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Kellie Maloney Ian West

So how did Kellie Maloney get on at the LGBT matchmaking festival?

She got on very, very well indeed. Kellie, formerly boxing promoter Frank, fully transitioned to being a woman last year.

THE WEEKEND JUST passed saw the third annual (and largest to date) LGBT matchmaking festival take place in Lisdoonvarna.

The Outing 2015 was a roaring success by all accounts, and numbered among this year’s patrons Kellie Maloney, formerly boxing promoter Frank, who has now fully transitioned into a woman.

So how did she get on?

Speaking to the Anton Savage Show on Today FM this morning Kellie said that the atmosphere around the entire event is one of “pure happiness and enjoyment”.

“What was really nice was to see the new and old mixing together,” she said.

The older generation and the younger generation, you know. For some of the older generation… it might have been a little of a culture shock to them to see so many colourful guys and girls all dancing with each other of the same sex.
But they were just coming in and joining in and they were being so friendly. It really is a lesson to other places in the world, I believe.

She did very well on the romance front at the event to boot, with four different Irish men all phoning her in the aftermath, one of whom she plans to travel to Dublin to meet.

He’s called me five times in less than three days!
Yeah, I said I’d come over and meet him and Dublin and go for a meal. Friendship is very important and getting to know people to me is very important.
It’s just great if I can sit and chat to someone and explain what it’s like and what I’ve been through and they understand. It’s helping other people going through the same things that I’ve been through in my life.

Kellie, who says she is most involved nowadays with educating people about transgender, says that she’s not sure the UK is ready for such an event as yet.

We have different things, that if I’m honest, they’re not as friendly and not as interlinked between both groups of society. The ones in Britain are more geared towards always the LGBT, but with Eddie (McGuinness, director of The Outing), it was all the locals, which was lovely as well.

Kellie says she is now trying to get McGuinness to come to the UK to spread the word about what The Outing is.

She numbers seeing The Nualas and meeting Panti Bliss among her highlights from this year’s event, but will she be coming back herself?

“Definitely. It’s one of the best events I’ve been to, so well organised and so well run,” she says.

I think there’s something about Lisdoonvarna, the views and the surrounding areas that make it magical and mysterious, to me anyway.

Read: Irish Water says it is catching loads of leaks, but can’t say how many people have paid their bills

Read: Now Enda is refusing to rule out an early election

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    Mute Joe Caulfield
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    May 27th 2018, 7:03 AM

    How does that 60k compare to the 2 million euros Shannon receives from the US military every year?

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    Mute owenmor
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    May 27th 2018, 7:08 AM

    Small change compared to the 2 million Shane Ross wasted on making the public services card mandatory when applying for a driving licence

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    Mute Tom Molloy
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    May 27th 2018, 6:48 AM

    Vandals/ISIS sympathisers that have damaged planes in the past are to blame.

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    Mute Carlin Ite
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    May 27th 2018, 8:12 AM

    @Tom Molloy: ISIS sympathisers would you ever fcuk off.

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    Mute James Maloney
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    May 27th 2018, 11:21 AM

    @Tom Molloy: Good point Tom.

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    Mute Tom Molloy
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    May 27th 2018, 12:34 PM

    @James Maloney: Fear of decapitation is already creating converts/lackeys in Ireland.

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    Mute Ros Aodha
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    May 27th 2018, 9:20 PM

    @Tom Molloy: already happened, Irish people on-board flight on 911, Irish people murdered on a beach in Tunisia, Irish people injured in bataclan. Irish clown who converted having failed to become a priest and blew himself up, Islam isn’t the problem, radicalisation is … Khalid Kelly.

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    Mute Clinton Baptiste
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    May 27th 2018, 7:09 AM

    Surely this man , is the son of god .
    I’d rather American soldiers going through Shannon airport , than Isis or German soldiers .

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    Mute Hugh Corcoran
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    May 27th 2018, 9:14 AM

    @Clinton Baptiste: you’re right, let’s allow the biggest war morgering nation on the planet use Shannon. You never know, if we ever find any meaningful resources in the country, might just save us from receiving a good old dose of American freedom. In saying that I could be tempted with a bit of regime change.

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    Mute Sean Conway
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    May 27th 2018, 9:22 AM

    @Clinton Baptiste: Look at all the lives saved by US forces in the middle east. the nation of peace.

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    Mute Clinton Baptiste
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    May 27th 2018, 9:36 AM

    @Hugh Corcoran: I’m not happy about military planes going through Shannon.
    It’s the government who allow this , most Irish people don’t want it .
    But if I had to choose between Isis , Germany , or the democratic people’s republic of Korea , I’d choose America .

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    Mute Clinton Baptiste
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    May 27th 2018, 9:41 AM

    @Sean Conway: They’re wrong in what they do , I agree .
    Iraq was a land grab , 100% .
    Now I can’t control the world , but if I could vote , my preference wouldn’t be for the ideology that led 19 men to fly planes into buildings .

