Shirley Temple Bar, Queen of Bingo
International Cabaret Artiste Extraordinaire TM and former child-star Shirley Temple Bar is a Irish national treasure. And like many of our greatest national treasures, she was originally found in a ditch before she was scrubbed up and put on proud display. Her first public showing was as a contestant at the Alternative Miss Ireland in 1997. She stole the show and the crown (and a couple of handbags) before setting off on the road to stardom.
Shortly after her win, Shirley established her Sunday night Bingo in The George and over 700 shows later she’s still calling the balls. Bingo with Shirley Temple Bar is the original, longest-running and best-known show on the Irish gay scene. Entering its fifteenth year, the show has made The George the place to be on Sundays for generations of gays and thousands of people from all around the world have seen it.
Initial success provoked a lot of media attention with tonnes of column inches, radio interviews, TV appearances and two TV documentaries devoted to Shirley and her show! Shirley also moonlighted as a TV presenter for the National Lottery game show Telly Bingo on RTE1 for four years. Despite the lure of fame and fortune, Shirley kept up her Sunday show in The George. It’s her spiritual home and childhood playground. There is no show like it.
“One great party altogether” – U Magazine
“An amalgam of pub panto, drag show and beginner’s gambling!” –Sunday Independent.
“Shirley Temple Bar: you’ve got it going on!” – Adele “Twink” King
“An event that has built up a strong following of no one particular age or gender….It can only be described as an explosion of hilarity and glamour!” - City Life, Irish Independent.
“You haven’t played bingo unless you’ve played with Shirley Temple Bar” – Vanity Fair
“Shirley Temple Bar is an enthusiastic sort of girl…” Anne Marie Hourihane, Sunday Tribune
The success of Shirley and her Bingo “opened the doors of The George to a whole new audience and changed our view of Irish gay bars forever “ – RTE’s Open House.
“Lose all preconceptions. Bingo is the game for the twenty-first century” – Irish Independent
“You all know Shirley Temple Bar by now and if you don’t you should” – InDublin
“Surprisingly original drag show”– Gay Times
Shirley Temple bar “is an icon” – Hot Press
“Highlight of our trip to Dublin” BBC3’s Rush!
“Shirley is bet down!” – Sonia Ryan, Meath Street trader and Shirley’s schoolyard nemsis. (This may be a made up quote).
