Donegal woman Grainne Gallanagh won a Top 20 placement at the glamorous Miss Universe pageant.
The Buncrana-born nurse also placed in the Top 5 in Europe last night.
Miss Philippines Catriona Gray was crowned the overall winner of the 67th Miss Universe in the early morning final in Bangkok, Thailand.
Grainne dazzled in a soft green Carlos Alberto gown called “Celtic Grace”, which was designed and named after her.
This is the second year in a row that an Irish entry has placed in the Top 20.
https://twitter.com/MissUniverse/status/1074473158034345984
On stage, Grainne spoke of her passion for women’s health and her love of Harry Potter books.
She has used her platform as Ireland’s ambassador to shine a light on women’s health issues in Ireland and internationally, and said she dreams of opening her own clinic in the future.
Following the final, Grainne took to social media to share her gratitude and delight: “Making the top 20 in the most prestigious pageant in the world is an accomplishment I can’t put into words,” she wrote.
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“Thank you to everyone for all of your support and kind words. I am absolutely speechless at the amount of support I have received from everyone at home in Buncrana, family around the world, people I have never even met.”
Grainne thanked her fellow contestants, family and team for their support.
“Thank you to my family for travelling all the way to Thailand and always believing in me. Thank you to everyone in Ireland for believing in me to represent our beautiful wee Emerald Isle.”
With all the pageantry and training complete, she added that she is looking forward to treating herself to junk food!
“Now to eat as much dominos, McDonald’s, ice cream and chocolate that I can imagine,” Grainne said.
Grainne’s fans online have rushed to congratulate her on her achievements and tell her how she made Ireland, and Donegal, proud.
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