Ladies strut their stuff as judges feel the heat

IT was the day everyone was waiting for in Galway yesterday as the female of the species got the chance to strut their stuff for Ladies Day.

There can be nothing more frightening than a group of competitive women jostling for position around a judge’s tent on Thursday in Galway, and this year proved to be no different.

There was even some mild controversy when a man was chosen as one of the finalists for the coveted crown.

Dressed like a US rapper complete with an ornate cane, Northern Ireland’s Hairdresser of the Year Keith Kane wasn’t a winner, but drew mutterings of disapproval from some of the female entrants.

Following a mad rush of hats and bags towards a makeshift stage, the lucky winner was announced.

Mary Therese McDonnell was finally chosen by TV3 presenter Sinead Desmond as the winner of a one-carat diamond solitaire pendant valued at €8,000, a Louise Kennedy-designed Tipperary Crystal Aurora Trophy, €2,000 cash and €2,000 in vouchers for a shopping spree at Anthony Ryans in Galway.

Ms McDonnell, from Co Mayo but living in Santry in Dublin, professed herself to be “absolutely thrilled” by the win considering she had never entered such a contest.

“This is my first time entering something like this and it is great to win. I had no idea I was going to get it. They took an extra 20 minutes in there because they couldn’t decide,” she said.

As with every Ladies Day, it was a tough decision to pick a winner. So much so that there were almost blows in the judges’ room.

“This was the toughest one ever. We almost had a row out in the back there. It really was the most fraught I have ever seen a load of judges getting,” said Sinead Desmond.

Even Gerry Ryan was brought up to have his photo taken with the lucky winner. The gregarious Mr Ryan seemed a little bemused by all the attention he was getting but said he was “bursting with excitement” to meet the winner. Like most people, he was also having no luck on the horses, but his producer Evelyn O’Rourke had won a cool €5,000.

Gerry said: “I’m borderline imbecile when it comes to horses. I placed any bets I made ahead of time as they are for charity. Paddy Power gave me some money to bet for Simon, so that’s where the money is going.”

One ecstatic entrant for Best Dressed Lady even shoved a phone in his hand with the order: “Say something to my husband.” Gerry duly obliged.

“You’re driving a truck in Co Antrim? A Scania 113, that’s a bloody good truck,” he bellowed down the phone to squeals of laughter.

Away from the hats and tans, a lonely Beatle namesake was mounting a one-man protest. The aptly named John Lennon was enjoying the races with a placard railing against the lavish lifestyle of a certain political party at the Galway Races down the years. “Fianna Fáil loitered here with great intent. Shampain Charlie” said the placard.

It seemed to work. There wasn’t a politician in sight.