Michael Dillon: Ireland's Extraordinary Trans Pioneer

Michael Dillon: Ireland's Extraordinary Trans Pioneer

About the exhibition

An exhibition exploring the remarkable life and legacy of Michael Dillon (1915–1962) — an Irish doctor, writer, athlete and Buddhist monk, and the first recorded transgender man to undergo gender-affirming surgery.

Born into an aristocratic family in County Meath, Dillon studied medicine at Trinity College Dublin between 1945 and 1951, where he was also a distinguished rower. In 1946 he published Self: A Study in Endocrinology and Ethics, arguing that people should be able to receive medical treatment to bring their bodies into alignment with their internal sense of gender.

The exhibition traces his life, ideas and pioneering medical transition, undertaken between 1946 and 1950 with the surgeon Sir Harold Gillies. Through text, photographs, sound and video it places Dillon's story within the wider histories of medicine, gender, identity and social change.

Curator Francis Fay: “Michael Dillon's story is extraordinary not only because of the pioneering medical procedures he underwent, but because of the ideas he articulated decades before transgender healthcare became more widely understood.”

Opening times — Sat 26 Sep 11am–6pm (official launch from 1pm); Tue 29 Sep 1–9pm; Wed 30 Sep, Thu 1 Oct and Fri 2 Oct 11am–9pm; Tue 6 Oct 1–9pm; Wed 7 Oct and Thu 8 Oct 11am–9pm. Closed 27–28 September and 3–5 October.

A public conversation on Dillon's life and legacy takes place on Thursday 8 October, 6.30–7.30pm in the Outhouse Theatre, with Ruadhán Ó Criodáin of ShoutOut in conversation with curator Francis Fay. Free admission, booking via Eventbrite.

Presented by Outhouse LGBTQ+ Centre as part of Dublin Festival of History 2026.

Topics

Galleries

Upcoming dates

This event runs on several dates — pick the one that suits you.

September 2026

  • Sat 26 · 11am–6pm
  • Tue 29 · 1pm–9pm
  • Wed 30 · 11am–9pm

October 2026

  • Thu 1 · 11am–9pm
  • Fri 2 · 11am–9pm
  • Tue 6 · 1pm–9pm
  • Wed 7 · 11am–9pm
  • Thu 8 · 11am–9pm

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