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Irish Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Miss Ireland Caoimhe Kenny opens up on relationship with famous dad
Miss Ireland Caoimhe Kenny has openly expressed her pride in being known as Stephen Kenny's daughter and doesn't shy away from the association with her dad. As a beauty buying assistant hailing from Co. Louth, Caoimhe was announced as Miss Ireland at a glitzy event on Saturday evening, with her renowned football manager father looking on proudly. Stephen Kenny, the former Republic of Ireland manager, watched as his daughter clinched the national title. It doesn't bother Caoimhe when she is referred to as Stephen Kenny's daughter because she knows she is her own person with her own story and is very proud of her dad's accomplishments. Caoimhe told RSVP Live: "The way I look at it is, that's the truth isn't it? I am his daughter at the end of the day. "Of course I'm my own person and of course I have my own story, but it's not something that would annoy me. "It is the fact of the matter and I'm fortunate to have a great relationship with my dad. We get on very well and I'm very proud that he is my dad. "So, to be referred to as his daughter, it wouldn't bother me. It's nice when people ask me how I feel about it, and want to learn a bit more about me as well." Stephen Kenny, currently managing St. Patrick's Athletic, expressed immense joy at his daughter's victory. Caoimhe added her thoughts on her dad's feelings: "He is unbelievably proud of me. He would always encourage me to do my own thing and he was supportive of me the whole way through. "At the end of the night, I could just see in his face how proud he was. "One thing about my dad is he would always be incredibly happy for us when we achieve something we want. He is just happy that I am happy." Caoimhe describes her feeling of being crowned Miss Ireland as "surreal" and anticipates it will take some time to fully sink in. The 24-year-old beauty queen feels a great sense of achievement in winning the title, having previously competed in Miss Universe Ireland last year. She shared: "I'd never entered a pageant before Miss universe Ireland. I entered because I wanted to try something new and challenge myself and do something fun. "When I finished first runner-up I realised I did quite well, and it solidified that this was something I wanted to do. "Miss World is one of the oldest pageants in the world ,so I decided I was going to go for Miss Ireland. "Being in Miss Universe Ireland allowed me to express myself. I'm really outgoing, I love being on stage and meeting new people. "For me, I was able to do all of that through Miss Universe Ireland so to do it again for Miss Ireland and win is just an incredible feeling." Caoimhe plans to utilise her newfound platform to highlight the significance of contributing to local communities and charities. "I volunteer in my local community with Save Our Homeless Dundalk and Hygiene Hub Louth," she revealed. "Save Our Homeless assist individuals facing homelessness and financial difficulties by providing emergency accommodation and food hampers, and general support in the community. "Hygiene Hub is a national charity working to combat hygiene poverty. I was one of the first volunteers in Louth and worked with the charity to establish donation points in Louth. You can find Hygiene Hub donation points across the country. People donate hygiene items and they go to vulnerable people in the community. "Through volunteering I've realised homelessness can happen to anyone. And if it can happen to anyone, help should come from everyone. "Through being Miss Ireland, the message I want to share is everybody has a part to play in society. We all have the resources to create a meaningful impact. "I want other people to look around their community and see what impact they can have on it, and see what support they can provide to those who need it." Caoimhe also opened up about the misconceptions surrounding beauty pageants like Miss Ireland and Miss World, which some critics deem passé. She explained: "People who don't know much about Miss Ireland probably have an outdated view on it. "Miss Ireland and Miss World doesn't even have swimwear categories anymore. It has progressed to the point of eliminating it from the competition because they feel it's completely unnecessary. "Everybody is beautiful. It's about who you are as a person. "If you look at past Miss World winners, they're looking for an ambassador – someone who can inspire and empower people, someone who can speak and their words have great meaning behind them. "They're not looking for this beauty queen that would look great on a magazine cover. It's so much more than that. Every girl who enters has a story they want to tell. "The impact the women that enter Miss Ireland are having on their local communities proves there is still a place for pageantry and it's still relevant."
