Thursday, August 18, 2011

Miss Ireland 2011



Long live the Miss: Manners Oshafi & Emma Waldron; 2. Sophie Anderton & winner Holly Carpenter; 3. Elaine Butler Doolin, Laura Bermingham & Debbie O’Donnell. (Pix. Brian McEvoy)

Miss University Holly Carpenter was crowned Miss Ireland 2011 in association with Aspire (it’s a calorie burning soft drink, dontcha know) at a gala ceremony. Holly, who was chosen by the After Dark team, is no stranger to the social scene and indeed is a granddaughter of the late gossip columnist Terry Keane.

First runner up was Rebecca Maguire and second runner up was Aisling Alcock. The sparkling highly choreographed show featured stunning fashion showcases and an eclectic mix of music and entertainment. The event was an impressive production with celebrity hosts Sinead Desmond from TV3s Ireland AM and Q102’s Ray Shah.

Heats ran all over the country to find contestants from each county with beauty, poise and personality to take part in the forthcoming Miss Ireland 2011 competition. Miss Ireland 2011 will then go on to represent Ireland in the Miss World Pageant which takes place in London on November 8th.

Guests on the night included Miss Ireland 2010 Emma Waldron, new band Element just back from XFactor UK, Celia Holman Lee, Cathy O Connor, models Tiffany Stanley, Hazel O’Sullivan and Nadia Forde, TV3 hosts Alan Hughes and Andrea Hayes on her first outing since becoming a new mum and her husband Dave Torpey.