Review of The Queen of Ireland (2015) by Candida F — 07 Mar 2016

I just saw this at a local community screening in Ireland, which is a marker of how far Ireland has come since I grew up there in the 1970s. As Panti herself says in the film, if you're easily offended by a joke that starts "a nun with Alzheimer's forgets to walk into a lesbian bar", you're probably in the wrong place.

If you're not, this film is a sheer tide of joy. Rory O'Neill aka "giant cartoon woman" Panti Bliss, became an accidental activist for LGBT equality: the film, made over years on a shoestring and eventually with help from crowdfunding, follows the life, the career, the extraordinary "Noble Call" speech on homophobia, and Ireland's eventual referendum on marriage equality.

You're in the company of a performer of uncommon eloquence and an unrivalled sense of theatre the whole way though. Even if it isn't anything to do with your life, you'd have to be made of stone not to enjoy the journey.