Sophie thanks Kilcullen Business Group for Miss Ireland support
Local woman Sophie Murphy, a finalist in the Miss Ireland 2025 competition, has thanked the Kilcullen Business Group for what she describes as 'incredible support' for her tilt at the title, writes Brian Byrne. Members of the group, along with a number of individuals, provided the sponsorship of €1,500 which Sophie was required to raise.
The funding will help to cover tutorials, workshops, photoshoots and the final event, which takes place in March. "Your kindness means the world to me," she wrote in a message to the Business Group. "With your encouragement, I am stepping out of my comfort zone to grow, raise awareness, and advocate for causes that are close to my heart."
Sophie, 23, works in healthcare and is especially passionate about raising awareness for OCD Ireland and supporting Irish children’s charities, including the Irish Children's Health Foundation. She is very open about her own mental health struggles as she grew up with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Depersonalisation Disorder (DPD). She wants to use her campaign and, should she win the title, her position to raise awareness of these and provide support for those facing similar challenges.
Sophie describes her issues with DPD as spending a lot of time 'overthinking stuff in your brain'. "It's like not recognising yourself in a mirror and feeling that you're living in a dream and nothing feels real. It's extremely uncomfortable, and when I first experienced it when I was about 16, it put me in a very bad head-space." She says it definitely impacted her youth, and took her a long while to to realise that the answer was to stop fearing it. "If you confront the feeling, it's almost like dealing with a bully, it loses its power. While I'm still no master of my mind, doing that definitely helped me to get to the place I am today."
A trip to Kenya in February of 2017 with friends in her TY class in Cross and Passion College Kilcullen also gave her a different viewpoint. It was to the Cara Girls Rescue Centre near Ngong, outside Nairobi, founded in 2002 by Ballysax man Paddy O'Connor to provide a safe place for vulnerable children. The trip was a thought-provoking introduction to a different country and culture. "It profoundly impacted my perspective on life and helping others. I see taking part in Miss Ireland as an opportunity to amplify my efforts in helping those less fortunate and those in need."
Sophie is competing in the Beauty with a Cause category of the competition. Between now and the final outcome in March there will be a number of presentations for fashion, talent — "I hope to sing for that" — and at interviews. Sophie's own interest in fashion and beauty has led some modelling work, and she attributes her fashion interest to her mother's enthusiasm for clothing and style.
To mark her support by the Kilcullen Business Group, she has made a special campaign poster which illustrates that.
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