The Dublin LGBTQ+ Pride Festival has partnered up with RTÉ Concert Orchestra to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Dublin Pride this year, in the form of SHINE a special celebratory concert.

The event, which will take place on June 20 at 8pm, has been described as "a performance to celebrate, commemorate, support and applaud the LGBTQ+ community in Ireland and beyond".

The Concert Orchestra will be joined by Wallis Bird, Shobsy, Susan McFadden and the Dublin Gay Men's Chorus.

Dublin singer-songwriter Shobsy is set to perform Bronski Beat's iconic song 'Smalltown Boy', the first single from the band's debut album The Age of Consent which was released 40 years ago.

The album sleeve famously listed 'European laws regarding minimum age for lawful homosexual relationships between men' which included - 'Eire – Completely illegal for males’.

This will be followed by Wallis Bird introducing and performing her song 'Dr James Barry', which is inspired by the pioneering doctor of the early 19th century who lived their life as a man despite being being born female in Cork 1796.

The event will also feature talks from speakers,  including Moninne Griffith of BelongTo, Mary McAuliffe, Tonie Walsh, and Martin (Beanz) Warde.

Moninne Griffith of Belong To – LGBTQ+ Youth Ireland, the Grand Marshall for the Dublin Pride Parade, will speak on the subject of young queer  people.

Dr Mary McAuliffe, historian and Director of Gender Studies at UCD, will read from Dr Kathleen Lynn's diaries, concentrating on her relationship with Madeleine ffrench-Mullen in the context of the women's work during the Irish revolution.

The writer, comedian and TV presenter Martin 'Beanz’ Warde will also speak at the event. He previously said of being gay and from the Traveller community that he’s "a minority within a minority within another minority."

Tonie Walsh will speak about the history of Dublin Pride and the wider queer struggle of the past 50 years.

SHINE promises an itinerary of genre-traversing music, including film scores, opera, and the best of national and international pop culture, as well as a celebration and commemoration of Dublin Pride.

The first Dublin Pride March which took place on June 27 1974, was led by the Sexual Liberation Movement, a Dublin-based organisation that was founded in Trinity College Dublin a year previous.

Tickets for SHINE as well as further in formation can be found here.