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The Leader Column July 17 2021- GTEL Go Do It Project focuses on adult education.
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The Leader Column July 10 2021 – Rainbow River Swim Parade Kicks Off Limerick Pride.
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The Leader Column July 3 2021 – Rainbow River Parade kicks off Limerick Pride Festival.
Leo Shine – Leo was a popular member of the LGBTQI community here in Limerick and never missed a Limerick Pride. Picture: ilovelimerick
Tribute to beloved Limerick Legend and Karaoke King Leo Shine
By I Love Limerick Correspondent Tara Byrne
Leo pictured with Richard Lynch at Limerick Pride 2018. Picture: ilovelimerick
There is huge sadness in Limerick following the passing of Leo Shine, beloved entertainer and LGBTI figurehead at the age of 60.
Leo Shine from Hyde Road, provided years of great entertainment to the people of Limerick, ‘The Entertainer’ as Leo was affectionately known was a much-loved character. The beloved son of the late Leo and Peggy will be sadly missed by his loving sisters Mona and Anne, brothers Liam, John, Michael, Gerry and Laurie, sisters-in-law, brother-in-law, nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews, relatives and his many friends.
Leo was a character about Limerick who brought warmth and good energy wherever he went. Many have taken to social media to pay tribute to him, remarking on his witty sense of humour and crediting him with being a trailblazer for gay people in Limerick.
Leo’s good friend of over 50 years Jim Lawless said, “He was such a phenomenal character. He was a natural on the stage. His greatest gift was that he could just walk into a room and light up the room with his body language and face language and his smile. God, he was a great entertainer. He loved to sing and he loved the Eurovision. He loved telling jokes, he was hilarious. I remember one Easter Sunday, Leo put up a post at one o clock saying, “It’s one o’clock and I can’t believe I have no Easter Eggs yet!” Then by four o clock, there were 26 eggs left outside his house. And Leo, being the generous and kind person he was, brought the eggs down to share with the local community. He loved to spread positivity around”.
“Every Sunday when we were younger, we would meet in the Railway bar across from the railway station from one to two o clock so anyone who wanted to meet their friends they could just drop in and there would be somebody there, and Leo would be there telling all his funny stories. He was also a hairdresser down on Thomas Street and he would tell us really funny stories from there. He could sing like a bird. Leo even made an appearance on the late late show! He was a great friend of Brendan Grace. He played all over Ireland. He’s friends with some of Ireland’s oldest drag queens, they loved him because he was very good to them and a great help when they were starting out,” Jim added.
One Limerick citizen said, “Such sad news today. A true Limerick icon. Leo Shine has passed away. To say we are all heartbroken is an understatement. You will be missed Leo. We will all miss your witty banter and wise crack jokes. You were one in a million”.
Limerick Treaty Suicide Prevention said, “You were a huge fan and support mechanism of Limerick Treaty Suicide Prevention and for that, we are eternally grateful. All of us here at LTSP are sorry to hear of the passing of Leo Shine. For those who may not know Leo, he was a huge part of our community here in Limerick over the years. He was generous, honest, welcoming and really was ‘The Entertainer’ he was known as”.
Rip to one of limerick’s stars ⭐️
Thank you for all the entertainment you gave limerick throughout your life ❤ you will be missed. Our condolences to your friends and family .Thank You for all the Happy Memories you gave us Leo Shine, you are a Limerick Icon ??️? pic.twitter.com/vcc0fd0cYH— Limerick LGBT (@limerick_lgbt) July 12, 2021
Another Limerick citizen reminisces on Leo’s time as a performer in the Desmond Arms saying, “Great memories from Desmond Arms. You were the life and soul of everywhere you went, having us all up singing with you. We would all be shouting at you to play just one more song!”
On the day of his funeral, Limerick Pride wrote, “Today a true Limerick icon will make his final journey through the city, mass at 11am with a special tribute to Leo along Hyde road at 12.15 PM for everyone that can’t attend the mass to come out to show their respects.
“Leo paved the way for many of us here & was Limerick Pride. We will never forget all he has done, not only for the LGBT community here but the wider Limerick community”.
