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Extra.ie
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
Styled By Niamh: New Miss Ireland Caoimhe Kenny on why now it's her time to shine
Newly-crowned Miss Ireland Caoimhe Kenny, the model daughter of Irish football manager Stephen Kenny, credits her father with her competitive edge. However, the beauty queen says her mother Siobhan is the true rallying force behind the family. 'So my mom spent her life driving me to ballet classes and my brothers to football training,' Caoimhe told Styled. 'She would have spent so much of her time in the car, but I think that has shown me how much she wanted us to succeed and be the best we could be.' Before marrying football-mad Stephen, Caoimhe's mum had been in a highly successful senior managerial role in the corporate sector. 'My mom gave up everything in order to give us the best growing up. 'So I will always credit my mom for being the biggest influence,' said Caoimhe. Now she's forging her own road to success, Caoimhe says she has developed a deeper appreciation of the sacrifices both her parents made during her formative years. Michelle Keegan Denim Jacket – Blue €37.75 'I think when you're a teenager you don't realise the kind of impact that you might have on your parents. 'But now that I'm an adult, and I sort of say to my mom 'Oh my God, I regret any time I ever made a drama about something or didn't appreciate all you did'. V by Very Crochet Hem Denim Shorts – €35 'Now that I'm an adult, I see the sacrifices she made,' said Caoimhe. Caoimhe – who was crowned the 77th Miss Ireland at the Knightsbrook Hotel in Trim, Co Meath earlier this month – told Styled that her father instilled in her the dedication that it takes to succeed. V by Very Polka Dot Maxi Dress – €66 'I think growing up and seeing what succeeding meant, and, you know, the feeling of success, I would say that definitely contributed to this idea of succeeding in whatever you put your mind to,' Caoimhe told Styled. 'Football is a very competitive sport, so I think growing up in that environment, with my dad definitely would have, you know, developed a bit of a competitive nature. V By Very Revere Collar Denim Jumpsuit – €72 'But at the same time, my dad always would have been extremely level headed. He would have always been really fair minded,' said Caoimhe. And while she says she inherited her ambition from her father, she insists he was by no means a 'pushy parent'. Michelle Keegan Knitted T-shirt – €50 'He would have never pushed me to do something I didn't want to do. 'He would have motivated me to be the best that I could do. But I think there's no denying probably the competitive nature does stem from him and growing up watching what he achieved.' Boohoo Flower Detail Low Heeled Mules – €21 Growing up in Donegal, where her dad was manager of Derry City, Caoimhe has fond recollections of weekends spent in the football stands watching her dad manage his team on the pitch. 'From a very young age, since we moved up to Donegal when he was managing Derry City, they are the earliest games I remember,' said Caoimhe. 'I would have been around six or seven going to the matches. And it became pretty much part of my weekly routine. 'We would all go to all the home games.' Boohoo Double Buckle Footbed Slider – €18.50 But now it's time for Caoimhe to shine in the household, she says her father is more than happy to play a supporting role. 'I really enjoy going to the football matches but now, obviously that I'm doing Miss Ireland, I think it's been the talk of the house for the past couple of months,' admits Caoimhe. 'And me and mom make a joke in the house that, you know, 'oh, like now it's my turn'. Like it's my time to shine.' V by Very Aztec Detal Midi Dress – €45 'But it's only a bit of banter. It's just a bit of light-hearted fun.' Banter aside, Caoimhe was seriously emotional to have her proud dad watch on as she was crowned Miss lreland at the glitzy final. 'But you know, it really meant a lot to me that he was there for the final, because obviously he has a very busy schedule, and you know, he has matches on a Friday, so he's not always available. 'So to be able to be there, that he made the time to be there, and for him to be in the audience, that really meant a lot to me.' CHECK, MATE Gingham, the quintessential chequered classic, has grown up with great sartorial aplomb. No longer the preserve of school girl outfits, prairie pastiche or tablecloths, gingham has been treated to a very stylish makeover. Stepping off the catwalks in adult cuts and polished fashion, for the summer at least, gingham is here to stay. With gingham patterns everywhere we are smitten with everything from pretty gingham dresses, peplum tops, swimwear – and even gingham ballet flats – ensure you are a check-mate in the style stakes this summer. REGALLY STYLISH Actress Michelle Keegan's latest collection at online shop Very is simply stunning. It features an eclectic selection of old-Hollywood style dresses, fun and flirty shorts, and tops that can take you from summer days to nights in a fashionable heartbeat. Looking every inch the beauty queen, Caoimhe models a polka dot dress featuring a delicate sweetheart neckline with a full-skied body which accentuates the figure. The material, cut and design of the Very collection is impressive and the reasonable price point of under €100 for a variety of dresses belies the quality. The pieces are also timeless, so not just a one-wear wonder. PLAYFUL PLAYSUITS If you invest in one piece of clothing this summer, then consider a playsuit as a never-let-you-down outfit. Playsuits are an easy-to-wear choice that can conceal any lumps and bumps if you're having a bad day, but never fail in the fashion stakes. They can be buttoned up or zipped, wide-leg or slimline chic. They are fun, versatile and take the hassle out of fashion. MINTED Whether it's olive, pastel, sea or mint – green is the colour of summer. And unlike its sisters cooler blue or warm red, green is one colour that suits every skin, eye and hair tone so be seen in whatever shade of green takes your fancy this summer season. Pictures by Michael Chester @chesterpicsMakeup by Erin Burke @erinburkemua Shot on location at Fairways Hotel Dundalk
Irish Daily Mirror
