WATCH: Explosion of colour as Pride parade hits Limerick

THOUSANDS of people were in Limerick today, as the first in-person Pride parade of the decade took place.

There was an explosion of many different colours as part of what was one of the biggest LGBTQI celebrations Limerick has ever seen, with bright, sunny weather no doubt drawing more people out.

For the last two years, the event has been held virtually due to the restrictions associated with Covid-19.

But this year, it was back with a bang, as people young and old joined in the fun, with the parade led by well-known local historian Sharon Slater.

She said: “To be able to lead out all these people is absolutely wonderful, after years of not being able to hold a pride parade. So many people wanted to come out and support each other. There are so many people from different backgrounds. It’s lovely to see.”

What particularly pleased Sharon is the fact many of the events during the week-long Limerick Pride festival have not involved drinking.

"It’s lovely for me as a non-drinker. My highlight is that the week isn’t purely alcohol based, it’s community-based. There are people here who haven’t been to a Pride event before, and they’re adults, they became adults during Covid, and you can feel their energy,” she added.

So much pride #Limerick pic.twitter.com/soeDpXdSUY

— Laura Kearney (@laursk) July 9, 2022

Limerick Pride public relations officer Richard Lynch was thrilled with the turnout.

He said: “I feel absolutely amazing. This has been a massive amount of work. Myself and Lisa Daly, the chairperson of Limerick Pride and some of the committee members have really worked hard to make this happen. Our theme this year is Pride is culture and we had a very diverse series of events for the week which have really contributed to Limerick’s culture. I’m extremely proud of this event and so excited.”

While the parade was the most popular event of Limerick Pride week, there have been many other things going on.

A free self-defence class took place at the Delta Sports Dome, in association with Munster Martial Arts and Stop the Bully Ireland.

While the Limerick Printmakers held a Print with Pride event at the Belltable to create custom-made clothing.

And the same venue played host to a documentary night ro mark the 30th Anniversary of Marsha P. Johnson’s death.