Two years on from Ireland’s whole hearted YES vote in the Marriage Referendum, London based Garrii Bailey talks about the homophobic abuse that drove him from his native town. His drag act Shyanne O’Shea and special guests perform in the city this weekend.
SHYANNE O’SHEA, London based international drag sensation, will bring her show to Limerick this weekend and launch Club 33 featuring X-Factor’s ‘Living Doll’.
Shyanne O’Shea is the creation of Garrii Bailey, originally from Shannon and was based in Limerick in the ’90s. His experiences of homophobia drove him to flee from his hometown.
Decades on from those horrible memories, Garrii is bringing his drag show to a country that has greatly progressed especially in the aftermath of the 2015’s Marriage Referendum.
“Once the law changed the transgender thing got a little more accepted. It helped people come out of the closet and be more open about it.”
“I feel a lot safer because it is a part of the law of Ireland and I’m very proud that Ireland was the first to come out and accept it all. It is amazing.”
Garrii Bailey grew up in Shannon. He was bullied regularly in school. When he “came out” on a TV show, the situation only got worse for the teenager with attacks on his home becoming a regular occurrence.
“I came out on national television. I did not take into consideration that everyone had a TV.
“As soon as I came out our house in Shannon was bricked, my mum’s car windows were smashed in and I was beaten up a lot.
“I had to leave because I was petrified.
“I left because I was scared that I was going to get killed one day.”
Garrii moved to London and in the last five years has presented on stage as Shyanne O’Shea. Performing in London and Essex, Shyanne also makes regular trips to Berlin and represents Ireland at the Austin Drag Festival in Texas.
As Shyanne, Garrii performed for the first time in Shannon at the end of last year. The show was a huge success. Garrii even had someone from his past approach him before the show to apologise for how he was treated in the past.
“I was really nervous. I worked with a hotel in Shannon, did my first show there and it was a complete sellout. I had one of the people who bullied me come to my show and apologise. It is just amazing, the support that I have had, when I can come back now.”
Garrii is organising two shows for Limerick, with some help from the local community for this Saturday May 27.
A night of music, laughter and burlesque happens in Chez Le Fab on Arthur’s Quay starring Shyanne and a host of burlesque dancers, fire eaters and contortionists doing a cabaret show including tapas and wine from 7.30pm.
The event then moves down to the Dock Road for Club 33. Shyanne will perform again. DJs will be on-hand to take the party into the wee hours.
“it is a night for everyone, not just an LGBT night!” sayh Garrii
“Just be fabulous and leave your crap at the door, come in and have a good time!”
The name Club 33 comes from Garrii’s experiences of living in London where he is often asked to say the words “thirty three” in his southern Irish accent: “The Brits think its hilarious and we sound like we are saying ‘dirty tree’.”
A movie about Shyanne’s life as a drag artist in London called ‘Fierce’ is filming and some scenes from this Saturday night’s shows may feature. Garrii is very much at peace with past experiences in Shannon and Limerick and he expects that the film will show Limerick and Ireland in a positive light.
“The film will show just how different it is. Limerick is more ethnic now, it is different, it is lovely, it has all changed for the better.
“The welcome is overwhelming every time I come home.”
The Club 33 pre-show happens at Chez le Fab this Saturday May 27 from 7.30pm starring drag sensation Shyanne O’Shea and guests Lucy Le Riot and Channell Clearwater.
Club 33 with Shyanne O’Shea and DJs happens in Dolan’s on Saturday May 27.
