Educated in Trinity College Dublin and Oxford, he wrote globally-renowned works such as The Picture of Dorian Gray and comic masterpiece, The Importance of Being Earnest.Īlthough married to a woman, Oscar Wilde was a gay man and was famously imprisoned for gross indecency following consensual encounters with men. One of the most acclaimed playwrights, poets and novelists of the 19th century, Oscar Wilde is arguably the most famous figure in queer Irish history. In recognition of LGBT+ history month, and the contribution of Ireland’s queer community to politics, art and culture, we have compiled a list of nine trailblazing figures in Irish history.īy no means exhaustive, this is just a small list to encourage you to look further into Ireland’s queer history. Queer people have been shaping history since the birth of humankind, but shame and secrecy have meant that these people’s queerness is often forgotten.