Limerick wins Queen of the Land 2023

The Queen of the Land 2023 finished with a bang and great excitement on Sunday evening when it was revealed that Limerick had won this year's competition.

A huge crowd assembled in the circus-style, big top tent beside the County Arms Hotel in Birr for the announcement at 11pm, which came after a couple of days of the contestants trying to impress the Judges with their qualities.

When it was announced by the MC that the winner was Sarah Baker, an accountant from Limerick and a member of the Shannonside Macra Club, the crowd, many of them waving banners, erupted in jubilation and began the celebrations.

Kildare's Katie O'Neill and Reanne O'Dwyer from North Tipperary were runners up. Katie is a Microbiology Lab Analyst and she told us that her interests are camogie, reading and baking. Reanne said she's a Civil Servant and her interests are music, attending concerts and writing short stories. Sarah's interests are table tennis, walking and macra activities.

The 59th annual Macra festival runs over a long weekend. It started at 10am on Friday and at seven that evening there was a “Birr welcomes the Queens” event in Emmet Square when the festival was attended by Queens, Escorts, invited guests, Macra members and locals. The Queens were then treated to an array of entertainment in the local pubs.

The same day the 26 contestants enjoyed a tour of Grennan Mills, Rath (who were major sponsors) and a Cocktail Class in the County Arms Cocktail Bar.

On Saturday morning the one-to-one interviews were held in the morning. That evening there were more interviews, this time on-stage in the County's ballroom. The judging panel included 2022 winner Rachel McNamara, and former Rose of Tralee winner Maria Walsh, past macra president Seán Finan and Shane Gonoude who represented J. Grennan & sons.

The great group The Whistling Donkeys took to the stage on Saturday evening and the music could be heard through much of Birr. The fun went on into the wee hours.

Sunday morning the Queens and the escorts tested their GAA skills with a crossbar challenge in St. Brendan's Park. There was a full house for the banquet on Sunday evening and a stellar line up of music from The Druids, Alex Roe and All Folk’d up.

Winner Sarah Baker received a Tiara along with the Perpetual trophy, a thousand euros and a two night stay in the County Arms. Both runners up received 200 euro each.

The Queen of the land recognises rural women not only in agriculture but across a diverse range of professions.

The National Macra President Elaine Houlihan said the festival is a wonderful opportunity to showcase one of the key purposes of Macra, that of personal development.

Elaine said that she believes that personality competitions offer both an excellent social event for everyone and a unique experience for the contestants.

“The experience of being a Queen,” the President pointed out, “cannot be underestimated as a once in a lifetime opportunity to both make so many friendships and connections. Believe me, I know from my time of taking part in the festival, that it's a memory I will never forget. It was a time during which I met people who remain best friends to this day; and I also learned how to drive a bus!”

She pointed out that the keys to successful Queen of the Lands include financial support and local community involvement. This year's festival had got both, in bucketloads, from Grennan's and the County Arms. She said their support was immense.

The President added that the festival is one of “the premier events of the Macra calendar.” She praised all the contestants for being fantastic ambassadors for Macra and rural Ireland.

“So many of the past winners,” continued Elaine, “display what is great about our organisation and serve as incredible ambassadors for Macra.”

Macra na Feirme is a voluntary organisation for young people between the ages of 17 and 35. The organisation consists of a nationwide network of clubs with six key areas of activity: agriculture, sports, travel, public speaking, community involvement and performing arts. It currently has 9,000 members in 300 clubs. It's a democratic organisation and every member is entitled to air their opinion at club, regional and national level. If you would like to find out more contact the Training & Development Officer for Offaly Liam Moriarty at 086 8151739.