A Miss Ireland contestant has claimed he lost the pageant – after announcing no-one had been fed.
Miss Louth Fionnuala Short was tipped to take the coveted title on Saturday night, after making the last 15.
However, the 17-year-old believes she blew it when she announced on stage she and the other finalists were “hungry” after not being “fed all day” during her judges interview.
“The judges asked about the day and I just said I was hungry, and that we [the girls] didn’t get fed all day,” Fionnuala told the Irish Sun.
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“Oh my god. Everyone just gasped, but you don’t have time to think on your feet, or let the question register.
“Somebody said to me afterwards, ‘You really could have won it except for that’.”
Instead, Fionnuala came third and was beaten by Miss Buck Whaleys beauty Jessica Hayes, with Goss.ie the first to speak to her.
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But a Miss Ireland spokeswoman insisted the contestants did get food at the Ballsbridge Hotel venue.
She said: The girls and the judges would have broken for lunch. What Fionnuala meant is that the girls get themselves so wound up, which has nothing to do with them not being fed.”
“The contest would never be decided on something as flippant as somebody making a comment which everybody knew was a joke.”
> Goss.ie speaks to the new Miss Ireland
