The enforcement of the anti-gay laws continued well into the 1970s. The two men were prosecuted, convicted and sent to prison. They, and at least 1,690 other men were prosecuted under the anti-gay laws from 1950 to 1993, with 941 men convicted, according to a recent Oireachtas Library research report. Brian SheehanCriminalisation led to a bigotry that placed less value on the lives of gay men. Men prosecuted and convicted under them faced imprisonment, public disgrace, loss of employment, exclusion from family and community life, and lifelong stigma.

Source: The Irish Times March 02, 2026 22:45 UTC