Obituary: Dave Roche, relentless campaigner for gay rights

A relentless campaigner for gay rights, David John (Rosie) Roche, who died of a heart attack at the the age of 54, was a founder member of the annual Cork LGBT Pride festival and played a pivotal role in setting up a national helpline for gays.

He was born in Fermoy into a supportive Army family, who by any standard had a grounded liberal outlook on life, and instead of being shunned he was cherished by his family who always looked on “their” Dave with pride.

Along with a congenital heart condition, a deep-seated liberalism was also imprinted in his genes. As two admirers, Siobhán O’Dowd (Cork LGBT) and Kate Moynihan ( LINC Centre) put it in a paean to him: “Dave didn’t believe in being in favour of ‘a little bit of equality’ for some people – he was committed to social justice for everybody.”

After his father was transferred to Collin’ s barracks on the northside of Cork city, he grew up in the Glen, a suburban village where a quick wit was vital for an eight-year-old. The cut and thrust of those early days prepared him for life as a gay person at a time of intolerance and discrimination in Ireland. His pals christened him “Rosie”, a sobriquet his family included in the death notice alongside his given names, David John.

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Mature student

Educated at the national school in Fermoy and Cork, he went to Rockwell College in his teens but left after a year “in something of a huff”, according to Arthur Leahy of the Quay Co-op. He later went to UCC as a mature student, taking a degree in social science, an ideal preparation for his involvement in community activity.

Committing oneself to campaign for gay rights was a courageous step in those days. For some, including Roche, it almost became a full-time career and for the past two decades he has been an unflinching champion of gay rights in Cork and beyond. He came “out” in his late teens but was not widely known as a gay man until his 30s. Larger than life, he was a big man and an outstanding communicator, whether he was talking to a group of boys or health consultants.

A chef and restauranteur by profession, he had no formal training apart from home learning, his father being a good cook. He ran a popular restaurant in the city.

Not one to sit on his hands, he became involved in health issues around the time of the Aids outbreak. Working for legal change, in 2001 he formed Unite, a youth group for gay men in a city where homosexuality was still a clandestine activity. Unite later merged with a young women’s group called Phoenix, a combination dubbed UP Cork, a clever play on words.

Marriage equality

A new day dawned for Irish gays when the referendum on marriage equality was carried by more than 62 per cent of voters. It was a campaign in which Roche devoted huge energy to convince the people of north Cork, normally one of the most conservative pockets in Irish politics, to support the proposition. As it happened, all five Cork constituencies gave it a resounding Yes.

As O’Dowd and Moynihan said in their joint tribute, an enormous contribution was made by people such as Dave Roche, individuals willing to put their head above the parapet in less congenial times and risk rejection by the crowd, adding as an aside: “Nobody revelled in standing out from the crowd quite like Dave. Many young Cork LGBT people survived against the odds and have grown into beautiful adults as a direct result of the contribution Dave made to their lives at a crucial moment.”

He is survived by his partner, Paul, mother Phil, brothers John and Michael, sisters Michelle, Margaret and Bridget.