The Queen of Ireland

Wonderful documentary about Rory O'Neill, aka Miss Panti Bliss, the Que en of Ireland. The film deals with Rory's life from growing up in the small town of Ballinrobe in Mayo, to the start of his career as a drag queen in Tokyo and Dublin and his political activism in recent years.

Much of the film deals with the same-sex marriage referendum, which Panti was a prominent campaigner. This was preceded by Pantigate, and his brilliant Noble Call speech which was tweeted around the world with endorsements from celebrities from Stephen Fry to Martina Navratilova.

The film gives a good overview of the struggle for LGBT equality in Ireland from the 1970's to the present day with contributions from some of the leading figures such as David Norris and Tonie Walsh.

But ultimately the film is a very personal film about Rory O'Neill and it concludes with a homecoming show in Ballinrobe where he returns as a star.

The film is hugely enjoyable, as Rory/Panti is a very likable character and shows how and why Miss Panti Bliss is so popular in Ireland today.

Just a warning, if you have read Panti's book Woman in the Making and seen his stand-up show, there isn't much more information in the film other than the footage around the referendum and his homecoming to Ballinrobe.

This documentary from film maker Conor Horgan ('One Hundred Mornings') is a journey of gay rights in Ireland as seen through the experiences of the undoubted Queen of Ireland Rory O'Neil aka Panti Bliss.

It uses archive material and footage filmed for the film to tell us his life story and the ups and downs of being gay in Ireland. We also have pieces from Senator David Norris – 'The first gay man in Ireland' who still carries the torch of equality. Alongside the personal story we also get Ireland's road to referendum on changing the constitution to allow gay marriage and the fanatical opposition from certain parts of society. The whole film holds together incredibly well and is in parts uplifting, moving, frustrating and very human.

The serious side to life is brought to the fore which is a real juxtaposition of the role of a drag queen, which as Rory O'Neil explains is akin to that of an old time court jester – often saying the things that others steer away from, making fun of them and spreading mirth and joy. He is a marvellous man and I have to admit Panti Bliss is a stunning woman. He will brighten up any room that is lucky enough t have him/her grace it. A truly wonderful film and now I shall stop gushing and go and straighten up my mascara.

This film is atrocious. It follows the exploits of Rory ' Panti Bliss' O'Neill, the self-proclaimed Nelson Mandela to the 'Yes' vote. Rory is well known in Ireland for running the most popular gay bar in the country as well as being known for his 'drag act'.

With a referendum in Ireland on the definition of marriage and if gay people would be protected too under this religious definition, Rory knew he had to stand up and make a quick profit. He dressed himself up and took himself to the streets of Dublin, where he would hijack marches and force himself to the front as to appear he had organised a people's movement.

Thanks to social media and good PR, Rory was successful in his exploits of a nation and his pub soon profited, as did he. He was no longer seen as a gay pub owner, he has somehow managed to launch him self as a somewhat political socialite who would make appearance after appearance on RTÉ. Ultimately, Rory's plan had worked.

He thought that by being a drag queen, it gave him the right to represent every gay man in the country, when in fact he just managed to label them all as a stereotype further. Thankfully, Ireland has modern morales and passed the vote without needing Panti to leech from the campaign.

I highly recommended that you do not pay money to see this film. Do not watch it for free either. It is literally released to profit Rory's high life yet again. There are 100's of ways to promote and encourage LBGT. This man is not one of them.

Although Panti Bliss has performed in cities all over the world I wonder just how well known she is outside of Ireland and by that I mean within gay circles, outside of which I am sure she is virtually unheard of. Here, of course, she is simply The Queen of Ireland, an iconic figure known the length and breadth of the land, a gay icon and a 'heroine' to the Irish people. 'She', of course, is a he for Panti is a drag artist who in 'real life' is a handsome, slightly rugged small-town boy called Rory O'Neill who might have passed into obscurity, like so many drag artists before him, were it not for a few crucial events, both in his life and in the life and fabric of Irish society.

Firstly 'Panti' appeared on RTE's Saturday Night Television show where his comments lead to law suits being taken out against the station leading to an out-of-court settlement and a public apology. This, in turn, lead to a public outcry and an attack on the validity of the Irish media by members of the Irish parliament and to Panti being invited to address the audience, in the form of a Noble Call speech, at Ireland's Abbey Theatre, (filmed naturally and subsequently going viral on Youtube). After this, it only seemed natural Panti would become the poster 'girl' for the Yes Campaign in the Equality referendum that lead to Ireland being the first country in the world to vote yes for same sex marriage. Panti's role in the campaign was almost certainly the defining reason for the massive yes vote.

All of this and more is chronicled in Conor Horgan's terrific documentary "The Queen of Ireland" which begins on the day of the vote then takes us back, via home movies and various other footage, through Panti/Rory's life. This is a funny, deeply moving picture of one boy's life in the first instance and of a history of the Gay Right's Movement in Ireland in the second, making it a wonderful historical, as well as a wonderfully personal record, fueled by its tremendously likable central character.

Panti is, of course, the ideal drag queen; funny, eccentric and so over-the-top she's already half down the other side, a cartoon woman as she describes herself, part Betty Boop and part Jessica Rabbit while Rory, her real-life alter-ego, is the sweetest of men who simply can't believe his own good fortune and who has taken the blows that life has dealt him with a self-regarding shrug and a 'let's get on with it' attitude. Of course, as a gay man growing up in rural Ireland he was blessed with a highly supportive family and a community that was more embracing than not, (his return to his home town in the guise of Panti is one of the film's highlights). Here is a 'gay' movie with the widest possible appeal which certainly shouldn't be missed and could well push Horgan towards a Best Documentary Oscar next year.

The bio-documentary The Queen of Ireland (2015) originally set out to focus on drag queen Rory O'Neill and the role he played in Ireland's referendum to approve same-sex marriage equality. As sometimes happens with good documentary, the film ended up being more than that. It has become a tale about a nation's rite of passage, a celebration of diversity, and an example of the power of words to overcome entrenched bigotry towards people who appear different.

O'Neill's stage persona is Panti Bliss, a flamboyant and highly articulate communicator both as a stand-up drag queen comic and a gay rights activist. Filmmaker Conor Horgan is a long time close friend, so O'Neill is comfortable in front of the camera and in turn the camera is kind to O'Neill. The film delves into O'Neill's background via flashbacks of childhood videos and interviews with people who knew him as a young gay man struggling under the weight of Ireland's oppressive homophobic laws. O'Neill's angst-ridden story about coming out as a gay person is a common narrative but in his case he had the talent and family support as his defensive shield against the Irish Catholic bigotry that maligned the LGBT community. Two historic moments catapulted O'Neill to fame. He went from being just another 'gay in the village' to national attention when he was challenged on prime time television to name prominent homophobic figures...and he did. He skilfully channelled the inevitable media backlash to put gay rights on the national policy agenda, which then provided the platform for what became a globally viral landmark speech about gay rights. Even before the referendum, the public debate was won.

The film undoubtedly succeeds because O'Neill is a fascinating, dynamic and highly intelligent performer. It is skilfully crafted into a fast-moving bio-pic which has all the ingredients of a great 'one man's achievement' story. That is also its greatest vulnerability. Hagiography is a documentary style which unduly reveres its subject. This is not to say that O'Neill is an undeserving hero, but rather one could be forgiven in thinking that he single-handedly changed a nation, without bigotry or insults being hurled by conservative opponents of equality. We know the world is not like that. In Australia we are gearing up for a national hate-fest of historic proportions and there are no inspirational leaders in sight. But lack of balance aside, Queen of Ireland is an important, enjoyable and engaging documentary.