'I just want to keep going for her'- Laois Miss Ireland hopeful on loss and representing her county

A 19 year old Laois woman is hoping to use her Miss Ireland journey to promote sustainability in fashion, inspire other young people and represent the community she calls home.

Emily O’Shea, from Crettyard, is one of 33 contestants taking part in this year’s Miss Ireland competition. Emily says the experience and journey means much more to her than the competition itself.

“I saw Miss Ireland as an opportunity to kind of challenge myself and grow and use my voice for a positive difference,” Emily said. “For me, it’s not really about the competition. It’s kind of about the person you become along the way.”

Having grown up and gone to school in Laois, Emily said she has been overwhelmed by the support she has received from her local community.

“I think Laois is a very supportive community and I think it’s just very homely,” she said. “I feel like I have so much love and support from my whole community, my little village and my family in Laois.”

Aside from the glitz and glamour, Emily has a strong connection to animals and rural life. She has been riding horses since she was four, competes in show jumping and has a horse, sheep and donkey at home.

She is also active in athletics and runs with St Abbans AC, keeping her a busy outside the competition.

“I’ve always loved animals growing up. I started riding horses when I was four, so I’ve always loved horses, loved animals and just love being around them,” she said.

Emily believes that background is an important part of what she brings to Miss Ireland, particularly because the competition can sometimes be associated with a very different lifestyle.

“You think these competitions are all glitz and glamour. You just think of a big princess, but then you don’t see the muck and the gloves,” she said.

“Out in the winter, 5am starts, 8pm finishes, I come home covered in muck from horses, dealing with the cold and the frost and everything.”

Emily believes her Miss Ireland experience is proof that people should not allow assumptions about their background to dictate what they can achieve.

“No matter what background you come from, I think you can do anything from one extreme to the next,” she said.

“I just think to push for whatever you want and don’t let anyone tell you that, ‘Oh, you can’t do this because you do this on the other side.’ You definitely can do whatever you want.”

Sustainability is another major focus for Emily, who has spent four years involved with Junk Kouture.

She hopes to use her Miss Ireland platform to encourage people to think differently about fashion and the environmental impact of the clothes they buy.

“As someone who’s very passionate about fashion, I don’t think sustainability should take away from creativity or glamour,” she said.

“Fashion is not just a look, I think it’s a story,” Emily added. “There’s a story behind every piece someone wears.”

She believes fashion sustainability needs to be considered as part of the wider environmental conversation.

“I think fast fashion is an environmental issue, not just a fashion issue,” Emily said. “We can’t talk about protecting our planet without talking about the clothes we buy.”

She also wants to challenge the idea that people constantly need to purchase fast fashion, instead encouraging people to consider second hand, vintage clothing and their local charity shops.

“I think we need to move away from the mindset that we always need something new,” Emily said. “I believe in quality over quantity, definitely.”

Behind Emily’s determination to make the most of her Miss Ireland opportunity is her personal experience with loss.

Her mum was one of her biggest supporters throughout her life, attending events, helping her prepare for junk kouture competitions and encouraging her to keep going.

Emily lost her mum last year, at the age of 17, as she was preparing to start her Leaving Certificate year. “She was always my biggest supporter, coming to every event, telling me to keep going,” Emily said.

“She’d sit down in the evenings, help me with whatever I need to do for the event the next day. She’d be the first person there with me.”

Emily said she continues to feel her mothers presence with her throughout the competition.

“I just know after she passed last year that I heard her in the back of my mind,” she said. “I knew that she’d be telling me to keep going and to not just give up just because she’s not by my side, but I know that she definitely is by my side, and I just want to keep going for her.”

Emily said losing a parent at such a young age has had a huge impact on her, particularly knowing that her mum never got to see her finish school or graduate.

“She never got to see me leave school or graduate. I just think that holds a lot, I always think about it, but you’ve just got to keep pushing yourself.”

She hopes that by speaking about her experience, she can offer encouragement or support to other young people who have gone through loss.

“It’s so hard to lose a parent in general. But a parent at such a young age, I was only 17,” she said.

The Miss Ireland experience has also given Emily the chance to develop her confidence and learn more about herself.

“I’ve learned how to manage myself, and I’ve learned more about sustainable fashion, more than I ever thought, and then more about myself and how I speak and the confidence levels that grow within doing Miss Ireland,” she said.

“I’ve learned to look at myself differently, and be like, ‘No, I can do this.’”

Emily is now looking forward to the grand final and meeting the other contestants, whose stories have been one of the most rewarding parts of the experience.

“They’re such inspiring women,” she said.

“All 33 girls I’m sharing the stage with, their stories, anything about them is so inspiring. And I love hearing from them and hearing all the inspiring women in one room speak.”

As Emily prepares for the grand final, she remains determined to use her platform to advocate for sustainability in the fashion industry.

Her advice to other young people considering taking a chance on something new is to simply "take the first step."

“I don’t really see the competition as a dream. I see it as a goal I set myself,” she said.

“I was just this girl from Laois. I applied a couple of months ago thinking nothing of it. And look where I am, representing Laois,” Emily added.

Her message is to keep trying, even when things do not go according to plan. “If you fail, you always try again, no matter what you’re applying for. Keep going,” she said.

Emily would like to thank her sponsors, DHL and Drive Through Brew, as well as her wider Laois team for all their support as she prepares for the Miss Ireland grand final in Dundalk, on Saturday, November 21.