The hugely symbolic gesture by Cork City Council, which will fly the rainbow flag over City Hall for the entire week, was hailed by gay rights campaigners as a milestone in the life of the city.

Dave Roche, of the Cork Gay Project, said he was filled with civic pride, and praised the various state and voluntary agencies who have been campaigning for years to make Cork an inclusive city.

“This is not necessarily about the gay community,” he said.

“This is recognition that the gay community are an active part of the life of the city.

“Imagine Cork City as a tapestry or a pattern, we are interwoven into every single piece of that fabric.

“A flag isn’t a thing, it’s an action, and when a city flies a flag like this, it’s a very powerful statement that we all recognise that a city, if it’s going to be worthwhile living in, it has to be an inclusive city, and rainbow flags have to fly from cities like that.”

Bishop of Cork, Right Rev Dr Paul Colton, urged gay and lesbian people who are involved in church life, or who once were, to engage with the debates many churches are having.

“I ask you not to give up on religion and religious institutions,” he said.

“It is essential that your voices and experiences are heard and listened to.

“More important, it is vital you do not let people drive you away. The loving welcome and inclusion of you is not theirs to take away: that love, that inclusion, that welcome, that belonging are God’s gift — grace — to you as much as to anyone else.”

Lord Mayor Cllr Catherine Clancy formally raised the rainbow flag — which was a present from the mayor of San Francisco last year — above City Hall.

A family picnic takes place in Bishop Lucey Park between 2-5pm on Saturday to mark International Day Against Homophobia.

For more see Facebook ‘Cork’s LGBT Awareness Week’ or Twitter by following @CorkLGBTWeek