Irish Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Miss Ireland 2025 shares the one thing her famous dad always told her
Newly crowned Miss Ireland Caoimhe Kenny has told how her famous football dad Stephen Kenny encouraged her to chase her dreams. On Saturday night, the 24-year-old was crowned the 77th Miss Ireland at a ceremony in the Knightsbrook Hotel in Trim, Co Meath on Saturday night. The Co Louth native, from Blackrock, told how much of an honour it is being Miss Ireland 2025. She said: 'It is an honour. I fully believe in myself. I put the work in over the past several months. I felt confident I can do it but at the same time, the women I shared the stage with are all so incredible and they all have incredible stories and in that moment, it really can be anyone's to take. 'The judges are looking for different things and who they feel should represent Ireland at Miss World. I was the lucky one. On that day, they felt I was the right person for that job, and they believed in me. My parents are so incredibly supportive and so is my dad. If anyone has shown me to go and chase dreams, it's my dad. My dad, when he was a young child and said he wanted to be a football manager, his parents believed in him. They carried that forward with me. They were 100 per cent behind me and supportive.' The Brown Thomas beauty buyer admitted that while she doesn't like to tell people who her famous dad is, she doesn't shy away from the family connection when she meets people. 'I would never go forward with 'I'm the daughter of Stephen Kenny' but at the end of the day, that is who my dad is and I'm proud of that. 'I have a lovely loving relationship with him. I would never try and hide it. But obviously I want people to know that I have a story too and I want people to get to know me and see beyond that. But I wouldn't try to hide that. I wouldn't change my parents for the world.' But she joked that with all the chaos around the Miss Ireland finals, she forgot about Father's Day on Sunday. 'I woke up on Sunday morning and realised it was Father's Day. I said to him, 'That's your Father's Day present'. I had it in my head that it was Father's Day and usually I'm on the ball with the presents and the cards but just this one weekend, I think I was caught up in what I was doing. But he found that amazing. He definitely enjoyed that comment,' she said laughing. Caoimhe, who has been a dancer since she was five years old, is one of Siobhán and Stephen Kenny's four children, along with siblings Eoin, Neave and Fionn. She is also a volunteer with Save Our Homeless Dundalk and Hygiene Hub Louth. 'The big part of Miss Ireland and Miss World is your beauty with a purpose projects so that's all about your reason why you want to be Miss Ireland. For me, that's the work that I do in my community and that is Save Our Homeless Dundalk and Hygiene Hub Louth. I'm very proud to volunteer with them. 'For me, volunteering in my community keeps me incredibly grounded. I realised and learned that you don't need to live someone's struggle to stand with them, you just need the courage to show up and the will to act. For me, it's inspiring other people that they could make a difference and be a voice to the unheard. 'Every single one of us has a part to play in society. That's the message I want to bring forward to Miss Ireland. We all have a responsibility. The likes of homelessness….it can happen to anyone. If it can happen to anyone, the help must come from everyone. 'That's the message I want to bring. We can all have a positive impact. You don't need to be powerful to create change – you just have to care enough to try.' The winner of Miss Ireland receives a modelling agency contract and a host of prizes before jetting off to represent Ireland next year on the international stage at the Miss World Festival.