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Miss Ireland credits famous dad with teaching her how to deal with online trolls
Newly-crowned Miss Ireland Caoimhe Kenny has admitted she learned how to handle sad social media trolls from football manager dad Stephen Kenny. Caoimhe has been chosen to represent her country at the Miss World finals next year. The 24-year-old beauty queen said watching her former Ireland coach dad navigate haters online helped prepare her ahead of the pageant. She said: 'I think in any aspect, nobody likes to see a negative comment about themselves. 'I did see when my dad, obviously he was getting a lot of public scrutiny, and he was doing his best and he was doing an unbelievable job but you can't keep everybody happy and people are going to have negative things to say. 'But I am prepared that no matter what I do, there might be someone that will have negative things to say but the biggest thing I've learned is don't spend too much time reading into it. 'I find a lot of the time, with people having negative things to say, they might not be brave enough to put themselves out there like we are.' The Co Louth woman, from Blackrock, also opened up about the 'hard work' she's had to put in over the last several months to be crowned Miss Ireland. 'I think the beauty part of it isn't the hard work. When you're there, everyone is beautiful in their own way,' she said. 'I dance. I've danced since I was five so in terms of fitness, I go to dancing every week. That's something consistent in my life. 'Then one of our sponsors was clear and brilliant and they gave us a lovely skincare treatment ahead of the final. 'In terms of the hard work, it was putting together and practising for the projects in the build up to the competition and the events that were on. 'I wouldn't say it was stressful, I do enjoy being busy but there were moments where I felt overwhelmed. 'Probably just keeping that balance. But I didn't mind it at all. 'My mam is brilliant. I have to give credit where credit is due to my mam. 'I've had that massive support system throughout my whole childhood and with Miss Ireland, she is someone I can lean on. 'She's incredibly proud and she feels like she's had a win nearly because she's been with me every step of the way.'
Irish Daily Mirror
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Miss Ireland Caoimhe Kenny opens up on relationship with famous dad
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."
Irish Daily Mirror
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Miss Ireland 2025 shares the one thing her famous dad always told her
Newly crowned Miss Ireland Caoimhe Kenny has told how her famous football dad Stephen Kenny encouraged her to chase her dreams. On Saturday night, the 24-year-old was crowned the 77th Miss Ireland at a ceremony in the Knightsbrook Hotel in Trim, Co Meath on Saturday night. The Co Louth native, from Blackrock, told how much of an honour it is being Miss Ireland 2025. She said: 'It is an honour. I fully believe in myself. I put the work in over the past several months. I felt confident I can do it but at the same time, the women I shared the stage with are all so incredible and they all have incredible stories and in that moment, it really can be anyone's to take. 'The judges are looking for different things and who they feel should represent Ireland at Miss World. I was the lucky one. On that day, they felt I was the right person for that job, and they believed in me. My parents are so incredibly supportive and so is my dad. If anyone has shown me to go and chase dreams, it's my dad. My dad, when he was a young child and said he wanted to be a football manager, his parents believed in him. They carried that forward with me. They were 100 per cent behind me and supportive.' The Brown Thomas beauty buyer admitted that while she doesn't like to tell people who her famous dad is, she doesn't shy away from the family connection when she meets people. 'I would never go forward with 'I'm the daughter of Stephen Kenny' but at the end of the day, that is who my dad is and I'm proud of that. 'I have a lovely loving relationship with him. I would never try and hide it. But obviously I want people to know that I have a story too and I want people to get to know me and see beyond that. But I wouldn't try to hide that. I wouldn't change my parents for the world.' But she joked that with all the chaos around the Miss Ireland finals, she forgot about Father's Day on Sunday. 'I woke up on Sunday morning and realised it was Father's Day. I said to him, 'That's your Father's Day present'. I had it in my head that it was Father's Day and usually I'm on the ball with the presents and the cards but just this one weekend, I think I was caught up in what I was doing. But he found that amazing. He definitely enjoyed that comment,' she said laughing. Caoimhe, who has been a dancer since she was five years old, is one of Siobhán and Stephen Kenny's four children, along with siblings Eoin, Neave and Fionn. She is also a volunteer with Save Our Homeless Dundalk and Hygiene Hub Louth. 'The big part of Miss Ireland and Miss World is your beauty with a purpose projects so that's all about your reason why you want to be Miss Ireland. For me, that's the work that I do in my community and that is Save Our Homeless Dundalk and Hygiene Hub Louth. I'm very proud to volunteer with them. 'For me, volunteering in my community keeps me incredibly grounded. I realised and learned that you don't need to live someone's struggle to stand with them, you just need the courage to show up and the will to act. For me, it's inspiring other people that they could make a difference and be a voice to the unheard. 'Every single one of us has a part to play in society. That's the message I want to bring forward to Miss Ireland. We all have a responsibility. The likes of homelessness….it can happen to anyone. If it can happen to anyone, the help must come from everyone. 'That's the message I want to bring. We can all have a positive impact. You don't need to be powerful to create change – you just have to care enough to try.' The winner of Miss Ireland receives a modelling agency contract and a host of prizes before jetting off to represent Ireland next year on the international stage at the Miss World Festival.
