Imperial Hotel (Orla Egan)
Written by Orla Egan
In the mid 1970s gay men and some lesbians began to meet in the back bar of Imperial Hotel on Sundays. It was know as Bangladesh because of the decor.
Le Chateau on Patrick’s Street became a popular meeting place for gays in the 1970s. There are rumours that, after a while, the gays were barred,
Le Chateau Cork (Orla Egan)
possibly because they were becoming ‘too obvious’.
Hill’s Bar, on the corner of Patrick’s Hill and McCurtain Street, became a
Corner of Patrick’s Hill and MacCurtain Street Cork (Orla Egan)
popular meeting place for gay men and a small number of lesbians.
Later on, Stripes bar opened across from Hills on McCurtain Street – most of the clientele were gay.
Cork LGBT History 