Miss Macra nomination for Róisín

THE branch is only a few months old but a member of Ennis Macra na Feirme has been chosen to represent the county as Clare’s entry in the international Miss Macra competition this August.

Róisín Rodgers told us that she is thrilled to be a finalist in the competition and that she will do her best to “do the county proud”. A student of Irish Music and Dance at UL, Róisín is Ennis Macra’s PRO. Hailing from Ballinruan Róisín was named Macra’s Miss Clare following a series of tough interviews where she was put through her paces.

On the bank holiday weekend she will be competing for the crown at the 42nd international Miss Macra festival in Tipperary.  “It is such an honour to be able to represent the county and I am extremely grateful to have been chosen. I hope to do the county proud. I was absolutely gobsmacked to have gone through as the Clare representative. I suppose what the judges were looking for in an individual was someone they felt would do their county proud, and represent their club to the best of their ability. I feel I am that, I’m a hard worker and I will do my best. Everyone is in with a chance but I’m going to go down and do my best for Clare Macra,” she said.

Róisín believes that bringing the title home to Clare would be of huge benefit in the development and promotion of her local club, as well as other clubs throughout the county.

“I have been involved with Macra for the last six or seven months and I’m a member of the Ennis branch which was only set up this year. It’s a fantastic branch and we’ve been involved in lots of things since we set up such as a recent fundraiser for the Clare ISPCA. When we had the fundraiser I was amazed that not many people knew that we even had Macra here in Clare. That’s why we went about getting a stand at the County Show, promoting awareness of the organisation.”

For the competition she is not just representing Ennis Macra, but the entire county.
“I am conscious of that and it’s a big undertaking to be representing all of these clubs, not just Ennis but Kincora, Sixmilebridge/Kilmurry, Lissycasey and West Clare.

“For the overall winner, the judges are looking for somebody who is going to be an ambassador for Macra, who is willing to promote the festival and Macra throughout the country and outside, because of course Macra isn’t just in Ireland, it’s in the UK and America also.”

Girls will be travelling from all over the country and beyond to take part in the competition, with the festival kicking off on Friday, August 2 and running until the following Monday.
A host of events have been planned for the weekend with Róisín and the other contestants staying with host families for the duration. “I think that is a lovely idea, I was at the launch of the festival and it really came across that this festival is all about community. It’s been going for 42 years which is just phenomenal,” she said.

One event that Róisín is particularly looking forward to is a family fun day where all of the contestants will don their county colours. While there are lots of fun events planned, the weekend will also involve interviews with the judges as well as their onstage interview where they will also have a chance to show off their talents. An accomplished musician and traditional singer, Róisín’s ‘party piece’ during the competition will see her sing My Lovely Rose of Clare while accompanying herself on the harp.

As well as the harp, Róisín plays the concertina, fiddle and tin whistle. She enjoys sharing her music to help people with special needs, the young and old and this is an avenue she will pursue when beginning her masters in music in September.Dance is another passion for the 22-year-old. A talented Irish, set and sean nós dancer, she is also a past member of the Hell for Leather show. Róisín also does a lot of volunteer work in her local community and was awarded Presidents Volunteer Award at UL.

The official announcement of who will be crowned the winner will be made at midnight on Sunday at the international Miss Macra gala banquet.

“The way the weekend is set up with all of the events is great because it gives everybody an opportunity to showcase themselves, and to give something back to the organisation.

“I’ve gained so much since joining Macra and I’m delighted to be able to give something back.

“I would like to express my appreciation to everyone involved with Macra in Clare. Since I was named the Clare representative the feedback I have got from people has been unbelievable. It’s been really fantastic and I’ve got support from local businesses which I am thrilled with,” she added.