First Transmission
Scene Queen - October 2002
At last! A forum to air my frequently psychotic views!
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 At last! A forum to air my frequently psychotic views! Having returned to Cork after a period spent in Waterford, it didn’t take me long to make my grand return to the gay scene. In my absence, there’d been a few changes, with Cork clubland shaking itself up noticeably. My friend Declan knows absolutely everything that goes on in Cork’s gay underworld, so I plied him with questions as to what had been going on. I soon learned that a new club night called Isidingo had started up, Workout@The Savoy was on a break, the Other Place is open on Sundays and Soulsides@The Half-Moon has finished (boo!). If there’s a new club in town, I have to check it out. I decided to head to Isidingo with my best bud Finbarr. We got tanked up in Taboo beforehand, and met some people also heading out, so we went together. I couldn’t believe how many people hadn’t bothered checking it out yet, but apparently, it didn’t receive a whole lot of promotion, which is rare for a club launch these days. It felt strange heading to a gay night over on the western end on town, seeing as after dark the Washington St area is chiefly famous for its hetero meat-market clubs. On the way, someone told me that Isidingo is named after a South African soap opera, although they couldn’t explain the connection. Once inside, the thing that struck me most about Isidingo is how, er, female it is. It’s been promoted as a gay and lesbian club, but it seems that the girls outnumbered the boys 10 to 1 on the opening night, and that’s the way it’s stayed. I always used to wonder why there were so few women at The Other Place, or even the various gay-friendly nights down through the years, but apparently they were waiting for Isidingo. The club itself is an enjoyable enough night out. Musicwise, we’re talking the poppier ends of the r’n’b and dance spectrums. It’s got a very laidback atmosphere, and I think it would make a unthreatening introduction for any scene newcomers. October means Outlook, the gay film fest. My friend Liam and his latest squeeze went to see a late film at the Kino on the Friday, which they raved about afterward. I’m not huge on arthouse film, but the next afternoon I went to see “L.I.E.” at The Opera House with my new workmate Sarah. L.I.E. is about the relationship between two teenage boys, one of whom is a hustler. We both really enjoyed it, it had that gritty “Six Feet Under” quality to it. After the film, we went back to Sarah’s house in St Luke’s, and hung out watching TV. Later on, we headed for Scotts (her choice!), and then The Roundy (a happy medium). Now, at this junction, I have to take a minute to rhapsodize about The Roundy. The Roundy is my favourite bar in Cork after The Bodega. The thing about The Roundy is that all aspects of its design are impeccable. The management took inspiration from the fact that the street-facing wall of the pub is “roundy” and ran with the idea by installing round tables, mirrors, shelving and a round goldfish bowl. Speaking of the round mirrors, which for the uninitiated are located over the urinals in the mens’ toilets, Sarah told me they’re actually gaining the bar a bad rep in some circles. She knows straight guys who avoid the bar because they think other guys are checking out their dicks in the mirrors. As far as I can tell, the mirrors are a bit too high for that, but there you go. Because The Roundy is a good-looking bar, it attracts a good-looking crowd. In fact, just entering the bar makes everyone look a little better. It can get uncomfortably full, but once you’ve bagged yourself some seats, you’re flying it. It’s the perfect place to go if you’re with a mixed crowd because it caters for everyone. We had such a good time in The Roundy, we decided we wouldn’t bother going clubbing. After closing time, we joined the queue for Hillbillies and then ate our food on a bench by the river—a great end to a great day. More very soon!
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