Galway girl Laura bookies’ favourite for Miss Ireland
The pressure is on for Galway beauty Laura Fox, who was crowned Miss Galway in April, as the Miss Ireland competition gets underway tomorrow.
The 22-year-old Galway girl had no previous experience of modelling and says that her outfit for the Miss Galway competition was only finalised an hour before the pageant. It was the dress that “really did it for the judges” she said.
“I’m new to modelling. It’s something I always wanted to get into but never could.” The Miss Galway competition was a big step for Laura. Now she’s ready to take the next leap and represent Galway in the Miss Ireland competition.
Judging started last week with a trip by the 30 Miss Ireland hopefuls to Westport, where they took part in messy activities to try and disprove the ‘beauty is skin-deep’ theory.
“They tried to strip it away from the whole beauty pageant so we had no make-up and we were covered in mud and sweating buckets,” Laura laughed.
The thought of the competition is “daunting” to Laura who is delighted to have gotten this far but doesn’t want to “fall over the last hurdle”.
“So I’m scared. I am. And anyone who says they’re not is lying. But I’m also really excited because how often are you going to get an opportunity like this?” she said.
Laura, from Moylough, currently works in the Corrib House Tea Rooms in Woodquay, but plans to return to college next year.
The Miss Ireland pageant will take place tomorrow night in the Ballsbridge Hotel, Dublin, but the girls have been on the go since yesterday, when they were out in shorts and heels, collecting money for Autism Ireland, Miss Ireland’s chosen charity.
Bookmakers Boylesports have listed her as their 5/1 favourite to win the competition. She is placed fifth on Paddy Power’s list of favourites at 10/1. It seems like a lot of pressure, but Laura isn’t feeling it yet.
“Everybody keeps asking me if I feel under pressure and I know I should feel pressured to look a certain way. But when I did win the Miss Galway pageant, I made myself a promise that I wasn’t going to change; that I wasn’t going to mould into something that people want me to be. I can’t please everyone so if I please myself then I’m happy out,” she said.
Read more in today’s Galway City Tribune