West mayos tara in miss ireland bid

ISLANDEADY’S Tara O’Malley will represent Mayo at the annual Miss Ireland competition on Friday next, August 28.

The event takes place at the Crown Plaza, Dublin, and 31 other contestants will be bidding for the title. The winner will represent Ireland at the Miss World pageant in China in November.

A daughter of John and Debbie O’Malley, she is the youngest of a family of three, having two older brothers, Dathi and Johnathan.

Tara (22) told The Connaught Telegraph: 'When I took part in the Miss Mayo contest back in May, I was overwhelmed when I won the title and got the opportunity to go on to take part in the Miss Ireland contest. But it was something I was keen on for many years.

'After just completing my honours degree in medical biotechnology at IT Sligo, it was the perfect time to get involved.

'I would have the time to dedicate the year to the Miss Ireland role if I am lucky enough to be crowned on the night.'

In the lead-up to the Miss Ireland contest she has participated in activities which she would never have had the opportunity to take part in before.

She explained: 'We had a two-day adventure break with the Adventure Islands. All the contestants stayed together for the two days on an island and got to know each other better before the competition. This definitely helped to bond us as a group.

'Each contestant has also taken on a charity campaign to encorporate the ‘beauty with a purpose’ motto.

'As well as having a charitable interest, we are being assessed on our ability to present ourselves and speak publicly,' she added.

Tara is wished every success in the competition.