Applications are now open to be this year’s London Mary from Dungloe and represent London at the Mary from Dungloe Festival in August/ September.
2024 London Mary Kyna Boyle told The Irish World: “It’s just such an amazing experience and I learned so much about my Irish heritage that I didn’t know before.
“I visited places that I haven’t visited before and you just meet so many amazing people.
“It’s not a pageant.
“A lot of people think it’s like the ‘lovely lady contest’ but it really isn’t.
“It’s just all these amazing women who have such amazing jobs and all accomplish a lot in their lives.
“You grow and learn with each other.
“You all experience this together.
“It really is just so nice to celebrate and talk about all the stuff you love about Ireland together.
“I’ve gained so many skills.
“My confidence has really improved.
“I can use that in my work life. The girls are amazing. We all stay in like contact.
“It’s just such a good festival because it’s built around community, it really is.
“Everyone in Dungloe gets involved.
“They all look forward to it every year.
“It’s just such an amazing experience especially if you’ve got Donegal/ Dungloe connections.
“It just makes you feel so welcome.
“I look back and I always smile at the memories.
“Although I’m handing over the sash to someone else, I’m always going to be the 2024 London Mary.
“That’s always going to be a really lovely thing to look back on.”
Kyna added: “Being honest I’m quite upset it’s coming to an end because it just flew by really.
“It felt like such a quick year.
“I got to meet so many new people and experience a lot of stuff that I never would have if I wasn’t the Mary of London.
“I don’t really want it to be over.”
Asked for her highlight of the year Kyna says: “I would say the highlight would have been, obviously, the actual week, well the fortnight.
“But in London, I really enjoyed the St Patrick’s parade.
“That was my first event and I look at how much I grew over the year because I was very shy that day, I was very nervous, and then I’ve just had the Donegal Association dinner dance and I was just a complete different person.
“I had so much more confidence.
“I wanted to chat to everyone, meet everyone.
“I could see the change and growth in my confidence and in my knowledge.”
The Irish World last saw Kyna at the London Irish Vintage Day in September.
“I was very excited to experience that day.
“I had such a good time and I met so many really lovely people.
“I even got some advice for my career because I’m trying to get into acting, into the film industry and telly industry.
“I just feel like I met really lovely people who all had really great advice on just being yourself, be confident and hard working.
“It’s such a tough industry to get into right now but I feel like over the past year, I learned a lot about resilience and determination.
“I learned a lot from the girls about confidence and if you want something, just don’t give up.
“I just feel like now I can really apply that to my life.
“I’m just very excited for the next step in my future ahead.”
To apply to be the 2025 London Mary email [email protected].