5 September 2025. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  19. ↑ "Throat cancer". RTE Radio. 7 April 2025. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
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