“Mr Showbiz, we are sure you will entertain them all over the rainbow with your jokes, humour, dancing & singing, thank you for everything you have done, all the memories you have given us, you will be greatly missed.”
Mark Hanley from UK said, “Today could not pass without a mention of this guy, Leo Shine. People in the UK won’t have heard of him but in my home town, he is a living legend and always will be! Back in the day, he was out and proud before being out was even a twinkle in the LGBT eye. The 70s and 80s was a very difficult time to be gay in Limerick, never mind Ireland [it was still illegal until the early 90s] but this guy paved the way for so many and is one of the reasons we have a Limerick Pride. A supremely talented singer, totally incorrigible, with a wit that could cut you to ribbons, totally spontaneous. My favourite quote is when someone waltzed past him on the way to the Ladies and he goes, “Love your dress, I used to have one of them when they were in fashion” Haha! There are a thousand and one womens hearts broken across Limerick tonight, FACT!! God rest you Leo, you feckin hero!! x”
Richard Lynch of I Love Limerick expressed his and the team’s sadness at Leo’s passing saying, “I have very fond memories of Leo singing songs at my parents’ pub ‘Erics’ over the years. Leo was one of the first gay people I ever knew in the city during the 70s when I was a young child. He was a beloved entertainer and very famous back in the day for his singing talents. He was also a beloved member of the LGBTQI community in Limerick and was an instantly recognisable face to all Limerick people. He will be sorely missed but never forgotten. The whole team at I Love Limerick send their condolences to his family at this sad time”.
Leo died peacefully at the University Hospital Limerick. The Requiem Mass will take place in St. John’s Cathedral on Thursday, July 15, at 11 am and will be streamed live for anyone who wishes to say goodbye. The funeral will take place afterwards at Shannon Crematorium. The funeral cortege will travel up Hyde Road on route to Shannon Crematorium at 12:15 pm.
The family request that only family flowers are to be given but anyone else who wishes to honour Leo can make a donation if desired to Cancer Research Ireland.
To donate to the Irish Cancer Society go HERE
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Sarah McTernan music video for ‘Heavy On My Heart Day’ – Pictured above are Sarah, Richard and Luke with the crew at The Sailors Home. Picture: Farhan Saeed/ilovelimerick.
Creatives come together for Sarah McTernan music video ‘Heavy on my Heart’
The crew hard at work at House Limerick on shoot day 2. Picture: Farhan Saeed/ilovelimerick.
The eye-catching new music video for Sarah McTernan’s new pop anthem of the year ‘Heavy on My Heart’ will be released Friday, June 25. The song was released on Friday, June 18.
The music video for the song took two full long days of shooting. The first day of the video shoot was shot in The Sailors Home on O’Curry Street and the second video was shot in the beautiful House Limerick and the electrical store Trade Electric. Sarah McTernan music video
The video for Heavy on my Heart was directed by multi-talented young creative Luke Culhane. Sarah is beyond excited about the video and worked with an amazing creative team. Sarah shines in the self-love music video which was produced by Richard Lynch, founder of I Love Limerick, with photography by Farhan Saeed and styled by the talented Chloe Markham, with locks by the innovative Sarah Morgan and make-up by makeup artist supreme Jammy Makeup. The innovative choreography is flawlessly done by Douglas Reddan.
Sarah describing the song said, “Heavy On My Heart is a pop/dance song about the feeling you get when you overcome a negative situation or relationship and find your worth. A reflection on past situations that have not been fruitful but resulted in a ‘rising phoenix’ moment. It’s about overcoming obstacles in love in order to find the love within yourself. A broken heart can create strength and happiness within when you let go of the people weighing you down. It’s an anthem for anybody that has walked away from a negative situation, that is now fulfilling the best version of themselves.”
The inspiration for Sarah came from past relationships where she felt completely weighed down by the wrong person and not realising that she felt that way until after it was over. The song is empowering, reminding those who listen of Sarah’s relief and empowerment she felt when she realised how far she has come.
Speaking about the video, Sarah said, “The video turned out so amazing. I am so happy with it and I am also so grateful to everyone that was involved. It was a group of creatives that came together that just killed it and there was such a good environment to work in. This song means a lot to me and the release made it really special having that experience attached to it. Richard, Luke and everyone that was involved were all so amazing and I am so grateful for the experience and all the fun we had.”
