Lesbian Lines

Fri 10 July | 16:00 | Town Hall Theatre

2026 | Ireland | 77’

Acclaimed Irish filmmaker Cara Holmes (Notes from Sheepland) uncovers the history of the so-called “lesbian lines”, an underground network of helplines built by a community of lesbians offering connection, survival, and defiance through the simple act of answering the phone to women who found themselves restricted by conservative Irish society. In a time when it was still illegal to be homosexual in Ireland, this helpline was a necessary life-changing resource that opened up a social world of safe spaces and deep connection to many of its users and volunteers who had previously been isolated in a secret world of their own. 

This story, told with grace and humour by many of the volunteers themselves, is an important archival document, a celebration of community and friendship, and a retrospective indictment of a restrictive 1980s Catholic Ireland. 

Post-show discussion will follow

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