When David died of a stroke in 1969, his diaries – some 38 volumes and well over a million words – were deposited in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland along with his photo albums, newspaper scrapbooks and letters. They were later discovered and transcribed by Dr Hulme from Queen’s and Professor McCormick from Ulster University as part of a wider research project, Queer NI, which examines all aspects of LGBTQ+ or queer history from the late 19th century to the 1970s. 

Dr Tom Hulme from the School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics at Queen’s said: “Finding out about the existence of gay diaries for the 1930s in Belfast was an exciting moment for me as a historian. I rushed down to the Public Record Office, where the archivists told me only a few volumes had ever been taken out by researchers. Over the next few years, I spent hundreds of hours transcribing over 600,000 words from twenty-odd volumes. I lost myself in the world of David Strain and his friends: gay novels, cruising in the city, romance and affairs. I was struck by how vibrant and open this gay culture could be; it did not match the stereotype we often hear of secrecy, shame, and sadness.  

“Hearing David Strain’s experiences then come to rich life through the talent of Hugh Costello and a fine cast for BBC Radio has been thrilling. I lived with his own voice inside my head for so long, and now he can be shared with the listening public too!” 

David Strain’s secret diaries, compiled between 1920 and 1943, provide the background to a journey from isolation and ignorance to a vibrant world of sexual desire, love and community. He was fastidious about recording not just his own feelings and thoughts about homosexuality, but also the many conversations he had with other gay men. The survival of these diaries thus gives a remarkable window into a world that would otherwise be almost entirely invisible. 

Elements of the forgotten diaries have now been dramatised for the new BBC Storytellers series ‘Hidden Belfast, Forbidden Love’, with support from the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s (AHRC) Impact Acceleration Accounts at Queen’s and Ulster University, starring Desmond Eastwood (Normal People) and Jonathan Harden (Blue Lights). 

Professor Janice Carruthers, Dean of Research at Queen’s commented: “Queen’s University Belfast has come together with partners in Ulster University and BBC NI to support this series of radio plays that shines a light on a world that has remained largely hidden until now. This collaboration is a great example of how creative engagement can open up arts and humanities research to a wider audience in an informative and entertaining way.  

“We are grateful to the AHRC Impact Acceleration Accounts at both universities which have enabled us to support this initiative.”  

Queer NI is based at Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster, and funded by the AHRC.  

All episodes of Storytellers: Hidden Belfast, Forbidden Love are available on BBC Sounds: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0022qsf  

Media

Media enquiries to Zara McBrearty on email: z.mcbrearty@qub.ac.uk