Director Luke Culhane is an expert when it comes to creating content. He is an avid filmmaker and also a music producer so bringing his two loves of music and film together to create music videos is a natural fit.
Luke said, “This Sarah McTernan music video is the first music video I have shot for a dance-pop artist so it was a new experience which I really enjoyed. From the moment I heard the song, I knew how I wanted to shoot it. I loved working with such an amazing group of talented Limerick people and worked with each team member individually on how to bring the concept to life including the styling, the makeup and the hair. The vibe was right and everything came together as I envisioned it. I couldn’t be happier with the finished product. Sarah is so talented and worked so hard for the two days of the shoot. She really did give it her all and I am looking forward to working with Sarah again in the future.”
Producer Richard Lynch of I Love Limerick said, “We worked with an amazing group of Limerick creatives and I loved bringing them all together. The idea for the video stems from showing the darkness and light in the before and after of finishing a relationship with somebody that isn’t right for you. It was so cool to see the concept come together and bring the lyrics to life. We decided to shoot at the Old Sailors Home as this old building represented her broken heart and we also shot the most colourful aspects of the video, which represented her overcoming her heartache, at House Limerick including an epic choreographed scene directed by Luke Culhane, which he timed to perfection. Luke is only 18 years of age and truly is a visionary. He insisted on shooting some scenes at the Trade Electric store on Lower Gerald Griffin Street as he had this crazy idea for a shot using lights and mirrors. To see the finished video, and see everyone’s ideas on screen is mind-blowing. I am so proud of Sarah and Luke and all the crew involved. I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who contributed to the making of the video including Hearit Sound & Lighting, House Limerick, Trade Electric and the Shannon Foynes Port Company for the use of The Sailors Home. It was one of the most fun things I have ever got to produce. I am sending my love to all the amazing crew and I wish Sarah every success”.
Sarah is a 27-year-old singer-songwriter from Scariff, County Clare. Sarah is an only child and has a beautiful daughter Mia aged 8 who also loves to sing. After graduating from secondary school in 2011, Sarah took a pre-nursing course in Ennis, County Clare. Sarah has close ties to Limerick as she then went on to study Music Technology at Limerick Institute of Technology.
Sarah’s career started out with an audition for The Voice of Ireland in 2015 with judges Bressie, Una Healy, Kian Egan and Rachel Stevens, with an exceptional audition of ‘Who you are’ by Jessie J, all four judges turned their chairs and fought it out to be picked as Sarah’s mentor. After an indecisive wait, it was Rachel Stevens who would lead Sarah to the final and finish in third place of the competition. With success and recognition from The Voice, Sarah went on to perform in venues all over Europe and Represented Ireland in Eurovision, before returning to Ireland where she has been writing and recording new material. ‘Heavy On My Heart’ is the third release from Sarah McTernan since her debut this year and hit No.1 on iTunes on the day of release.
Congrats Sarah on all your success. Everyone at I Love Limerick is rooting for you and we cannot wait to see what you do next!
For more News go HERE
To listen to ‘Heavy on My Heart’ go HERE
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The Leader Column June 26 2021 – Rainbow flag was raised over the River Shannon to kick off Limerick Pride.
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I Love Limerick Leader Column
The Leader Column June 19 2021 – Gateway to Education Limerick are raising funds to send school books to South Africa with a GoFundMe page.
Limerick Pride Festival 2021 – The theme for this year’s pride is ‘Different Families, Same Love’. Pictured above on the roof of the Limerick Strand Hotel are the Limerick Pride Committee 2021 with Myles Breen (centre back row). Picture: Farhan Saeed/ilovelimerick
Rainbow flag flies proudly over River Shannon for Limerick Pride Festival 2021
On Sunday, July 4, the Pride festivities will kick off with the Rainbow River Parade. Pictured are Richard Lynch, PRO Limerick Pride, Lisa Daly, Chairperson Limerick Pride, Carrie Deway, Alan Gleeson, Limerick Narwhals and Tom Sheehan, Limerick Suicide Watch. Picture: Farhan Saeed/ilovelimerick
Limerick Pride Festival 2021 takes place from July 4 -11, with a virtual Parade on Saturday, July 10 at 2 pm live from the Limerick Pride Facebook page. The theme for this year’s Pride is ‘Different Families, Same Love’.
