Maria: No plans to say ‘I do’ yet...

Wedding planner has hectic life

FORMER Rose Of Tralee Maria Walsh runs a wedding and events company, Juniper & Ruby, with her partner Shauna Keogh but she says the busy couple are in no rush to plan their own just yet.

Maria juggles the business with her banking job, while Shauna works with her on the business and is also a television producer.

Speaking about their hectic schedules, Maria said: ‘We have a date night in Mayo or in Dublin. But we are both very busy. Like any business start-up, it takes a lot of time and effort. But it’s all about finding the perfect balance.’

Maria, who broke barriers as the first openly gay contestant to win the Rose of Tralee contest in 2014, said exercise, date nights, and restricting her use of social media all help her achieve a sense of balance. As an ambassador for Pfizer Health Index 2017 – which recently revealed 80% of Irish workers feel they have a good work/life balance while 88% of people find their job interesting – Maria said: ‘I was pleasantly surprised by the results that 80% of people feel they have a good work-life balance. I am always trying to improve and self-reflect and stretch myself.

‘I challenge myself all the time so I did a triathlon recently. I’m not the most glamorous of runners, I’m more like Forest Gump,’ she laughed.

Maria is also conscious of how much time she spends online.

‘It’s a social community and it serves a purpose. But I do think we should get out and see more people.’

Meanwhile, Maria is looking forward to seeing what direction new Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, who is also gay, will take Ireland. Maria, who met him for the first time recently, said: ‘I think it’s great, it’s very exciting.’