Miss Ireland hopeful (20) from Derry hopes to break mental health stigma

Miss Derry, Leia Doherty is preparing to take the stage at the Miss Ireland grand final later this month, where she is hoping to use her platform to raise mental health awareness and encourage others to speak openly about their struggles.

Leia will join all 33 contestants from across the country at the grand final on November 21, describing the Miss Ireland experience as “one of the best opportunities” she has ever experienced.

Entering Miss Ireland was a chance for Leia to step outside her comfort zone and challenging herself, saying she has never taken part in anything like it.

“Honestly, I’ve never done anything like it before, so I thought I would just give it a go and put myself out there,” she said. “It’s been the best experience so far. It’s been really great.”

Currently studying performing arts at North West Regional College, Leia has been working on building her confidence in recent years.

“I was always interested in performing arts but I lacked the confidence,” Leia explained. “I joined the Inish theatre group in Buncrana a few years ago and that’s what gave me the confidence to enroll in my course.”

Although Leia is used to performing on stage she admits public speaking is what she is most nervous about at the Miss Ireland grand final.

“I love being on stage, it’s definitely what gave me the confidence to take part in this experience,” Leia said. “I’m most nervous about public speaking, even though I do shows, this just feels different,” she added.

Leia is keen to use her Miss Ireland platform to highlight an issue very close to her heart. As part of the competitions charitable work, she is supporting Action Mental Health.

She recently visited the Action Mental Health facilities on Pump Street, and praised the welcoming environment it provides for people.

“The facilities are amazing, it’s such a safe space for people, I want to bring more awareness to it,” Leia said.

The charity's work ties into Leia’s ‘Beauty with a purpose’ initiative, through which she hopes to encourage greater awareness and understanding of mental health.

Having experienced depression and anxiety herself, Leia said she wants to use her platform to help others who may be going through similar difficulties.

She believes that despite increased conversations around mental health in recent years, stigma remains a huge issue, particularly for younger people who may feel their struggles are not always taken seriously.

“A lot of people say ‘Why are you feeling like this, you shouldn’t be feeling like this you’re so young’ which adds to stigma”, Leia said.

Leia said her own parents have been hugely supportive throughout her experiences, and she hopes to encourage others who are struggling to reach out for help, particularly those who may not have a strong support network around them.

The message she would give to any young person struggling with their mental health is the importance of finding someone they feel comfortable speaking to and being patient with the process.

“It's important to reach out to someone you feel safe with,” she said.

She stressed that while your mental health journey may be long and full of trial and error, getting help and finding a plan that suits you is always worth it.

“You might have to try different councilors or therapists, some might suit you others won’t. So it definitely does take a long time, but it's worth it.”

With the grand final fast approaching, Leia is looking forward to reuniting with the other contestants, having already met several times throughout the competition, Leia enjoys hearing the different stories and motivations behind each woman's decision to take part.

“I’m looking forward to just being with all the girls again,” she said. “I love hearing all their stories too and why they decided to do Miss Ireland. Everyone has a different story, a different topic, and it's so interesting to hear.”

After already taking a significant step outside her comfort zone, Leia is hoping to make the most of the experience when she represents Derry at the Miss Ireland grand final on Saturday, November 21.