Latest news with #SaveOurHomelessDundalk
Irish Daily Mirror
2 days 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
5 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
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Former ROI manager Stephen Kenny's daughter crowned Miss Ireland & steps out with rarely-seen-family in new snaps
IRISH sporting legend Stephen Kenny's daughter Caoimhe posed for a snap alongside her dad as she bagged a major crown. The popular footballer shares three other kids with his wife Siobhan; Eoin, Neave, Fionn and Caoimhe. Advertisement 3 Caoimhe took home the Miss Ireland crown last night Credit: Brian McEvoy 3 Caoimhe was runner-up last year in the competition Credit: Brian McEvoy 3 All of Caoimhe's family were at the glam event to celebrate her win Credit: Brian McEvoy Yesterday, the 77th Miss Ireland competition took place at the Knightsbrook Hotel in Trim, Co Meath. During the evening 21 finalists stepped out into the spotlight for the glam event, vying for the coveted crown However, only one of the girls could emerge on top, and the latest recipient of the Miss The pair beamed as they posed for a quick snap after Caoimhe had received the top accolade. Advertisement read more on stephen kenny Caoimhe was the first runner-up in the competition last year in She is also a volunteer with Save Our Homeless Dundalk and Hygiene Hub Louth. Caoimhe also worked for the Junk Kouture competition and attended the Oscar Wilde Awards in LA wearing a dress made from plastic created by teenage students in Ireland. She has been a dancer since she was five years old, training in ballet, tap, modern dance and acrobatics. Advertisement Most read in Football Live Blog The 24-year-old embraced her dad warmly as both of them could barely contain their joy. The 53-year-old looked dapper in a smart green and black three piece suit. RTE star makes hilarious response to Joe Duffy replacement rumours While Caoimhe looked ethereal in a jaw-dropping green frock that featured little embellished flowers. In another snap from the evening, former Miss Ireland, Rebecca Maguire delightedly handed over the crown to Caoimhe. Advertisement It was a full family celebration for Caoimhe as after receiving the crown, she was snapped chatting to her two grannies. PROUD PARENT Both Stephen and Siobhan's mothers, Marie Kenny and Olive Whelan, beamed with pride as they spoke to their granddaughter. Former Miss Irelands include In recent years, the Miss Ireland franchise has raised over €350,000 for various charities including Laura Lynn, Temple Street, Alzheimer's Ireland, Pieta House, The Cari Foundation and The Julian Benson Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Advertisement The Miss Ireland pageant aims to celebrate intelligence, ambition, and cultural pride, evolving into a platform that champions female leadership and philanthropy. 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.
Dublin Live
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Dublin Live
Pictured: Caoimhe Kenny daughter of Stephen Kenny crowned Miss Ireland 2025
Caoimhe Kenny was crowned the 77th Miss Ireland last night. Louth beauty Caoimhe, the daughter of Irish football manager Stephen Kenny, won the coveted crown at the Knightsbrook Hotel in Trim, Co Meath. The 24-year-old volunteers at Save Our Homeless Dundalk and Hygiene Hub Louth. Caoimhe, who has been dancing she was five, showed off her skills as part of the talent competition last night. Caoimhe has joined a legacy of inspiring role models including Former Miss World Rosanna Davison and former Miss Irelands - Pamela Flood, Holly Carpenter, Rebecca Maguire, Lauren McDonagh, Aoife O Sullivan, Amanda Brunker, Pamela Uba, Aoife Walsh, Michelle Rocca, Olivia Tracy, current Miss Ireland Jasmine Gerhardt and many more. In recent years, the Miss Ireland Franchise has raised over €350,000 for various charities including Laura Lynn, Temple Street, Alzheimer's Ireland, Pieta House, The Cari Foundation and The Julian Benson Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The finalists of Miss Ireland are put through their paces in a challenging competitive process testing their skills in debating, public speaking, talent, sports, modelling, social media and each finalist will be tasked with raising much-needed awareness and funds for their chosen charities. Dublin night time safety poll Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage.
