Like mother, like daughter as Eileen prepares to do battle for Miss Ireland title

Eileen Crerar (19) who is studying hospitality management in DIT, will be battling it out against dozens of other beauties in tonight's Miss Ireland competition.

The brunette beauty, who has been on the catwalk since she was 14, has taken after her mother Patricia, who used to model in her home country of Australia.

Speaking to the Herald, Eileen said: "My mother used to be a model and she just loves the stuff. She's actually Australian and she modelled a lot there so she's been getting really excited ahead of the competition.

"She has really been living through me for the past few weeks because she knows how much I love it and she gets equally excited.

"She's been giving me a lot of tips on my walk and what to wear, so I think it's been great for both of us.

"She modelled for years doing fashion shows and editorial work -- I found pictures of her when I was younger and I thought she did amazing. She doesn't really talk much about it though."

Limelight

And Eileen, who multi-tasks as a merchandiser for Bourjois beauty products, said that it was her mother who actually got her interested in the industry to begin with.

But she insists that Patricia wasn't a "stage mum" who forced her into the limelight.

"It was actually my mum who got me into modelling when I was 14. I entered the Gillette Venus search for a model competition, which I won -- and I've been modelling since.

"She's always been so great and supportive of this, even when I was younger and didn't have a car, she would wake up early to drive me to castings. But she wasn't pushy at all. To be honest, I love this and just lap it up so it's nice to have someone I can relate to.

"A lot of my friends who do modelling have mums who don't really approve or want them in the industry so she's all I could ask for."

Although Eileen is eyeing up the crown tomorrow, she has just been enjoying the run-up to tonight's event in the Berkeley Court Hotel.

"Everyone is gorgeous. Usually you can tell who the top five are going to be, but everyone here has something. I'm so excited to see who wins," she said.

Also checking out the competition will be the Herald's Leaving Cert diarist, Aisling McEntee (18).

The brainy teen proves that she's the perfect combination of brains and beauty and hopes to wow the star-studded panel of judges at the elite event.

Aisling will be representing her home county of Meath after being recruited by pageant bosses.

"I don't know about my chances, but it's just fun to be in it. All the girls are lovely and we get on so well, so it's nice to have made a few new friends as well," she said.

cmcbride@herald.ie