Limerick man Darren to represent Ireland at Mr Gay Europe

LIMERICK man Darren Moloney has received the honour of being named Mr Gay Ireland 2018.

At a ceremony over the weekend in Dolan’s Warehouse​, Darren was surprised to receive the accolade as he prepared to hand back his crown of Mr Gay Limerick 2017.

Nine contestants did battle for the chance to become the new Mr and Mrs Gay Limerick, and represent the city on the national stage with the contest judged by a panel including TV3 Expose stylist Sinead O’Brien, and Spin South West presenter Meghann Scully, who also writes for The Leader.

Darren received the title of Mr Gay Ireland from one of his predecessors Konrad Im, who held the title in 2016, and Stephen Lehane, the 2018 winner.

 Chosen by the organisers of Mr Gay Ireland for his fantastic work with the LGBT+ community over the past year, Darren will now go forward to represent Ireland at the Mr Gay Europe final being held in Poland between August 4 and 12.

Konrad said: "We've been keeping a close eye on the work our Mr and Mrs Gay Ireland representatives have been doing all year to help the LGBT+ community., and Darren has particularly showed amazing dedication and passion in his work with different organisations and as Limerick LGBTQ+ pride chairperson. We're honoured to have him represent Ireland at the Mr Gay Europe final in Poland. We look forward to seeing and working with the remaining contestants who will join us for next year's final.”

Meanwhile, Grove Island man Ryan Mowat has been chosen as the new Mr Gay Limerick Pride.

Clodagh O’Brien is the new Ms Gay Limerick, and LIT social studies student Eoin Sexton follows in the footsteps of Darren in holding the title of Mr Gay Limerick overall for 2018.