Miss Universe Ireland finalist: ‘Becoming homeless can happen to anyone... and I’m proof of that’

Homelessness can happen to anyone, and my story is proof of that.

So said Miss Universe Ireland finalist Lydia O’Keeffe, from Carrigaline, who found herself suddenly homeless two years ago.

“It was a really frightening time. I was just 21 and expecting a baby,” remembers Lydia. “I was couch-surfing for a while and going between family and friends, but ultimately, I didn’t have anywhere to go.

“I was scared, vulnerable, and lonely, and didn’t know what was going to happen next.”

Fortunately for Lydia, she got a place in a refuge for women and children in Cork city, and says she wouldn’t be where she is today without the service and the people who run it.

“The support I got was incredible. I don’t know how things would have ended up for me without them, and I made friends for life there,” she said.

Aria, who is now two and a half, was born in December, and when she was around four months old, mum and daughter were moved to emergency homeless accommodation in Midleton. That’s where the situation became much more challenging.

“I found that really isolating. I don’t drive, and I’m not from the area. My mental health was impacted, and I developed postpartum depression. Still, to this day, I don’t know how I got through it, but I did,” she said.

Lydia, a former national gymnast, said there was nothing more motivating than holding her newborn in her arms.

“I’d do anything for Aria, and I always knew I’d make the best life I could for us, regardless of where we lived and that we’d get through it,” she recalls.

The 23-year-old is now living in her native Carrigaline and has never felt happier. She works as a social media assistant whilst also training to be a dental nurse. Life is good.

“My experience is the reason I applied to Miss Universe Ireland. I wanted to share my story, and if there’s just one person I can help by doing that it will make my whole year. If I had heard a story like mine when I was going through my experience, it would have really lightened the mental toll of everything, so that’s my aim, to make a positive from it all.”

Lydia admits to feeling some initial embarrassment and trepidation when it came to talking about her journey. She feels people can sometimes make quick judgments about those in homeless services, and they can be discriminated against.

“I think straight away people put you in the category of drink and drug abuse, which wasn’t the case for me.

"Being homeless can happen to anyone. I’m proof of that, and so are the different types of people I’ve met along the way, including professionals,” she said.

Miss Universe Ireland has become an increasingly influential platform for ambitious young women in Ireland, opening doors in advocacy and international representation.

Lydia has raised funds for the refuge that supported her.

“My ambition is to launch my own charity to help homeless women and children. But in the more immediate term, I also want to use my platform to advocate for the homeless crisis in Ireland. 

"Our government needs to take action, something has to change as securing a home, not to mind owning one, is getting more and more out of reach for so many. Every voice matters, and we all need to speak up and make a change,” said Lydia.

“I always knew I’d use my story for good, I just didn’t know how until now, and it was Miss Universe that gave me the confidence boost to open up. At the end of the day, I want to show my daughter you can do anything you want once you work hard to achieve your goals.”

Lydia said she was very proud to take part in the Miss Universe Ireland finals at the weekend where Limerick’s Aideen Howard was crowned Miss Universe Ireland 2026.