Declan Buckley is an Irish television personality and drag queen from Dublin, Ireland, going by the persona Shirley Temple Bar. This name is a play on the name of the American child actress Shirley Temple and a cultural area of Dublin city called Temple Bar. He also writes a weekly column in national newspaper, The Star on Sunday. He has a business degree from Dublin City University.[1] He featured on several documentaries for Irish and British television, an Irish language programme by broadcaster TG4 was nominated for an Irish Film and Television Award in 2003.[citation needed]
Declan Buckley | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Irish |
| Other names | Shirley Temple Bar |
| Education | Marketing |
| Alma mater | Dublin City University |
| Occupation | Television personality |
| Known for | Telly Bingo |
A 1997 winner of the Alternative Miss Ireland competition which helped launch his career,[2][3] Buckley hosts a weekly bingo and drag show in Dublin's gay bar, The George.[4]
In 2001, he caused a stir when his character Shirley Temple Bar took over the presentation of the National Lottery game show, Telly Bingo, on television. In 2004, Buckley began to present the show as himself.[5][6]
References
edit- ^ "Me and my money: Shirley Temple Bar". Irish Independent. 20 May 2010. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
- ^ Mullally, Una (15 October 2011). "'Gay Christmas' is cancelled. So long, Alternative Miss Ireland". The Irish Times. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
The contest ignited the careers of Shirley Temple Bar and Katherine Lynch and has featured judges as diverse as Twink, David Norris, Marc Almond, Nell McCafferty, Ivana Bacik and Brendan Courtney.
- ^ "A dress rehearsal for life". Irish Independent. Retrieved 3 June 2009.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Bingo with Shirley Temple Bar". The George. 6 November 2011. Archived from the original on 18 August 2012.
- ^ Millar, Scott (21 November 2004). "It's a drag being Shirley says RTÉ's 'new' lotto host". The Sunday Times (Subscription required).[dead link]
- ^ "The man and the mask; Ger Philpott meets the guys behind three of the Dublin drag scene's most glamorous gals". The Irish Times. 17 August 1999. p. 10.
Dubliner Declan Buckley, aged 30, aka Shirley Temple-Bar, studied marketing at DCU. He came to drag later than his colleagues. "The first time I properly did drag was for the Alternative Miss Ireland contest in 1997." He won the title. "Shirley Temple-Bar is a simplistic, girl-next-door type, not a glamour puss. Hers is a character-driven look. She's 14 years old, a schoolgirl from the Coombe," Declan says. "She's drawn from old memories anyone brought up in Dublin would have. The things old people talk about. Like going to Boyers' restaurant for tea and cakes with your granny.