Melanie does the model county proud
MISS Wexford Melanie Delaney came in the top-eight in last week’s Miss Ireland competition, a more than creditable performance for a young woman competing against models with years of experience on the runways.
‘I had never done a photo shoot, walked on a runway or talked about myself on stage. So I feel very proud to have done so well in the final, without the support of an agency or a mentor behind me like a lot of the others,’ said Melanie, back home in Glynn.
She said the overall experience in the competition was ‘brilliant’.
‘It was a lovely opportunity to meet girls my own age, something I’ve found hard to do since graduating college at 21 as I don’t get the chance to work with people my own age,’ said the 22 year old.
‘I’ve met girls from across the country and have made some genuine friendships. We all got together for photo shoots and Press calls so by the time the final came we felt really close as a group.’
Melanie, a pharmacy technician and a former student of Wexford Loreto, is the daughter of auctioneer JP Delaney and his wife Eilish who went along to support her in the final at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Dublin.
‘The experience has definitely helped me feel more confidence within myself. When you are walking down the runway you have no choice but to be confident,’ she said. A feature of the Miss Ireland was the muchfeared ‘killer question’ put by one of the judges to each of the top eight. Melanie’s was put by Sacha Livingston, who was Miss Ireland 2015 and who asked her ‘What is the relevance of beauty pageants in today’s society’.
‘I spoke about how beauty pageants allow a platform for women to speak about charity and services close to their heart, allowing the promotion of positive messages,’ said Melanie, adding that Miss Ireland was a role model for young women, a hard-working woman who would encourage young girls to strive to excel in education and in their career. ‘I received very positive feedback on how I answered my “killer question” from members of the audience after the show. I was proud of how I did and felt I represented myself well. ‘Despite not winning, I still have my title of Miss Wexford for the next 11 months or so. I hope to continue my charity work with LauraLynn who are the charity partners of Miss Ireland 2017 (and) I hope to work with other charities and organisation within Wexford,’ she said. ‘I feel very honoured to be representing Wexford and hope I can continue to do my home county proud as I continue my duties as Miss Wexford.’