Meet The Team

Ruth is head of Production and content of The Outing Festival and volunteers at The Outing Festival since before 2015.

DJ Ruth found her passion for DJing in a little local pub in her home town of Lucan, nearly 20 years ago. Not long after she found her true home, musically and socially, on the gay scene. She quickly became a well known and very well-liked part of the scene she loved. Over the years she has held long residencies in Dragon, Pro-homo, Spice, Dragged Up & Glitz to name but a few.

She has also guested on many other nights around Dublin including the George, Club Tease, Profile & Kiss. Also Gass in Galway
For many years Dj Ruth has played the Dublin Pride official parties, last three years playing on the main stage to thousands of people. (Having 15,000 plus people do the YMCA was a particular highlight!)

Eddie McGuinness draw’s on considerable experience in PR, Marketing to promotion and event management for over 30 plus years. Eddie help come up with a new idea and festival 2012 in the west of Ireland once in the home of matchmaking in the village Lisdoonvarna Co.Clare and The Outing Festival was born plus making it new Pride style event and then moved the whole festival to a new location on the grounds of Dromoland Castle at the Inn at Dromoland on 450 acres of wooded countryside.

Eddie is Dublin LGBTQ + Pride Festival & Parade Manager since 2017; a multi-faceted celebration attracting the participation of 120,000+ people and now Ireland’s largest LGBT + Pride Festival.

Eddie has also designed and hosted highly publicised LGBT+ events, including “Club Tease” award-winning gay club to Award-winning Magazine ‘free! Magazine’, which similarly fused gay culture and traditional Ireland garnering national media coverage.

Eddie love is matchmaking and that is not just about bring people together but Queer Arts, Music and diversity of Love.

Frank was a previous Festival Chair of Dublin LGBTQ Pride Festival & Parade. Coordinated many of the Dublin Pride events for a number of years from Parade and Post Parade show, to Pride Night, Dyke Night, Launch events, etc.

Frank has been involved with The Outing Festival for the beginning, helping to plan and run the festival.

Frank is big into Music, Musical Theatre, Eurovision (obsessed actually), Entertainment, Travel, Culture, and all-around lover of having a good time! Excited for The Outing festival as it moves into its new venue and continues to grow in popularity! He is the backbone of the festival.

Paul Ryder is one of the key creative team members alongside Eddie & Ruth putting together the main stage and other areas of the ever-changing festival.

His sparkle helps bring that style and passion to the main stage.

Paul is currently the host of The Ringmasters Drag Race 2021 has been a fixture on the entertainment scene for over ten years.
Paul Ryder has been a performer with Dublin based drag troupe ‘DRAGGED UP’ for 8 years now which has seen him tour the UK and Ireland with his unique style of live performance. He is absolutely thrilled to be the guest host for ‘The Outing festival’ 2021 again now his 5th year alongside in the past Panti Bliss, Brenden Courtney  & Alan Hughes with Eddie McGuinness by his side, and will just be off a whirlwind summer tour after hosting LGBT Pride events in Galway, Dublin, and Cork.

Fiona has a Masters in Documentary Practice from the University of Ulster. Freelance Camerawoman/Editor – She has an extensive portfolio of work, shooting for a wide range of clients covering documentaries, corporate, magazine features, press kits, live events, charity and community projects, performance art, music promos. A Broadcast Technician with Royal Caribbean Cruise line directing, producing, shooting, and editing of feature-length, short formats, commercial, documentary-style for onboard television. Her TV credits include TG4 Ireland, MTV, MTV Italy, MTV Africa and NRK in Norway, Horse and Country TV and Cruise TV. She specializes in all equestrian disciplines. The camerawork has taken her all over the world both on land and underwater.

Every year since 2014 Fiona has help digitalized The Outing Festival so we could show the word on out Youtube channel and social media.

Volunteer at The Outing Festival and volunteers

ISL/English Interpreter work well with people not machines bit of a technophobe.

