Emma, Viktorija and Áine hope for spots in Miss Ireland final
THREE Sligo women are vying for places in this year’s Miss Ireland final.
Viktorija Baklastova, Emma Doyle and Áine Magee are all in the semi-final stage of this year’s event, qualifying as runners-up in the last year’s Miss Sligo contest.
Should any of the trio progress to the final, they will be joining Orla Quinn, who automatically reached this stage having been named Miss Sligo in 2020.
Eight participants from a total of 20 will qualify for the Miss Ireland grand final.
Viktorija Baklastova, 22, is an international business and French student at Technical University Dublin, where she is in her third year. The past Scoil Ursula and Ursuline College pupil said that entering Miss Sligo was as a means to have something positive to enjoy in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.
She said: “During the pandemic I had to come back to Sligo and study online. It was during that time I decided to participate in Miss
Sligo. It was spontaneous – I’d never thought of doing it before and it just gave me something fun to focus my time on when not studying.”
The Miss Sligo and Miss Mayo grand finals were held in Castlebar’s Royal Theatre last autumn, with the contestants all taking part in an event which was streamed live to an at-home audience.
Viktorija said she was delighted to have had an opportunity to meet other contestants.
“I was inspired by the other girls who work with various charities and was interested in the variety of what a lot of them are studying in college as well. We were hearing each other’s stories and I had to record a one minute presentation about myself where I describe who I am and my chosen charity. I also had to explain how I would use my platform if I was the next Miss Ireland.”
Speaking about her chosen charity, the Peter McVerry Trust, she said: “Everyone deserves a home and issues around housing is something I would like to use that platform for.” Emma Doyle, 18, hails from Tubbercurry and is planning to pursuing studies in psychiatric and mental health nursing.
She revealed that her decision was inspired by a friend from Mayo who was taking part in the event held jointly between her native and neighbouring counties.
Emma said: “One of my friends was going for Miss Mayo and I decided to apply for Miss Sligo. The next day I was accepted and orientation was the next night. It was very on the spot, something to get me out of my comfort zone and give me something to do.”
Like Viktorija, Emma said she was delighted to have an opportunity to meet her fellow participants, “even if we had to do it at a distance”. Getting the word out about the Miss Ireland semi-final vote has been a mission that the participants themselves have had to take on.
Reaching a wide audience is easier said than done, but Emma is hopeful she has garnered enough support by utilising modern and traditional media.
She said: “Everyone has been great in their support. Getting the word out to your friends and family is easy enough, but we have had to promote ourselves wherever we could to get support from more people, so we would use social media a lot across all the platforms we are on ourselves and go to local media as well.” Emma’s place in the semi-finals is also unique as she is the first ever Miss Mobstar Sligo, having booked her place after receiving enough likes on her photo on the Mobstar app.
The third local semi-finalist is 25-year-old Áine Magee from Collooney, who works as a junior quantity surveyor and also studies construction economics online with IT Sligo.
Áine’s reasons for entering Miss Sligo followed a familiar pattern – a much-needed positive venture. And not just for her, but her for family as well. Áine said: “This was definitely spur of the moment with the year we were in, it was something different to do to keep my mind occupied with something positive for myself and my family because they got to get involved as well.”
Áine also spoke of the prominent role social media has played in the upcoming Miss Ireland semi-final, stating that a near constant present is necessary to ensure you are reaching enough people to cast their vote in your favour.
“Social media has a big impact on every day life now. A few years ago social media played a part in Miss Ireland, but it was a small part of it. Now you have to be posting constantly online and then Miss Ireland and Miss Sligo have accounts in which they would have been posting about each contestant. “A pre-judging video was also uploaded to allow people to get to know each local contestant.
“That was followed by a live video in which we were asked questions and that was a way for everyone to learn about us and get a better idea of our personalities that might not come across in a pre-recorded video.”
Áine said that if she were to make it all the way to being named Miss Ireland, she would use her platform to promote the work of an organisation dedicated to suicide and selfharm prevention.
She said: “A charity close to my heart is Pieta House. Now, more than ever before, I think everybody’s life has been affected by mental health in some way and if I made it to the final it is the charity I would use my platform to speak about.”
The Miss Ireland semi-final will take place during the first week in March and will be available online. Details on how to view the stream will be available closer to the date via the Miss Ireland app and social media platforms.