The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
I learnt to deal with abuse watching dad handle hate as Ireland boss – I want to follow his footsteps & be a role model
THE daughter of ex-Ireland manager Stephen Kenny has told how he helped her deal with tackling online abuse as she chased her dream of becoming the next Miss Ireland. 6 Stephen Kenny and his daughter Caoimhe Kenny celebrated the Miss Ireland win Credit: Brian McEvoy 6 Caoimhe said there were tears backstage Credit: Instagram @caoimhekenny1 The newly crowned beauty queen, who will be representing The Caoimhe told 'You just need to remind yourself that you're brave to put yourself out there. 'Negative things that people may have to say, they might just not be brave enough to put themselves out there like you are. You just need to own it and embrace the positive. 'Because for every few bad comments, there's hundreds of positive ones and those are the ones that you need to focus on.' She added: 'I think anyone who's in the public eye is going to be subject to scrutiny. Sometimes it's not fair but it's just the way that the world is.' Finalists from across the country put their best foot forward in a bid to grab the crown at the Knightsbrook Hotel on Saturday night. The star-studded audience also included former Miss Irelands Rebecca Maguire, Lauren McDonagh, Aoife Walsh and Anne Marie Gannon. Current Miss Universe Ireland Sofia Labus, Caoimhe told how her dad was 'absolutely' an inspirational role model growing up. Love Island legend Sharon Gaffka stuns in see-through dress at Miss Universe pageant She said: 'He's always taught me to be myself and chase after my dreams. 'That's exactly what he did, and he succeeded at it. I'm very proud to call him a dad. 'In my eyes, and I'm sure so many other people's, he did his country incredibly proud and dedicated his life to football in Ireland. 'So that's what I hope to do now, is to make Ireland proud at Miss World and follow in his footsteps.' EMOTIONAL NIGHT After scooping the title, Caoimhe told how some tears flowed backstage, and that her dad was over-the-moon with her win. She continued: 'He's absolutely delighted. He couldn't have been prouder. 'My family was all there on the night. That moment when I won, I looked down the room and I seen them all from the corner of my eye. 'They were standing up and cheering and it just reminded me why I was there and that support behind me. 'Everybody was chuffed for me. They could see how much it meant to me and the work that I've been putting in. I think they were just delighted for me.' CHILDHOOD CHALLENGES The 24-year-old, who volunteers at Save Our Homeless Dundalk and Hygiene Hub Louth, discussed how everyone faces their own challenges. Caoimhe discussed how she moved 'around a lot as a child' when her dad was working with different teams. She said: 'I went to several different schools. It was just trying to embrace that change. 'But I didn't look at it as a challenge and rather looked at it as an opportunity to meet new people and experience a new place.' PAGEANT GOALS While the beauty queen played football and The talented mover wowed judges with a stunning lyrical dance performance at the final. Caoimhe told how she had started working towards bagging the Miss Ireland title last year. 'In my eyes, and I'm sure so many other people's, he did his country incredibly proud and dedicated his life to football in Ireland." Caoimhe Kenny And after nabbing first runner up in Miss Universe Ireland, Caoimhe set herself a new goal. She said: 'I think that really fuelled something inside me and it made me realise that through this platform and 'I couldn't think of a dream I'd had that was bigger than representing Ireland in Miss World.' 'GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT' Caoimhe gushed that winning Miss Ireland is the 'greatest achievement' of her life. She said: 'Representing Ireland at Miss World is a once-in a lifetime opportunity, and I'm determined to make it count. 'I will use this platform to be a voice for change and a role model for young girls like me, girls who dream to make a difference, showing them that kindness, courage, and purpose can lead to real impact.' The Miss Ireland contest, dating back to 1947, has helped accelerate former queens careers, including Caoimhe added: 'I grew up in a small town in Buncranan, Co 'If you were to say one day I'm going to be Miss Ireland, you might have not believed it. 'But it just goes to show that ordinary girls can become extraordinary women.' 6 Caoimhe said it's a dream to represent Ireland like her dad did 6 Former Miss Ireland Rebeccca Maguire crowned Caoimhe Kenny on Saturday night Credit: Brian McEvoy 6 Rosanna Davison was crowned Miss World 2003 Credit: REUTERS / HO / Miss World Organisation 6 Miss Ireland dates back to 1947 Credit: Brian McEvoy
