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Half the Patients on Some London AIDS Wards Were Irish. Why Didn’t We Know?

OUTCAST WORLD

Monday, 7 September 2026 - 22 minutes

During the 1980s, half the patients on some of London’s AIDS wards were Irish. It is a staggering fact—and part of an almost-forgotten chapter of queer history. Homosexuality remained illegal in Ireland until 1993. Many queer Irish people crossed the Irish Sea in search of freedom, safety and the chance to live authentically. They created homes, friendships and chosen families in Britain. But as AIDS devastated the community, many also found themselves on London’s wards, far from home. At the centre of this episode is Fr Bernárd Lynch, the openly gay Irish Catholic priest who founded New York City’s first AIDS ministry in 1982. He cared for people as they died, challenged the Church over safer sex and gay rights, and later continued that work in London, including at the London Lighthouse. Bernárd’s testimony—alongside the experiences of others who lived through the crisis—is at the heart of Mammy’s House, a new black comedy now running at Upstairs at the Gatehouse in Highgate until 13 September. Graeme speaks to Bernárd and the play’s co-creator and star Derek Murphy, whose screen credits include RTÉ’s We Watch, You Watch and hit sitcom Killinaskully. Derek explains why he was determined to bring this uniquely Irish story to life, combining humour and humanity while doing justice to people whose experiences were in danger of disappearing. Bernárd has now seen Mammy’s House twice. He considers it one of the most profound and authentic depictions of the era he has encountered—and believes it gives this extraordinary community the recognition and dignity it deserves.