TO mask the fact he was gay Domhnaill Harkin created an alter-ego for himself – Daniel.

It was only after years in denial that he finally found the courage to confront who he really was. Now the Burt native is using his personal experience to encourage young people to talk about LGBTQ+ issues.

Living in Dublin, Domhnaill volunteers with ShoutOut, an organisation that sends volunteers into schools and workplaces to raise awareness and understanding of what the gay community faces. ShoutOut also aims to stop discrimination and bullying in any environment, especially secondary schools.

As part of Pride Month the 26-year-old recently compiled ‘Know Your Queer History’, a series of 12 interviews with people who have fought for gay rights in Ireland and whose efforts helped pave the way for the 2015 same sex referendum.

Among those he spoke to were former president Mary McAleese, Senator David Norris, gender recognition campaigner Dr Lydia Foy, former TD Katherine Zappone and former political director of Yes Equality, Tiernan Brady.

Transgender Equality Network Ireland chair Sara Phillips, director and historian Edmund Lynch, activist Tonie Walsh, academic Ailbhe Smyth, Gay and Lesbian Equality Network chair Kieran Rose, former member of the Cork Gay Collective Cathal Kerrigan and journalist Suzy Byrne also participated in the project.

Reflecting on his own journey, Domhnaill said, “I had a really traditional Catholic upbringing where we went to Mass every week. Growing up in Burt, this very rural community, I didn’t even know what gay was.

“But as I got older in school people began to assume I was gay because of my mannerisms. And that led to years of name calling and bullying.”

Still unsure of his sexuality, the episodes convinced a young Domhnaill that he couldn’t be gay because, as the bullies and society in general kept telling him, being gay was wrong.

“At school I managed to shut it out but it turns out they were right.”

After leaving secondary school in June 2012, Domhnaill moved to study law at Dublin City University. The capital soon made him realise that there was life beyond rural Donegal and its suffocating morality.

“I decided to experiment. I would meet boys on dating apps, always sure to use my fake name Daniel (the English version of Domhnaill). I was always careful to ensure that we didn’t have any mutual connections. In my mind I was going to eventually marry a woman and this gay side of me would disappear.”

That though changed in 2016 when Domhnaill started developing feelings for another man.

“It got me thinking that if this is so wrong, why did it feel so right?”

That experience of having feelings for a man prompted Domhnaill to accept himself. It also convinced the then 23-year-old to tell his parents about his double life.

“I rung my mum and said ‘I need to tell you something’. Mum was shocked and worried and she just wanted to make sure I was okay. When we met up in person we spoke about it at length and she just wanted to make sure I was coping with it all.

“With my dad, I wrote him a letter because I was too nervous to tell him in person. I left it on his bedside locker and when I was back in Dublin he rang me to tell me that he loved me no matter what.

“It was the most nerve wrecking thing I had ever done but I remember being home for a few days afterwards and I was standing washing a cup. And suddenly it just hit me that after all the years and all of my bottling things up, they loved me no matter what. It was such a mundane moment but it was a very powerful moment too and it made me realise that often you can be your own worst enemy.”

Ireland went from decriminalising homosexuality in 1993 to legislating for same sex marriage in 2015 – remarkable progress for a state which for years looked to the Catholic Church for direction.

“Things have changed a lot since I was in school,” says Domhnaill.

“In my local town there are Pride flags, something I never thought possible.

“Things have definitely got better but there is still  some way to go, particularly in rural communities where the Catholic Church – and we know their views on homosexuality – continues to have a strong influence. And when you have such a central institution saying what they say, people do listen to that.

“I understand the positives that the church brings to communities, especially in rural Ireland, however I think their stance on LGBTQ+ people is very damaging for the community.

“Personally I will always have a faith from my Catholic upbringing but I totally disagree with the institution and what they stand for. We saw only a few weeks ago that the new RSE curriculum developed for primary schools by the Irish Bishops Conference places LGBTQ+ relationships on a lower pedestal to heterosexual relationships. The new curriculum states that the church’s teaching of marriage being strictly between a man and woman cannot be omitted from the lessons. I wonder how any young LGBTQ+ person will feel hearing that in school.”

Now very comfortable in his own skin, Domhnaill is half way through a masters degree in social work at UCD. He is also working with the homeless charity The Peter McVerry Trust and is still involved with ShoutOut.

And while he has no plans to return to Inishowen to live, he does travel home every few days to visit his parents John and Suzanne.

“For many reasons I don’t see myself moving back to Donegal. One of them is that my life is here and I enjoy city life. There are other cities I would like to live in, for example when I’m finished my studies I would love to go to Australia.

“At this point in my life I can’t imagine myself living permanently in Donegal ever again. But I’m happy and I’m able to be myself because of the people who came before me.

“And that is what the series I’ve just completed is about – highlighting the stories of the many trail blazers and advocates who have paved the way for the Ireland we know today.”

Domhnaill’s interviews are available to watch on ShoutOut’s Facebook page, YouTube https://youtu.be/k7n2tg8uY5w and Instagram channels.