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Panti, aka Rory O'Neill, takes to the stage of the Abbey Theatre last night. still via Youtube

Watch Panti's powerful speech about oppression of gay people

Rory O’Neill took to the Abbey stage last night to deliver oration on how homosexuality is still stigmatised in Ireland.

TODAY, AROUND 2,000 people congregated in Dublin city centre to protest at the treatment of debate around homophobia on RTE.

This was sparked by RTE’s redaction of comments made by Rory O’Neill, also known as performer and gay activist Panti Bliss, on The Saturday Night Show on 11 January, around defining homophobia in modern Ireland. The broadcaster later issued an apology and – it emerged today in several Sunday newspapers, and RTÉ’s news bulletins themselves – paid out over €80,000 to members of the Iona Institute Catholic lobbying group.

Last night, the Brendan O’Connor-hosted Saturday Night Show held a debate on homophobia but that didn’t prevent today’s protest, organised by LGBT Noise and attended by other groups and individuals who support equal rights for gay people, from going ahead.

It also didn’t prevent O’Neill – in full regalia as alter-ego Panti Bliss – from making an oration last night at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin on how it feels to be subject to prejudice because of one’s sexuality on a daily basis. The speech came after a performance of James Plunkett’s 1913 Lockout drama The Risen People in the national theatre.

Watch here to see why the audience at the Abbey gave Panti a standing ovation:

via Rory O’Neill/Youtube

Video made with the help of Conor Horgan, Caroline Campbell, Nicky Gogan and Ailish Bracken. With thanks to cast and crew at the Abbey Theatre.

RTE removes part of Saturday Night Show over ‘legal issues’>

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    Mute ecrowley ecrowley
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    Jul 7th 2025, 7:36 AM

    I don’t know why he’s even mentioning targets, when there isn’t the slightest chance of hitting them. I don’t see what heavy lifting the government is doing either.

    85
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    Mute peter willekens
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    Jul 7th 2025, 7:22 AM

    We couldn’t have both schemes simultaneously?

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    Mute john murray
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    Jul 7th 2025, 7:30 AM

    @peter willekens: developers said no.

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    Mute Thesaltyurchin
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    Jul 7th 2025, 4:41 PM

    @john murray: Cause they make no money from Second hand properties and Ireland does what it’s told in the face of Business.

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    Mute Rafa C
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    Jul 7th 2025, 7:49 AM

    Honestly, it’s hard to argue with the basic logic here. If you start pumping shared equity cash into second-hand homes, you’re basically throwing petrol on an already raging fire. Sellers will see the scheme coming a mile off and tack on another 30k on for good measure.

    But at the same time, all this talk of “supply, supply, supply” gets tired when the new build targets keep falling short year after year. The private sector is being begged to build, yet prices remain out of reach for most first-time buyers.

    Expanding the First Home Scheme without serious controls would almost certainly push prices higher, so the caution makes sense. But let’s not pretend new builds alone will solve the crisis if delivery keeps lagging behind demand by tens of thousands of homes.

    In the end, it feels like more sticking plasters on a gaping wound. Grand plans, but little that will make housing genuinely affordable any time soon.

    The only real way to bring prices down is to build more and do it faster. Everything else is just tinkering around the edges. If supply doesn’t surge, no scheme, grant or tax tweak will ever make homes genuinely affordable. Simple as that.

    Ask ChatGPT

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    Mute Buster Lawless
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    Jul 7th 2025, 8:06 AM

    @Rafa C: yep, that’s it in a nutshell Rafa, ‘ tinkering around the edges’ is all we’re doing ….& This long awaited super duper ” Housing Plan 2025-2030″ will be just same ole’ same ole’……. without increased supply it’s all smoke& mirrors

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    Mute Paul O'Mahoney
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    Jul 7th 2025, 8:12 AM

    @Rafa C:Well said, theres on thing that is annoying me about this whole issue and that’s the concept of ” proof of funds” not just to finalise the purchase contract but to simply bid on a property. I helped someone recently, and it was simply the weirdest process, she decided to get AIP and then drawdown if needed, her equity was enough along with savings etc.
    She told me Auctioneers wanted ” proof of funds” apparently equity isn’t sufficient anymore. Over 2 years she looked at properties only not to bid as she didn’t want to sell first and try and rent, a reasonable strategy imo. Not all Auctioneers did this but a majority did. This is slowing movement within the market and probably stopping more people buying houses, her house is a simple 3 bed bungalow a good starter house…..

