The bomb scare, the police and the drag queen

Robert McCready, then 27, from Ballywalter in County Down, was getting ready to go out with friends for the opening of a new gay bar in Belfast. He was going out dressed as his drag persona the Baroness Titti Von Tramp. This is the story of the drag queen, the police Land Rover, the bomb scare and a photo that travelled the world. Bomb scares were pretty common in Northern Ireland during the period known as the The Troubles.

Police Land Rovers arrived at the venue and it was secured while the security services screened the area for any devices. The atmosphere was electric, the tensions around the bomb scare fizzled away and the party just went on. The photo became symbolic for Northern Ireland’s gay community. Titti said: “I just thought, to hell with it, you only live once” The photo travelled around the world, appearing in newspapers as far afield as the United States and New Zealand.

There was a drag queen from Belfast, having fun, being visible and not letting a bomb scare spoil the fun," she said. Von Tramp is still working across the city, regularly hosting brunches and drag bingo. The club hired a replica police vehicle so they could recreate the iconic photograph. She also appeared on a drag queen special of The Weakest Link with Anne Robinson and was first to be voted off.

There is now a discussion about the original photo being turned into a mural in Belfast city centre. Titti Von Tramp will feature in an hour-long Spotlight: Blood on the Dance Floor on Tuesday 19 March on BBC One Northern Ireland. Jordan Dunbar tells the story of Darren Bradshaw, the police officer shot dead in a ground-breaking gay bar in Belfast in 1997.