IT’S HARD NOT TO BE JEALOUS OF A COUPLE WHO HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED THE WOES OF DATING APPS, BUT THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT CLODAGH LEONARD (29) AND AISLING DOLAN (28) ARE.
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The pair met on a night out when they were just 19 and 20 years old. “We missed Tinder, we totally missed it,” says Aisling. The two are now engaged, and will get married on October 27 at a castle in Mayo. Aisling proposed on the day of the Marriage Equality Referendum results, something that made that moment extra special: “We woke up that morning, and we didn’t expect the results to come in until 5 or 6 in the evening really. We were so overwhelmed. I went over and opened a bottle of Prosecco and just proposed,” she says. Which adds another layer of meaning to an iconic photo of the two at Dublin Castle as the final tally was read out: “It was an emotional moment,” explains Clodagh. “And then there were 15 photographers all around us, it was really weird. It’s me looking into the future and just bawling my eyes out!” They woke up the next morning to find the image had travelled across the world. Both say their experiences as a same-sex couple have improved greatly since the referendum. “I think the message that was given to homophobic people, was that other people just didn’t support them,” Clodagh says. Three years on, Clodagh has a massive task ahead of her as Chair of Pride, but it’s one that she embraces: “It’s a lot of work, but it’s work that I love and I’m passionate about.” So what does Pride mean to the two of them? “I think with Pride, you have this annual experience of feeling you’re the majority, instead of the minority. And I don’t think that as a feeling will ever diminish, no matter how many strides we take towards equality,” says Aisling. “The fact that it’s so exciting for us to have a day where we feel completely safe and seen means that’s not as present as it should be,” adds Clodagh. “The fact that there’s a day where young people feel they can hold hands or dress flamboyantly and that’s not their everyday life? Until we have a world where people can write their own scripts and live a life that’s completely dictated by their own terms, Pride is essential.” Words: Aoife Moriarty
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