Entertainment

Panti Bliss film Queen of Ireland is a royal success

Panti Bliss is the undisputed Queen of Ireland, as is made clear in Conor Horgan’s fascinating documentary on Co Mayo man Rory O’Neill and his more famous drag queen alter ego, writes Brian Campbell

Panti Bliss in The Queen of Ireland
Panti Bliss in The Queen of Ireland Panti Bliss in The Queen of Ireland

PANTI Bliss describes herself as a mix of “a glamorous aunt and Jessica Rabbit” and The Queen of Ireland marks her out – just like Jessica in Who Framed Roger Rabbit – as a star of the big screen.

Panti Bliss is the stage name for Rory O’Neill. Many people will know the famous drag queen – “the gayest thing in the world” in O’Neill’s words – as the public face of the campaign for marriage equality in the Republic of Ireland, which resulted in the historic Yes vote in May.

While Northern Ireland still lags behind the south and is yet to legalise gay marriage, people north of the border should go and see this remarkable documentary about the colourful and entertaining Panti, a person who is rightfully described in the film as “intellectually brilliant and morally courageous”.

It is a superbly composed film, starting with the momentous Yes vote and the consequent partying on the streets of Dublin on May 23 this year, before telling O’Neill’s life story and ending with the referendum result and a “homecoming queen” show for Panti Bliss in Ballinrobe, Co Mayo.

The O’Neill family are incredibly supportive of Rory, who is described at turns as “his own man” and, jokingly, “my fourth daughter” by his mother. Rory talks about having an idyllic life in Co Mayo, before feeling “different” from the age of 11 or 12.

He left his home for boarding school, then art college and because of the rampant homophobia he witnessed in Ireland, then headed to Tokyo, where he started out as a drag queen.

O’Neill says he didn’t fancy pursuing a career in graphic design but had no idea that 'drag queen’ could be a job. Yet after getting mobbed on stage in Japan – “like the Beatles at Shea Stadium” – he decided to return to Dublin in the mid-90s, not long after homosexuality was finally decriminalised.

Senator David Norris is interviewed and laughs as he recalls being referred to as “the Irish homosexual” after he became the first person to publicly come out in Ireland.

O’Neill comes across as an incredibly smart guy and a deep thinker. The film details the tough time he went through after an appearance on RTE’s Saturday Night Show in 2014.

We see the “noble call” speech he made on the stage of Dublin’s Abbey Theatre that went viral and made headlines all over the world. It’s a rousing speech against homophobia that should – like this film itself – be required viewing, especially in the north right now.

There are many emotional scenes in The Queen of Ireland, not least when Panti and friends watch on as the gay marriage referendum results are announced on TV.

After the vote, Panti says that “the sky didn’t fall in” as predicted by the No camp. He says that if the No vote had won, there would have been no joy, no dancing in the streets of Dublin and that nothing would have changed.

During the campaign Panti tells a crowd of gay marriage activists that fascists, hooligans and sex offenders can all get married “but you cannot”. That statement and this film might cause some to rethink their views.

The crowd at Dublin Castle on May 23 is heard chanting “Panti! Panti! Panti!” before she takes to stage and hoists up a card with “Equal” written on it – a powerful moment in a powerful and incredibly important documentary

:: The Queen of Ireland is in cinemas now. QFT Belfast will have a one-off screening on Saturday December 5 at 8.40pm, featuring a Q&A with Panti Bliss and director Conor Horgan.

THE QUEEN OF IRELAND

(18, 84 mins) Documentary

Panti Bliss, David Norris, Niall Sweeney

Director: Conor Horgan

FOUR STARS