Online Webinar: Tuesday 28th September @ 19:00
Sporting Pride, the association tasked with getting the LGBTQ+ community active, have partnered with the North Tipperary Development Company, GOSHH and Gay Community News (GCN) to continue its successful Standing Proud in Irish Sport webinar series with an interview with the wonderful athlete and mental health advocate Hannah Tyrrell!
Taking place on Tuesday, September 28th 2021 at 19:00, the live discussion promises to provide deeper insight into the mindset of an elite LGBTQ+ athlete who has represented her country in both rugby 15s and 7s, and is currently performing at the highest level with the Dublin Ladies Gaelic Football team.
This interview will open up discussion on a number of key areas, including (but not limited to):
Participation in rugby and football at the highest level - mindset and key learnings
Experience of mental health difficulties and getting through them
Story of coming out and accepting one’s own sexuality
2fm presenter Stephen Byrne, who in 2017 produced and presented the “Playing Straight” documentary about homophobia in football, will once again host the interview. Stephen is a positive mental health advocate in his own right and he will use his experience to guide this conversation on sports and mental health.
Towards the end of the live interview, viewers will have the opportunity to ask Hannah and Stephen questions via the forum, a unique offering that enables fans to interact directly with the participants.
Joanne McCarthy, the Community Development Worker with the North Tipperary Development Company, says
“There have been some very positive changes in attitudes and inclusion when it comes to representation of LGBTI+ in our sporting communities. However, we still have a long way to go when it comes to rural Ireland representation. North Tipperary Development Company is delighted to collaborate with such services through our Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) to spark conversations… it is important that the LGBTI+ community know that there is active support and inclusion happening across both Tipperary and rural Ireland”
To watch this ground-breaking free webinar, go to the live streaming links below on Tuesday, September 28th at 19:00
About the Panel
Hannah Tyrrell - Rugby / Gaelic Football / Mental Health Ambassador
Hannah Tyrrell is a former Ireland women's rugby international and a current ladies gaelic football player with the Dublin team. She was part of the 2015 Women’s 6 Nations championship winning squad and regularly featured on the World Rugby Sevens Series. She competed in the 2017 Women’s Rugby World Cup squad, playing every minute during Ireland’s campaign, and was featured in the rugby 7s World Cup squad in San Francisco in 2018. Aside from sport, she is a proud ambassador for Pieta House and was heavily involved in the ‘Tackle Your Feelings’ campaign in conjunction with Rugby Players Ireland. She previously received the Contribution to Irish Society award and has spoken on numerous occasions about her recovery from an eating disorder and struggles with mental health.
Stephen Byrne – Presenter on RTE 2fm / Documentary Maker / Mental Health Ambassador
Stephen Byrne is a radio and television presenter and self-confessed film fanatic! After getting his start as a teenager on YouTube creating short films and comedy sketches, he bagged his own RTE show called ApartmentRED, followed by the live daily magazine show TwoTube. For the last eight years, Stephen has been the RTE correspondent on the Oscar Red Carpet, interviewing some of the biggest stars in film, including Stephen Spielberg, Meryl Streep, Oprah Winfrey and Samuel L Jackson. Stephen is also an avid documentary maker - his documentary Playing Straight took a look at homophobia in the Premier League and in 2018 he went back to his old school for an entire year and sat the Leaving Cert all over again to see how much pressure it puts on young people. You can catch him every weekend on 2fm,talking with the biggest stars in movies and music.
About the Hosts
Sporting Pride
Founded in 2018, Sporting Pride is Ireland’s sport, fitness and exercise body, tasked with inspiring the LGBTQ+ community to get active. Research shows that 55% of LGBT men and 56% of LGBT women are not active enough to maintain good health, compared with 33% and 45% respectively of the general public. As a member of the EGLSF and the Federation of Gay Games, Sporting Pride also offers LGBTQ+ sportspeople the opportunity to represent Ireland in international competitions. For more: www.sportingpride.ie
Gay Community News
GCN is the national LGBT+ press in Ireland operating since 1988. GCN reflects queer life in Ireland and is delighted to collaborate with Sporting Pride, the North Tipperary Development Company and GOSHH to facilitate this vital conversation about the LGBT+ experience in the sports arena and how we can all work together to make sport a more inclusive space and accessible for the LGBT+ community. www.gcn.ie
GOSHH
GOSHH is a charity which provides a safe, confidential, welcoming environment for everyone we work with. Our office is based in Limerick City and we work throughout the Counties of Limerick, Clare, and North Tipperary. We focus on the promotion of equality and wellbeing of all with a positive and respectful approach to sexual orientation and gender diversity. They offer a number of different services to people in the Midwest region, including rapid testing, training, free condoms, counselling, one to one support and youth groups. www.goshh.ie
North Tipperary Development Company
North Tipperary Development Company is a local development company responsible for the delivery of a range of rural enterprise, social inclusion, and community development initiatives in the Tipperary North County area.
The purpose of NTDC is “to act as a voluntary, non-profit making, private limited company with a mission to promote social inclusion, to promote economic development, increase employment and enterprise opportunities and promote wider participation in voluntary activity for the people of the area”. www.ntdc.ie
With thanks to the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme for supporting this event.
Sporting Pride Events Contact
Karina Murray: karina.murray@sportingpride.ie