This article is from page 1 of the 2007-10-16 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 1 JPG
can reveal as part of a Spe- cial Investigation into gay issues in the county.
According to the first nationwide survey ever conducted into gay men in Ireland, as many as 3,000 Clare men have left the county and settled in bigger centres of population.
Clare men numbered less than half a percent (0.467) of the total respond-
ents to the online survey while, according to the most recent census fig- ures, Clare people make up almost three percent (2.75) of the total popu- FE TaTone
Responses to the sur- vey, Which was conducted by Sigma Research and part funded by the English Department of Health and Welsh Assembly, were drawn from the users of a number of Irish gay NOLO Moy. QTV OCsre DUNN MA ULol ONS [Kote
These figures suggest that more
than 50 per cent of GE ccecm on OOO ack: tomethy population may have left the county. “Many gay people have moved away from Clare – to Dublin, Cork and Galway – so that they can live more openly some- where else. This leaves the remain- ing gay population in Clare largely invisible,” said Franciscan Brother Cathal, who runs the GIFT support group for gay men in women in En- he
Reports of homophobic violence have also become more common in the county.
‘The violence that is in this town is unbelievable, the violence that is in Ennis and in County Clare. Physical violence towards gay people, I have experienced it. My partner, who I have been in a committed relation- ship with for 10 years, he has expert- enced it. He was nearly killed in this town,’ said Alan*, a gay man, born in west Clare who now lives in En- ahs