BEFORE BEING GREETED, rock-star like, at a packed Dublin Castle – Panti took a not-uneventful walk across the city this afternoon.
Starting from a mobbed Panti Bar – where TheJournal.ie had stopped by check out the reaction to the gay marriage Yes vote, Rory O’Neill’s alter-ego led camera-crews, campaigners, supporters and random passers-by on the short walk across the Liffey to the Castle gates.
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Stopping for a moment or two to hug friends and chat outside the Front Lounge – the drag queen went, briefly, into politician mode, as she stopped to admire a rainbow t-shirt wearing baby…
But… A hitch.
A good-natured security guard had to turn her away from the side-entrance of the venue – due to lack of an ID (poor guy – I’d imagine the policeman who had to tell the Beatles to ‘get down off that rooftop, now’ back in 1969 probably went through something similar).
Panti:
“Are you going to send me all the way around in these heels?”
Put-upon security guy:
“I’m afraid I am.”
Heads were turned, flashes snapped and more-and-more people joined her party, as the performer/activist eventually made it through the main Dame Street entrance.
As the security guard from the side entrance showed up to warn his friends… The masses were held back – and, still followed by cameras, Panti strutted up the steps of the media centre.
Cheers spread throughout the crowd of some 2,000 people who had been gathering at the courtyard since early this morning, to watch the results…
Chants rang out.
Followed by more chants.
And after a brief pause for breath – she was back out in the courtyard, talking to yet more international media crews (we spotted AFP from the back of a huddle – and there were tonnes of others).
More selfies.
More cheers.
“You should go up onto the balcony – like Evita.”
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