Collections

Although the range and scope of IQA’s holdings is quite broad, most of its collection dates from the second half of the 20^th century. Among the collections are the following:

Over 250,000 news clippings dating from the late 1960s and covering all the national print media, a selection of consumer titles and provincial papers on the island of Ireland.

All lesbian/gay print media published in Ireland since 1974, including the complete archives of several publishing houses, notably In Touch (1979-1981), Identity (1981-84), OUT (1984-1988), and GCN (since 1988);

The archives of Alternative Miss Ireland and the Dublin Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, now known as GAZE.

A large range of audio-visual material including Betamax copies of film output of the Hirschfeld Biograph, a 16mm cinema club that ran at Dublin’s Hirschfeld Centre between 1979-1986.

Private papers, journals and diaries (the earliest dating from 1947).

Publicity materials that include flyers, posters, postcards, leaflets, badges, buttons, stickers, flags, t-shirts and other textiles.

Published and unpublished theses, reports, essays and other subject reference documents.

A reference library of books dating from the mid 20th century.

The administrative and financial records of almost all lesbian/gay civil rights organisations in the ROI, dating from 1974 and, in many instances, including the foundation documents of Union for Sexual Freedoms in Ireland (1974); Sexual Liberation Movement: Irish Gay Rights Movement (1974); National Lesbian and Gay Federation (1979); Lesbians Organising Together; Gay Health Action: Dublin Lesbian/Gay Men’s Collectives; Gays Against Imperialism; Hirschfeld Enterprises; Tel-A-Friend (Dublin Gay Switchboard).

The Archive is a living archive and will continue to grow with individual and collective donations.