The Irish Sun
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
I learnt to deal with abuse watching dad handle hate as Ireland boss – I want to follow his footsteps & be a role model
THE daughter of ex-Ireland manager Stephen Kenny has told how he helped her deal with tackling online abuse as she chased her dream of becoming the next Miss Ireland. 6 Stephen Kenny and his daughter Caoimhe Kenny celebrated the Miss Ireland win Credit: Brian McEvoy 6 Caoimhe said there were tears backstage Credit: Instagram @caoimhekenny1 The newly crowned beauty queen, who will be representing The Caoimhe told 'You just need to remind yourself that you're brave to put yourself out there. 'Negative things that people may have to say, they might just not be brave enough to put themselves out there like you are. You just need to own it and embrace the positive. 'Because for every few bad comments, there's hundreds of positive ones and those are the ones that you need to focus on.' She added: 'I think anyone who's in the public eye is going to be subject to scrutiny. Sometimes it's not fair but it's just the way that the world is.' Finalists from across the country put their best foot forward in a bid to grab the crown at the Knightsbrook Hotel on Saturday night. The star-studded audience also included former Miss Irelands Rebecca Maguire, Lauren McDonagh, Aoife Walsh and Anne Marie Gannon. Current Miss Universe Ireland Sofia Labus, Caoimhe told how her dad was 'absolutely' an inspirational role model growing up. Love Island legend Sharon Gaffka stuns in see-through dress at Miss Universe pageant She said: 'He's always taught me to be myself and chase after my dreams. 'That's exactly what he did, and he succeeded at it. I'm very proud to call him a dad. 'In my eyes, and I'm sure so many other people's, he did his country incredibly proud and dedicated his life to football in Ireland. 'So that's what I hope to do now, is to make Ireland proud at Miss World and follow in his footsteps.' EMOTIONAL NIGHT After scooping the title, Caoimhe told how some tears flowed backstage, and that her dad was over-the-moon with her win. She continued: 'He's absolutely delighted. He couldn't have been prouder. 'My family was all there on the night. That moment when I won, I looked down the room and I seen them all from the corner of my eye. 'They were standing up and cheering and it just reminded me why I was there and that support behind me. 'Everybody was chuffed for me. They could see how much it meant to me and the work that I've been putting in. I think they were just delighted for me.' CHILDHOOD CHALLENGES The 24-year-old, who volunteers at Save Our Homeless Dundalk and Hygiene Hub Louth, discussed how everyone faces their own challenges. Caoimhe discussed how she moved 'around a lot as a child' when her dad was working with different teams. She said: 'I went to several different schools. It was just trying to embrace that change. 'But I didn't look at it as a challenge and rather looked at it as an opportunity to meet new people and experience a new place.' PAGEANT GOALS While the beauty queen played football and The talented mover wowed judges with a stunning lyrical dance performance at the final. Caoimhe told how she had started working towards bagging the Miss Ireland title last year. 'In my eyes, and I'm sure so many other people's, he did his country incredibly proud and dedicated his life to football in Ireland." Caoimhe Kenny And after nabbing first runner up in Miss Universe Ireland, Caoimhe set herself a new goal. She said: 'I think that really fuelled something inside me and it made me realise that through this platform and 'I couldn't think of a dream I'd had that was bigger than representing Ireland in Miss World.' 'GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT' Caoimhe gushed that winning Miss Ireland is the 'greatest achievement' of her life. She said: 'Representing Ireland at Miss World is a once-in a lifetime opportunity, and I'm determined to make it count. 'I will use this platform to be a voice for change and a role model for young girls like me, girls who dream to make a difference, showing them that kindness, courage, and purpose can lead to real impact.' The Miss Ireland contest, dating back to 1947, has helped accelerate former queens careers, including Caoimhe added: 'I grew up in a small town in Buncranan, Co 'If you were to say one day I'm going to be Miss Ireland, you might have not believed it. 'But it just goes to show that ordinary girls can become extraordinary women.' 6 Caoimhe said it's a dream to represent Ireland like her dad did 6 Former Miss Ireland Rebeccca Maguire crowned Caoimhe Kenny on Saturday night Credit: Brian McEvoy 6 Rosanna Davison was crowned Miss World 2003 Credit: REUTERS / HO / Miss World Organisation 6 Miss Ireland dates back to 1947 Credit: Brian McEvoy
