Updated: 12noon
Ballyliffin beauty queen Layla Doherty has won the Miss Earth Ireland crown.
The 21-year-old student and model impressed at the national final on Saturday to win the 2023 title.
She will go on to represent Ireland at this year’s Miss Earth in Vietnam.
Layla is a Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Science student at ATU Donegal. The timing of the competition was just right, as she is currently on a gap year from university, while also working in her local Maple store.
Layla, who previously held the Miss Donegal North title in the Miss Ireland final, entered Miss Earth to promote environmental awareness and the Mica campaign in Inishowen.
Layla said after she was crowned; “I am absolutely thrilled that my voice was heard last night and that something positive came from speaking on mica. I don’t even have words to describe this feeling but I am extremely delighted to bring the crown back home and I just hope that I’ve made everyone very proud. I am so excited to take to the world stage in November to represent Ireland at the world finals and I will be giving everything 150%. I am so ready for this.”
Layla’s house is destroyed from Mica, she has decided to use her platform to raise awareness of the situation in Donegal where many of the houses in her area are crumbling around them. “They start to look like settling cracks and over time they deteriorate into massive holes in the walls and the blocks can only be described as Weetabix,” Layla added; “At the minute, the mica action group is trying to fight for a 100% redress scheme because this wasn’t our fault and no one can afford the price of a new house. With the current scheme and cost of living, families up here are still left having to pay thousands of euros to fix and slow down their crumbling homes. It’s a very frustrating and upsetting situation to be in.”
The Miss Earth Ireland 2023 competition theme is ‘beauties for a cause’ and aims to promote environmental awareness and charity endeavours. This year’s final took place at the G hotel in Galway, where Dungloe student Kevea Gallagher also took the third-place runner-up prize.
Emma Grace from Kilmacrennan and Nicole Duddy from St. Johnston also took part in this year’s content.
Miss Earth Ireland 2023 @layladoherty
Miss Earth Air Ireland, 1st Runner-up @abigaillwalshh
Miss Earth Water Ireland, 2nd Runner-up @leahmariesheehan
Miss Earth Fire Ireland, 3rd Runner-up @kevea.gallagher
