KEEPING its promise to bring summer to the city, Saturday's Dublin Pride parade turned O'Connell Street into a Mardi Gras scene as more than 2,000 gay and lesbian people celebrated their sexuality.
The sun failed to shine but the rain stayed away, causing relief among those under dressed for the occasion.
Not that a dress code applied; wear it loud and wear it proud seemed to be the order of the day.
Cowboys with inflated stetsons, naval commanders straight from An Officer And A Gentleman, and dancing pink flamingos could be found among the contingent.
"We like to make it as colourful as possible so we can get the message across loud and clear that being gay is OK," said Elizabeth O'Shea of Dublin Pride.
"Unfortunately, not all gay people feel they can come join in. But we always tell them that it's better to be out than in hiding."
In a spirit of being heard as well as seen, hundreds of the participants blew whistles during the hour long procession through the city centre. The chorus was joined from time to time by the sound of car horns from stationary traffic. Whether they were in solidarity or irritation at the holdup, was hard to tell.
Defiant messages like "Hate is NOT a family value" and "Let's get one thing straight: I'm not" were carried on placards above the crowd. However, the overall mood was jovial as the marchers made clear the worst days for gays and lesbians in Ireland were over.
"Dublin is a very relaxed, very liberal city," said Stephen McCabe who travelled over from Glasgow for the day. "Young people are not accepting the values which their grandparents held any more."
The parade, however, did manage to generate some controversy as the organisers criticised the Lord Mayor, Mr Brendan Lynch, for failing to meet them beforehand.
In previous years, we have been invited to the Mansion House for a civic reception - it was a lovely way to start the week. But this year, the lord mayor said he had no time to meet us," said Suzanne O'Brien.
They were happier with the support received from Dublin Corporation which gave them a £200 grant to help fund the parade, and agreed to fly eight rainbow coloured "freedom flags" along the Liffey.
The amphitheatre at the civic offices at Wood Quay was also handed over to Dublin Pride for the day. Here the whistling died down and the high heeled shoes were kicked off, as the parade turned into a party.
"It's really important that we can celebrate in a civic space like this," said Kieran Rose, of the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network. "It is further confirmation of our newfound freedom and status in Irish society."
While recent years have seen significant reform in the area of homosexuality, he said, there remain some outstanding issues, notably the Supreme Court rulings on the Employment Equality Bill and Equal Status Bill. "We hope the incoming Government makes the necessary changes to both bills as quickly as possible."
He added that with the number of participants growing each year, there is the potential to develop the Dublin Pride parade into one of the State's biggest midsummer festivals.
