Local woman returns to Mexico for Swimsuit USA competition

A local woman who was crowned as the 2017 Miss Bikini Ireland has been invited back to the world finals in Mexico to represent Derry.

Eileen O’Donnell was crowned Miss Bikini Ireland in December 2017, and shortly after she flew to Mexico to compete in the finals of Swimsuit USA to represent the country.

However, she has been invited back to the competition this year to represent Derry.

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Although she didn’t take home the crown in Mexico in 2017, Eileen said she was “delighted” to have the opportunity to represent her country on a world stage.

“I wanted to use my title wisely, to gain exposure, network and expand the Miss Bikini Ireland brand,” she said.

After she returned home, Eileen said she was “flooded with requests” to shoot with photographers across the UK, Ireland and Europe.

“Working full time as a finance assistant, it proved difficult to meet many of these requests.

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“However, my passion is within this industry and I will always endeavour to work in it full time in the future.

“In the meantime, I took as many opportunities as I could working nights and weekends which included attending photoshoots, workshops, charity events and even a promotional video for Benefit Cosmetics,” she said.

Eileen decided to take her role as Miss Bikini Ireland one step further, and worked alongside the event organisers to expand the event into the North.

“Living in the North and competing in the South was a big commitment. I wanted girls closer to home to have the opportunity to compete for a title with the potential to represent both themselves and the brand at the International finals, without the constraints of extensive travel and expenses.

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“It was a no brainer, and I organised the Miss Bikini Northern Ireland event from start to finish. All the hard work was worth it,” she said.

The first Miss Bikini Northern Ireland, Jordan Humphries was crowned at an event in the Cosh Bar and Grill on Sunday, October 7, and the following week, Eileen handed her title over to Pamela Ryan in Dublin.

“It has been a whirlwind of a year for me and I am delighted we now have two title new title holders.

“I am extremly excited to see what the next year for me will hold.

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“I have been invited back to the International finals in Cancun, Mexico this year, which takes place from October 21 to 29,” she said.

Eileen flew to Mexico on Saturday to compete in the Swimsuit USA finals along with Jordan and Pamela.

She added that she would “encourage any woman with a passion for this industry to go for it and not to let anyone hold you back.”