#IrelandTurnsPurple

What is #IrelandTurnsPurple ?

#IrelandTurnsPurple is our campaign to turn Ireland purple in a show of support for the Intersex community here and abroad, on International Intersex Solidarity Day on 8th November.

We invited everyone to join our #IrelandTurnsPurple 2020 campaign by having as many buildings/monuments as possible turn purple for Intersex Solidarity Day on November 8th.

From the beginning, our campaign had the support of Minister of State for the Office of Public Works, Mr. Patrick O'Donovan, TD. who pledged his support to have landmark OPW buildings and monuments turn purple.

We are delighted to say that 70 buildings in 20 counties across the island of Ireland turned purple - including: one fountain, two court houses, three bridges, three castles, 17 colleges/institutes of technology/universities, a cluster of medieval monuments, four museums, a concert hall, numerous other city halls and a barracks, and we even have one very dedicated supporter turning their house purple! 

And in a further important show of solidarity, Ireland's Minister For Foreign Affairs, Mr. Simon Coveney, TD. has pledged his support, and that of his Department, to #IrelandTurnsPurple.  The DFA building on St. Stephen's Green will turn purple  on Sunday, 8th November for International Intersex Solidarity Day.   

See our most recent map. 

We've put together a video of the buildings/monuments across Ireland that turned purple.  The accompanying music is our very own DCU Anthem!  Thanks to everyone that took photographs and gave their permission for us to use them.  Thanks also to our colleagues in DCU for their help putting this together. 

We are delighted to have such a lovely record of our efforts to raise awareness about intersex.  It also shows the commitment and support we received from everyone across the country who helped turn these buildings purple. 

Thanks everyone!

Intersex Solidarity Day - November 8th, is an opportunity for people around the world to stand in solidarity with the intersex community.  Turning Ireland purple on November 8th, is our nationwide show of solidarity.   It also marks the birthday of Herculine Barbin (1838-1868) - a french intersex person who died by suicide.  Herculine's memoirs were discovered and published in a book by french philosopher, Michel Foucault in 1980. 

#IrelandTurnsPurple - how it all began

Last year, on November 8th, the Mansion House in Dublin turned its lights purple in a show of solidarity for the intersex community.  The Mansion House is the official residence of the Lord Mayor of Dublin.  It is a site of historical significance because it is where the First Dáil (Irish Parliament) met on 21st January 1919 and one hundred years later it became the first public building in Ireland to turn purple in solidarity with the intersex community.  We are indebted to Lord Mayor of Dublin, Paul McAuliffe, for his support of our efforts in 2019.  That day, Dublin City University became the first Irish university to turn purple.  We were very grateful to DCU President Brian MacCraith for supporting our work.  We were delighted to be able to make such an impact with our campaign.  That night, we decided we would turn Ireland purple in 2020!

This year we commenced in earnest with our efforts for our #IrelandTurnsPurple campaign.  The support has been terrific and 70 buildings across Ireland turned purple.  

Sincerest thanks are owed to Minister Patrick O’Donovan, Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works who has supported our campaign from ‘Day 1’.  

#IrelandTurnsPurple - Our Supporters

We are indebted to the following groups and organisations for their support in offering to turn their buildings and monuments purple.  

Mr. Patrick O'Donovan, TD. Minister of State with Responsibility for the Office of Public Works.  Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, Mr. Simon Coveney, TD. at Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs.

Intersex Ireland | Irish Research Council | Prof. Daire Keogh | Dr. Sindy Joyce | The Union of Students in Ireland | Irish Universities Association | Higher Education Authority | Comfort Keepers | Siobhán McSweeney | GCN Gay Community News | Michelle Heffernan | Image Magazine | BeLonG To | Dr. Caroline West & Glow West Podcast | Hannon Media | Robert Wade Photography |

City and County Councils in: Cavan, Clare, Cork, Derry, Dublin, Donegal, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Laois, Louth, Monaghan, Waterford, Wexford 

Lord Mayors’ Offices in Cork and Dublin 

An Garda Síochána - Ireland's National Police Force 

SIPTU | EPIC - the Irish Emigration Museum CHQ Building | the Convention Centre, Dublin | Shannon Heritage - King John's Castle | George's Quay Plaza | Irish Rail | Linenhall Arts Centre, Castlebar | National Museums of Ireland: Collins Barracks, Dublin & Turlough Park, Mayo | Teach Solais LGBT+ Resource Centre, Galway | McCann Fitzgerald |

Irish Universities, Institutes of Technology & Colleges: Dublin City University | University College Cork | Ulster University - Magee | Letterkenny Institute of Technology | Cork Institute of Technology | Griffith College | Royal College of Surgeons Ireland | University of Limerick | Trinity College Dublin | Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology | National University of Ireland - Galway | National College of Ireland | Institute of Technology - Tralee | Athlone Institute of Technology | Maynooth University | Waterford Institute of Technology | Sligo Institute of Technology |

We also wish to acknowledge the support from our colleagues in DCU across the following schools and units: 

School of Law and Government | School of Nursing, Psychotherapy and Community Health | Centre of Excellence for Diversity and Inclusion | Communications and Marketing | Information Systems and Support 

Thank you all.