Strabane in West Tyrone, Northern Ireland was once a thriving country Town, but when the Cattle Market closed, and the whole region suffered under the ‘Troubles’ : i.e. the intercine lethal struggle between North & South, it became one of the most economically depressed in the U.K. It has not prospered a lot since these dark days of strife BUT it can now lay claim to fame for now having the only gay bar outside of a major city in the whole of Ireland…both North & South.
This intriguing new documentary from Channel 4 tells the unlikely story of how Strabane came to have this distinction even though it needs ‘straight’ people to drink there too if it is to even survive. The biggest surprise of all is the fact the local LGBT community is actually split on whether they think having the only gay bar in the village is actually a good thing.
N.B. Northern Ireland is the only place in the UK where same-sex marriage is still not legal
