A new season of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK is on the horizon and “the Celts are coming to take over,” according to one history-making contestant.
Bonnie Ann Clyde, known out of drag as James Keogh, is set to become the first drag queen from the Republic of Ireland to walk the runway.
But that is not the only first the Dublin-born queen is part of.
Joining him in the iconic ‘Werk Room’ is west Belfast drag queen Elle Vosque, marking the first series to feature more than one contestant from the island of Ireland.
Irish sisterhood
Elle, known as Evan Keating out of drag, said the two quickly bonded over their “Irish sisterhood”.
“It was really nice to have someone… because there is such a culture difference,” agreed James.
“Ireland and the UK are so vastly different in their sense of humour and their references.”
Evan said it gave the two an edge over the other contestants.
“We definitely have a slightly different way of doing drag and we’ve had different experiences than the English queens,” he said.
“It gave us an immediate advantage when it came to being unique and different.”
Getty ImagesThe Ulster University student has been performing as Elle Vosque in Northern Ireland for almost five years.
He has recently taken a gap year from his degree in textiles and fashion, a qualification which would come in very handy for design challenges on the show.
But with a surname inspired by Broadway singer Jessica Vosk, it was the music-based challenges that Evan was most looking forward to.
“I am a queen who does it all, but musical theatre was what got me into drag,” he said.
“I just love to perform.”
‘A lot of pressure’
Evan and James told News NI that they developed an “Irish alliance” on the show, which features 10 other drag queens from across the UK.
They found a third ally for their sisterhood in Welsh drag queen Catrin Feelings.
“We were the Celtic Sisters and that was established from the jump,” said Evan.
“The Celts are coming to take over,” joked James.
James has been performing as Bonnie Ann Clyde for almost 11 years across the island of Ireland, in Gran Canaria, and now in Manchester.
Although he said there are “no abject rules” on who can and cannot compete, when he moved to Manchester it felt like the chance to represent the Republic of Ireland on the show was closer.
“I think everything you do as a drag queen, in the world where Drag Race exists, is with sense of could this get me on Drag Race?” he explained.
Being the first person to represent the Republic of Ireland is “a lot of pressure but a lot of fun”, he added.
More opportunities
Drag Race was Evan’s first foray into performing outside of Northern Ireland.
The well-travelled James said the drag scene in Northern Ireland and the Republic have a lot of common ground, allowing the two to find a unique bond.
“I think the general idea that drag is meant to be fun is shared between the two scenes,” he added.
“I think a lot of people start drag in Ireland to go out and have a good time because we’re not hellbent on making a career out of it.
“Nowadays there’s a lot more accessibility to be able to do that and there are a lot more opportunities.”
Bonnie Ann Clyde and Elle Vosque have planned a number of shows across the island of Ireland to celebrate the series airing.
Drag Race UK starts at 21:00 BST on Thursday 25 September on Three and is available to watch on iPlayer.
