Organisers of a US-themed child beauty pageant have signalled their intention to stage up to four more in Ireland next year — despite suffering a backlash from a number of angry parents just hours before their first-ever Irish event at the weekend.

Cork pageant mother Stephanie Murphy has confirmed that a substitute venue had finally been sourced for Ireland’s first child beauty pageant today.

The Dublin hotel which was due to stage a US-themed child’s beauty pageant this weekend, has cancelled the booking saying the organisers “did not identify the true nature of the event”.

The organiser of the first Irish staging of a contentious, US-themed child beauty pageant this weekend says she is baffled by the critics and stressed: “I really can’t understand what all the fuss is about.”

The French parliament has voted to ban beauty pageants for children under 16, in an effort to defend youngster’s rights.