Mr Gay Limerick hoping to bring home Irish title for the first time

MR GAY Limerick is hoping to bring home the Irish title to the city for the first time in the history of the Mr Gay Ireland competition this March.

Dr Christian Moretti, 32, an Italian native, author, and a secondary school teacher at Colaiste Ciarain in Croom, is seeking to raise funding in advance of the event for St James’s hospital in Dublin, to help in their fight against HIV, which is the chosen charity of the event.

“I’m excited and nervous about the competition, but it should be fun,” he told the Limerick Chronicle, of the upcoming event on Saturday, March 4, in Chambers Bar, Cork.

“There have been winners from Dublin and Cork and Galway, but not Limerick to date, so I’m hoping to bring home the crown for the first time. It would be an absolute honour, having moved to Ireland seven years ago.

“I really hope I can do it, and it would be a huge responsibility to be an ambassador, an educator, and create awareness about issues that are important to the gay community. I just hope to make Limerick proud,” he said.

He said his reign to date as Mr Gay Limerick has afforded him the opportunity “to promote equality and kindness”, participate in Limerick Pride, and support Pieta House, to raise awareness of mental health issues and suicide.

The organisers of the national event confirmed that while Limerick has always had an entrant, there has never been a Limerick winner, though competitors representing the Treaty City have been placed twice.

The deadline for applications from other counties is February 12.

“Twelve years ago Ireland was a different place - we began this not just for HIV, but to find positive rural role models to be visible and to address the unacceptable levels of young male suicide,” said the organisers.

They stressed that the purpose of the event is to raise funds for St James’s hospital. In its 12 years to date, over €153,000 has been raised for HIV causes. 

The winner will receive a prize of an overnight stay in the five-star Gibson Hotel in Dublin and free tickets to see a gig from Aiken Promotions. 

A bus will travel from Limerick for the event who anyone who wishes to attend and support Dr Moretti. 

The competition will also be partly judged on an online voting segment from the public in choosing who should take the title.

To make a donation to his cause, log on to: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Mrgaylimerick2016?utm_id=26