Vannessa has been on the main stage at Dublin Pride as ISL/English Interpreter for over 10 years. This year she was the Grand Marshal for Dublin Pride on behalf of all Front Line Workers as she was face & sign for deaf community on behalf of HSE.

Thomas has been a key volunteer at The Outing Festival since the beginning years ago and no job is too big or too small for him to do.

Thomas has looked after the door of the Festival wherewith is style and control has helped build the festival to where it is to date.

Thomas has worked alongside Eddie for decades at festivals, Pride’s, Club nights and over the years.

Monika Earner has a wealth of experience working in the community organization both in Ireland and Internationally. She is currently based in the Netherlands and is closely involved with the LGBTQ (COC) organization.

She volunteers for charities involved in supporting LGBTQ identifying refugees, helping them to negotiate their way through the legal processes.

She is the chairperson of Almaclaudia Productions an opera-in-education company with a strong focus on equality and inclusivity.

Promoting The Outing Festival in the Netherlands is her current task, however, featuring an aspect of The Outing Festival in the Netherlands and Europe is a strong ambition.

Ian experienced and accomplished leader with extensive experience in business, marketing and community management, looking to expand my involvement in LGBT+ Pride events in Europe.

Extensive experience in managing and directing large-scale entertainment events and promotions, including Pride festivals, promotional tours and nightclub events.

EuroPride Vienna 2019, Ian found himself once again at the forefront of the community. “I am so pleased to be able to help bring EuroPride 2019 to Vienna,” says Ian. “Throughout my life, I’ve always fought for that feeling of inclusion for all the LGBTIQ community.

Over the years his help to get the message out about The Outing Festival on the ground goes away above and beyond as a volunteer.

 

Jen Bowler is based in East Cork. She is the guitarist and backing vocalist for the band Sparkle. Sparkle is an original and cover band with songs on Spotify and all major music platforms. They also performed on Irelands got Talent 2019.

She is also involved with the Special Olympics and is a Suicide Prevention Officer with the Haven Hub Limerick.

“Therese Cahill is fast becoming “squeals on wheels” as well as Ireland’s first female “limp-up” comic… with more lame gags than you can shake a wheelchair at! Defined on some restraining orders as an “edgy rebel”.  Aside from being a comic she is also an activist and writes parody songs to raise awareness for marginalized communities. As a disabled person, she created and funded a campaign entitled “Disrespectabled”,  to highlight disabled parking abuses, complete with a parody song.

As a volunteer committee member, her goal will be to ensure greater access for the disabled community both online and at venues where The Outing Festival is at.

For both participants and performers alike.

Shortlisted for  “Ireland’s Got Talent 2018”, she has toured with “farmer Micheal and Kathleen” and is a regular voice on Dublin’s Q102 as well as EastcoastFM. She also a frequent features writer for The Beacon online. With the cheekiest of grins, she reels off songs written somewhere deep within a slightly corrupt yet (mostly) harmless mind, all done with the smile that would win over even the most hardened of psychopaths! She’s the perfect mix of warmth and devilment!”

Over the years they have performed and help to get the message out about The Outing Festival on the ground goes away above and beyond as a volunteer.

 

Lance was introduced to the Outing Festival in 2018 and hosted a hike along the cliffs and Moher in 2018.

In 2019 he hosted a hike through the wonders of West Ireland’s woodlands, offering his unique and quirky insights into local myths and legends. Depending on the weather he also has a habit of bursting into song with the right word. Lance can also be seen running around the Outing Festival with his camera and drone, capturing every opportunity for a good story.

Lance works as a Digital Media Executive for one of Ireland’s leading law firms and is a part-time video journalist for GCN magazine. He contributes writings to GCN and The Circular. He freelances in videography and Droning; having earned a pilots licence from the IAA in 2020.

https://www.lance.ie/

Jim has been a key volunteer at The Outing Festival since the beginning years ago when he came as a punter and fell in love with the festival way back then and no job is too big or too small for him as he goes on tour with The Outing Festival at other Pride’s around Ireland.

Over the years his help to get the message out about The Outing Festival on the ground goes away above and beyond as a volunteer.