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    Mute Paul O'Mahoney
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    Jul 7th 2025, 8:19 AM

    @Paul O’Mahoney: Additionally the information that the bank wanted was at a level I thought was almost a breach of some rights, they literally went through her financial live over the past few years. This upset her as her personal life wasn’t easy, but she kept going and working , she was ready to give up. She got an AIP is now bidding but surely selling your property after having a bid accepted is where we need to get back too. Buying a house is difficult enough but the new system isn’t helping buyers nor sellers, the chain seems to broken in every aspect of housing right now

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    Mute Thesaltyurchin
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    Jul 7th 2025, 9:01 AM

    @Paul O’Mahoney: Imagine building your own house, through Covid AND having to deal with the army of monkeys in a Kilkenny call centre for draw downs?.. Banking in Ireland is still in the last century imo

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    Mute Deano74
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    Jul 7th 2025, 10:13 AM

    @Paul O’Mahoney: I hear yea,we had a similar situation,and something else 6 months after our approval we got an email from bank to say the application was reaccsessrd and they where knocking 8 Grand off the loan,the hassle and months delay it caused,and then finally all ready to go last November,two days before the sale, solicitor rings to say it’s off,our buyers mortgage approval had expired and would have to reapply,it’s a nightmare.

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    Mute Paul O'Mahoney
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    Jul 7th 2025, 4:34 PM

    @Deano74: Jesus you really had a mare of a time buying that house. At least ye are happy there.

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    Mute Barry Deegan
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    Jul 8th 2025, 9:53 AM

    @Rafa C: the aul supply and demand doesn’t work for housing. It’s one of the few items that people but loads of. Need to stop people purchasing a second house if they already have one. There’s no way someone should be allowed to purchase a family home as an investment when they may have outbid a family trying to get a home.

    Nothing will change until the view that housing is for homes not for profit.

    Let the rental companies build their rental properties and see how they get on. Irelands population density isn’t at a point where people can’t purchase a home.

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    Mute BL Music
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    Jul 7th 2025, 1:39 PM

    Of course he is putting the breaks on .
    If the houses are second hand FFs develops cronies do not make any money

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    Mute Alan d
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    Jul 8th 2025, 10:58 AM

    @BL Music: Thank god it not on second hand homes , the only outcome of that suggestion is higher house prices

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    Mute George Bowling
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    Jul 7th 2025, 10:07 AM

    I bought a second hand house a few years ago because I had a good bit of cash on hand so I didn’t need any of the grants to make up a deposit. I could still have gotten some grants I’m sure and gone for a new build, but the price differential was so great due to those grants artificially inflating the prices on new builds that I never even bothered viewing a single one. The one annoying thing with buying second hand here is the bidding wars, asking prices are meaningless, everything boils down to what someone is willing to pay. Give everyone bidding an extra 50k in grants and it will all just be eaten up in those bidding wars. Demand is best measured in currency, so if you increase available cash with grants you’re increasing demand with no increase in supply.

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    Mute Fool Hunter
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    Jul 7th 2025, 1:38 PM

    Ires reit told him no

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    Mute Tim Brennan
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    Jul 7th 2025, 5:26 PM

    Martin is turning out to be the most useless of them all.

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    Mute Tim Walsh
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    Jul 7th 2025, 3:06 PM

    Existing homeowners don’t drop off envelopes at the constituency office

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    Mute Deano74
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    Jul 7th 2025, 11:53 AM

    Can anyone tell me if you can still qualify for the vacant home grant after you have moved in(December last year).

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    Mute Paul O'Mahoney
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    Jul 7th 2025, 4:32 PM

    @Deano74: I dunno but there are some very strange regulations. Askaboutmoney.com might be a good place to ask, plenty of people there going through the process. Just search first as they are very strongly moderated

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