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    Mute Seamus Mac
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    May 27th 2018, 10:02 AM

    @Hugh Corcoran: “biggest war mongering nation” I’d say the Russians have that accolade at the moment: Crimea, Ukraine, Syria etc.

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    Mute Hatchjaw
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    May 27th 2018, 1:06 PM

    @Clinton Baptiste: How do you know what most Irish people want?

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    Mute Derek Teeling
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    May 27th 2018, 1:42 PM

    @Clinton Baptiste: Gobsiht

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    Mute Clinton Baptiste
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    May 27th 2018, 5:53 PM

    @Hatchjaw: I put on a high -viz and poll them .
    On my days off I just listen to them at work .

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    Mute Denis McClean
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    May 28th 2018, 1:44 AM

    @Seamus Mac: So what percentage of the Crimean population is Russian and isn’t Obama on record as saying he wanted regime change in Syria? I’m thinking you might not be as Irish as your name suggests David.

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    Mute Scott Crossfield
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    May 27th 2018, 7:48 AM

    Times have changed as they’ve moved most of their stuff out to Belfast and other places so the tree huggers and the odd couple will have achieved most of their goals. While cutting deeper into Shannon’s downward spiral

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    Mute White Rabbit
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    May 27th 2018, 8:17 AM

    @Scott Crossfield: good stuff

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    Mute Declan Byrne
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    May 27th 2018, 7:42 AM

    We need to allow the Americans use this as a permanent Air Force base . That give Mick something to give out about .

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    Mute Martin Stapleton
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    May 27th 2018, 7:44 AM

    Look,
    Imagine if you said that the cost of each stop off was €722-00. Just doesn’t feel so good when you’re trying to create a headline I guess. Let it go for God sake.

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    Mute Clinton Baptiste
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    May 27th 2018, 8:07 AM

    @Martin Stapleton: They could tell us how much was spent in the duty free shop .
    If Mick Wallace is reading this , Mick , only duty free shops are exempt from paying certain taxes , everyone else needs to pay theirs .

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    Mute Seth Cheffetz
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    May 27th 2018, 8:27 AM

    How does 60k compare to the millions when the Queen visited? Or when the Pope makes his visit?

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    Mute Steve1234
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    May 27th 2018, 7:23 AM

    Rather spend money here than the huge amount of tax payers money (of which a third are opposed) that will be used to fund the slaughter of unborn Irish babies.

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    Mute Rob Lyn
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    May 27th 2018, 11:00 AM

    So the salary of one or two officers. That is shocking! :) still less than a certain TDs avoided taxes and less than his current salary. This is really a non story journal!

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    Mute Cheryl Mellett
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    May 27th 2018, 10:05 AM

    The reason the figure is so low is The Defence Forces don’t get paid overtime. They get very small rates of substitution allowance to cover meals and very basic expenses. For 12 hours it’s aprox 40 euro.

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    Mute Clinton Baptiste
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    May 27th 2018, 10:53 AM

    @Cheryl Mellett: can you imagine joining an army , and your job is cleaning up after real soldiers .

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    Mute Moss Cotter
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    May 27th 2018, 8:30 AM

    Always be thankful the Nazis never invaded Ireland during ww2 for the simple reason that it would have been very embarrassing to see how eager a little helper paddy would have been in shipping out Jewish population for extermation..ah but I hear you cry there might have been a few bob in it

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    Mute Clinton Baptiste
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    May 27th 2018, 10:50 AM

    @Moss Cotter: At least nowadays we don’t do what the Germans want .
    Oh wait !

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    Mute Ros Aodha
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    May 27th 2018, 7:30 PM

    Not bad for a non neutral state providing support to a strategic ally and trading partner. Have you compared that with the garda bill for the same operation? I’ve enjoyed watching this non news item getting slated. The real story here is the low pay that our enlisted soldiers are on.

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    Mute Stewart O Neill
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    May 27th 2018, 12:24 PM

    Hope the US are getting the bill

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    Mute Clinton Baptiste
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    May 27th 2018, 6:12 PM

    @Stewart O Neill: Israel pays for it , after they take it out of the ANC budget .
    Sticking babies in microwaves is cheaper than buying bullets .

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    Mute Paul Whitehead
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    May 28th 2018, 12:15 AM

    Why are we not using this money on the truly needy? You could dress Clare Daly and Mick Wallace in lovely clothes for a fraction of that 60k.

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    Mute Stevie Doran
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    May 27th 2018, 11:39 PM

    Who cares Mick Wallace

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    Mute William Kelly
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    May 28th 2018, 6:49 AM

    Shure, what else would the army be doing, only protecting the States from protesters.
    Can’t have any of that carry on that might upset inward investment like Doonbeg & the vulture funds.
    Never mind that several wars are being supplied through neutral Ireland.

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    Mute Roner555
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    May 27th 2018, 8:21 PM

    Probably psed of that they are not using Dublin airport

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