Miss Ireland Caoimhe Kenny opens up on relationship with famous dad

Irish Daily Mirror

19-06-2025

Miss Ireland Caoimhe Kenny has openly expressed her pride in being known as Stephen Kenny's daughter and doesn't shy away from the association with her dad.
As a beauty buying assistant hailing from Co. Louth, Caoimhe was announced as Miss Ireland at a glitzy event on Saturday evening, with her renowned football manager father looking on proudly.
Stephen Kenny, the former Republic of Ireland manager, watched as his daughter clinched the national title.
It doesn't bother Caoimhe when she is referred to as Stephen Kenny's daughter because she knows she is her own person with her own story and is very proud of her dad's accomplishments.
Caoimhe told RSVP Live: "The way I look at it is, that's the truth isn't it? I am his daughter at the end of the day.
"Of course I'm my own person and of course I have my own story, but it's not something that would annoy me.
"It is the fact of the matter and I'm fortunate to have a great relationship with my dad. We get on very well and I'm very proud that he is my dad.
"So, to be referred to as his daughter, it wouldn't bother me. It's nice when people ask me how I feel about it, and want to learn a bit more about me as well."
Stephen Kenny, currently managing St. Patrick's Athletic, expressed immense joy at his daughter's victory.
Caoimhe added her thoughts on her dad's feelings: "He is unbelievably proud of me. He would always encourage me to do my own thing and he was supportive of me the whole way through.
"At the end of the night, I could just see in his face how proud he was.
"One thing about my dad is he would always be incredibly happy for us when we achieve something we want. He is just happy that I am happy."
Caoimhe describes her feeling of being crowned Miss Ireland as "surreal" and anticipates it will take some time to fully sink in.
The 24-year-old beauty queen feels a great sense of achievement in winning the title, having previously competed in Miss Universe Ireland last year.
She shared: "I'd never entered a pageant before Miss universe Ireland. I entered because I wanted to try something new and challenge myself and do something fun.
"When I finished first runner-up I realised I did quite well, and it solidified that this was something I wanted to do.
"Miss World is one of the oldest pageants in the world ,so I decided I was going to go for Miss Ireland.
"Being in Miss Universe Ireland allowed me to express myself. I'm really outgoing, I love being on stage and meeting new people.
"For me, I was able to do all of that through Miss Universe Ireland so to do it again for Miss Ireland and win is just an incredible feeling."
Caoimhe plans to utilise her newfound platform to highlight the significance of contributing to local communities and charities.
"I volunteer in my local community with Save Our Homeless Dundalk and Hygiene Hub Louth," she revealed.
"Save Our Homeless assist individuals facing homelessness and financial difficulties by providing emergency accommodation and food hampers, and general support in the community.
"Hygiene Hub is a national charity working to combat hygiene poverty. I was one of the first volunteers in Louth and worked with the charity to establish donation points in Louth. You can find Hygiene Hub donation points across the country. People donate hygiene items and they go to vulnerable people in the community.
"Through volunteering I've realised homelessness can happen to anyone. And if it can happen to anyone, help should come from everyone.
"Through being Miss Ireland, the message I want to share is everybody has a part to play in society. We all have the resources to create a meaningful impact.
"I want other people to look around their community and see what impact they can have on it, and see what support they can provide to those who need it."
Caoimhe also opened up about the misconceptions surrounding beauty pageants like Miss Ireland and Miss World, which some critics deem passé.
She explained: "People who don't know much about Miss Ireland probably have an outdated view on it.
"Miss Ireland and Miss World doesn't even have swimwear categories anymore. It has progressed to the point of eliminating it from the competition because they feel it's completely unnecessary.
"Everybody is beautiful. It's about who you are as a person.
"If you look at past Miss World winners, they're looking for an ambassador – someone who can inspire and empower people, someone who can speak and their words have great meaning behind them.
"They're not looking for this beauty queen that would look great on a magazine cover. It's so much more than that. Every girl who enters has a story they want to tell.
"The impact the women that enter Miss Ireland are having on their local communities proves there is still a place for pageantry and it's still relevant."