Lisa Daly, Chairperson and Director of Limerick Pride Festival said, “We chose that theme because many people ask every year, why do you need pride? A lot of people, even in our own community, don’t realise that there are 60% of LGBTQ+ families that have no equality or legal right to their own children if they are not the biological parent, whether they are married or not. The #stillnotequal we are using for Pride this year highlights the many issues we still face today which are reflected in our line-up of events throughout the week. This year the Festival is offering something for everyone and events include educational workshops, Storytime with Carrie Deway, Youth Pride, Pride in our Pets, our Climax Party which will be hosted by RuPaul Drag Race star Heidi N Closet with limited meet and greet tickets and much more!”
Lisa added, “Twenty years ago the first Pride night was held in Limerick, when community stalwarts Paddy Doyle and Nicole Dunphy organised the first weekend of Pride celebrations with their events in both Cosmo and Yum Yum Niteclub. We are celebrating the anniversary of these events this year as they were the catalyst for the annual Pride Parade which began in 2007 and also the first Limerick LGBT Festival which took place in 2008. We wanted to acknowledge and celebrate two decades of Pride events in Limerick.”
Richard Lynch, PRO of Limerick Pride said, “We are delighted to announce that this year’s Grand Marshall is one other than writer, presenter and activist Ranae von Meding. She is a same sex parent to two young daughters with her wife Audrey. Ranae is the CEO and co-founder of Equality for Children, an Irish non-profit that fights for equality for children born to LGBTQ+ families in Ireland.”
Lisa Daly, Chairperson of @limerickpride speaks about this years Festival from July 4 -11, with a virtual Parade on Saturday, July 10 at 2 pm live from their Facebook page.#stillnotequal #limerick #ilovelimerick #lovelimerick #limerickedgeembrace #limerickandproud #limerickcity pic.twitter.com/uFQgpNlc1n
— #LimerickandProud (@ilovelimerick) June 15, 2021
On being asked to be the Grand Marshall of Limerick Pride for 2021 Ranae said, “ I am honoured to be this year’s Grand Marshall for Limerick Pride, particularly being that this year’s theme is ‘Different Families, Same Love.’ While we have made great strides towards equality in recent years, there is much work to be done when it comes to Rainbow Families in Ireland. In most LGBTQ+ led families, children are only allowed a legal connection with one of their parents. Six years on from marriage equality, this is simply not good enough and it’s important that we use Pride not only for celebration but also to raise awareness of these important issues for our communities.”
On Sunday, July 4, the Pride festivities will kick off as Grand Marshall Ranae von Meding will launch Pride with the Rainbow River Swim Parade at 2 pm from St Michaels Rowing Club which will see over 80 swimmers from Limerick swimming group Limerick Narwhals taking to the river followed by over sailing boats, paddle boats and kayaks in a celebration of Pride on the River Shannon.
Richard Lynch, PRO of Limerick Pride commented, “Our Rainbow River Parade is an exciting physical way to represent pride. The swim will start at St Michael’s RC and will go to Thomond Bridge and end back at St. Michael’s. We wanted a visible parade to show people we are here while also keeping in Covid guidelines.”
On Saturday, July 10 from 2 pm, a Limerick Virtual Pride Parade will stream on the Pride Facebook and Youtube page followed by the traditional Pridefest featuring performances from many local artists, drag queens and the annual Tea Dance with Myles Breen.
Chairperson Lisa Daly said, “Last year’s Pride Festival parade gained 62,000 viewers despite being affected by Covid 19 restrictions. People who had never attended a Pride Parade were able to attend and the Pride Festival committee received amazing feedback for all the hard work it took to host a virtual parade. This year, the committee were more prepared for a virtual parade so one can only imagine the excitement we have in store as this year Limerick Pride is also part of Europride and Global Pride.”
For a full listing of festival events information check out Limerick Pride’s social media and their website HERE
To register for the Rainbow River Swim Parade go HERE
For more News go HERE