Kayla contends for coronation
In a couple of days the attention of the Irish agriculture community will be trained on Tullamore as Macra host their annual shindig recognising the female cohort of the organisation, writes Thomas Lyons.
The Queen of the Land recognises personality, passion for farming work and connection with the local community.
This year Ramor Macra’s Kayla Gillick take to the stage in her bid to be crowned the 2019 Queen of The Land. The festival takes place in the Bridge House Hotel in Tullamore and runs over three days drawing Macra na Feirme members and non-members from the four corners of Ireland.
Preparations are progressing for the Cavan Queen: “All is good, though I haven't packed yet, so that's going to be a problem. But we won't worry about that a bit closer to the time,” Kayla reassures the Celt. This is the 55th annual Tullamore Credit Union Queen of the Land Festival.
The Cavan Queen of the Land is looking froward to the event: “Basically you go down to Tullamore for the weekend and are treated like royalty. I will be along with 30 other girls from across Ireland. It's a weekend of fun and a chance to meet new people. We have private interviews on Saturday morning, then we go onstage on Saturday night. It's about your involvement in Macra, farming and agriculture in general,”she explains.
Kayla comes from a farming background, growing up on a dairy farm in Killinkere, she is no stranger to the milking parlour. Acting as a relief milker for her father, when not on the farm Kayla can be found in the classroom. She graduated as a secondary school teacher this year and secured her first job as a teacher in July.
This isn’t Kayla’s first personality competition. She represented Cavan in the 2018 Blue Jeans Country Queen Festival: “That took place in Athboy. I was persuaded into do that and I had such a great time. I said why not give another competition a try, and here I am.”
Kayla has been a member of Macra na Feirme since 2015. Over the last four years she has been vice chairperson, vice secretary and PRO for the club. This year she has taken step back from holding a role but is excited to get involved in competitions.
The Ramor Macra lady is extremely excited in getting the opportunity to partake in this year’s festival and will no doubt represent her club and county with great pride.
Kayla said Michelle Cullivan from Amsha Bridal, Riceehill, Crossdoney, Cavan, who sponsored her two beautiful dresses for the occasion, was a great help: “She is an absolute lady. My heart was broken trying to find dresses, but she came to my aid and got me two stunning gowns.”
Last year the Cavan representative, Rosin Lynch, claimed third spot in the national competition. Kayla will be hoping to top that achievement in Tullamore this weekend.