Eileen Mary O'Donnell (born 1 July 1993), known professionally as Eileen O'Donnell, is an Irish model and international beauty pageant titleholder. O'Donnell started her career in 2011 and has since modelled in the categories of

fashion Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fash ...

, skincare and

swimwear A swimsuit is an item of clothing designed to be worn by people engaging in a water-based activity or water sports, such as swimming, diving and surfing, or sun-orientated activities, such as sun bathing. Different types may be worn by men, w ...

. She has gone on to collaborate with numerous notable brands including Pretty Little Thing, GymKing, MVMT Watches, The Couture Club,

Ziaja Ziaja is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Anna Ziaja (born 1954), Polish painter and print maker * Ernest Ziaja (1919–1997), Polish ice hockey player * Wally Ziaja (born 1949), American soccer player *Witold Ziaja Witold Zia ...

Skincare, Benefit Cosmetics, amongst others. Since 2016, she has represented Ireland in a number of international competitions and pageantries. She won the title of Miss Bikini Ireland in 2017 and participated in the Swimsuit USA International Model Search in 2018. She was crowned Miss Earth Ireland 2020.

Early life and education

O'Donnell was born in 1993 and raised in

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. Th ...

, the second-largest city in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. North ...

for the entirety of her childhood. In 2002 at the age of 9, she took part in a cross-community project that enabled her to experience life in the United States for 6 weeks.

Modelling and pageantry career

In 2016 O'Donnell expressed her interest in participating in the 5th annual

Miss Bikini Miss Bikini of the Universe is an international beauty pageant held annually in Beihai, Guangxi, China. In 2009 the pageant was held from September 30 to October 6. It was planned to make a Guinness World Record with a T-shaped runway. The theme ...

Ireland competition in which she finished in 3rd place. She entered again in the following year for the 6th annual competition. After entering Miss Bikini Ireland 2017, O'Donnell was crowned the winner, picking up a €15,000 reward and an all-expenses-paid trip to the world finals of Swimsuit USA (SUSA) International for the chance of winning a prize worth $80,000. After winning Miss Bikini Ireland 2017, O'Donnell qualified for competing in Swimsuit USA International Model 2017 in which she finished in the top 30 finalists. She re-qualified to represent Ireland in the following year. The competition was held in

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley of ...

and 70 women from a total of 50 countries participated. O'Donnell, placed 16 in the competition, however, states she was grateful for the opportunity as it opened up doors for her in her career. In 2020, she was chosen to participate in the 20th annual

Miss Earth Miss Earth is an annual international major beauty pageant based in the Philippines that advocates for environmental awareness, conservation and social responsibility. Along with Miss World, Miss Universe, and Miss International, it is one ...

competition and represent her home country of Ireland. The pageant was hosted by James Deakin and telecast on TV5 and FOXlife, with a virtual tour of the world in the opening number and featured the delegates in their eco-angel and respective

national costume A folk costume (also regional costume, national costume, traditional garment, or traditional regalia) expresses an identity through costume, which is usually associated with a geographic area or a period of time in history. It can also indica ...

s. She came third place for the category of swimsuit and was crowned the winner of Miss Earth Ireland 2020. As Miss Earth Ireland, O'Donnell campaigned to reduce waste in Ireland.

Activism

As the face of Miss Earth 2020, Eileen has campaigned for education as being a basic need for students from all around the world. O'Donnell also advocates on environmental issues, waste management specifically. She has used the word "WASTE" to be an acronym for "We All Should Treasure Earth" in her advocacy.

Awards and positions

References

External links

Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:ODonnell, Eileen 1993 births Female models from Northern Ireland Living people Models from Derry (city) Environmentalists from Northern Ireland Beauty pageant contestants Miss Earth 2020 contestants Irish women activists Beauty pageant contestants from Ireland Irish women environmentalists