The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
‘I absolutely adore you', cries ex-Miss Ireland in heart-breaking tribute to ‘remarkable' late dad after cancer battle
FORMER Miss Ireland Jasmine Gerhardt has announced the death of her father Rudolf. The beauty's dad sadly passed away after a long-term battle with pancreatic cancer. 3 Jasmine Gerhardt's father has passed away Credit: Instagram 3 He was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer days after his daughter was crowned Miss Ireland Credit: Instagram 3 Jasmine made an emotional tribute to her dad on social media Credit: Instagram 27-year-old Jasmine, from Clonsilla, took to her today to share the devastating personal news with her fans. Rudolf was diagnosed with stage four of the disease just days after his girl took home the Miss Ireland crown back in 2023. On her social media Jasmine, who has a master's degree in Human Rights and European Union Law, posted some beautiful snaps she had taken over the years with her dad. In one photo, the pair were all smiles as they grinned wide for a quick selfie. read more on miss ireland In another snap, Jasmine looked over the moon to be on FaceTime with her dad while he was soaking up the sun on a holiday. In a heart-warming throwback snap to when she was a tot, Jasmine looked unrecognisable sitting on her dad's shoulders as they both explored a stables. She also penned a heartfelt message to her late dad alongside the images. She said: "Rest in Peace Dad. The love of my life, my best friend I truly don't know how I will live without you. Most read in Celebrity "Thank you for being the most remarkable man I'll ever meet - I adore you dad I absolutely adore you. Until we meet again Schatzi." Friends and fans raced to the model's comment section to share their condolences. RTE 2FM star shares 'stressful' bad habits Former Xposé host, Glenda Gilson wrote: "Aww, I'm sorry, Jasmine. Thinking of you all today." Aoife commented: "Aw Jas I'm so sorry to hear this & so sorry for your loss. Sending you love." Chris wrote: "Jasmine so sorry for your loss, thinking of you and your family." 'SO MUCH LOVE' Another fan added: "Sending so much love to you Jas. You are so strong and I'm sure he is the proudest Dad in the world." Jasmine had the honour of holding the Miss Ireland title for longer than usual as there was no ceremony in 2024. But due to her dad's illness and eventual passing, she was unable to make During the evening, 21 finalists stepped out into the spotlight vying for the coveted crown at the glam event. However, only one of the girls could emerge on top to claim the Miss title - and that was Caoimhe Kenny, daughter of former manager, Stephen Kenny.
Sunday World
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
Former Miss Ireland pays tribute to father following his death
He was diagnosed with cancer days after she won the pageant in 2023. Former Miss Ireland Jasmine Gerhardt has paid tribute to her father Rudolf following his death. The 27-year-old was crowned at the 2023 competition, just days before she found out her father was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer. Taking to social media this morning, the model shared a carousel of photographs with the caption: 'Rest in Peace Dad.' 'The love of my life, my best friend I truly don't know how I will live without you,' she continued. 'Thank you for being the most remarkable man I'll ever meet - I adore you Dad, I absolutely adore you. Until we meet again Schatzi. Just yesterday, Gerhardt took to Instagram to send her dad wishes on Father's Day. 'To the love of life Happy Fathers Day,' her tribute began. 'You've taught me strength, determination, and the meaning of hard work-not just through words but by living it every day. 'You are the kind of man I only pray to find again in this world. I'll spend my life looking for pieces of you in every corner, in every moment and in myself. 'All I want is to make you proud. That will always be enough for me,' she said. 'I adore you dad happy Father's day.' Jasmine previously told the Irish Mirror her father was given 'three to six months to live' following his diagnosis. 'He's doing really, really well,' she said in July 2024. 'He made a decision to stop chemo there a month ago and he's taken a different route with it. He's changed his diet, he's gone very organic… it seems to be working,' she added. The Law graduate was due to appear at the Miss Ireland 2025 final this weekend to hand over her tiara to the winner, Caoimhe Kenny, but she was not in attendance. Rudolf Gerhardt and his wife Sharon own Rudy's Restaurant in Blanchardstown. His funeral details are yet to be confirmed.
