If you thought a beauty queen wouldn’t be one for mucking in around the farm, then you’d be dead wrong. The day before Irish Country Living chats with Gráinne Gallanagh, she was out vaccinating cattle with her father Paddy, a beef farmer. He decided that, as a nurse, Gráinne was the woman for the job.

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“The vet was on the phone to Daddy explaining what to do. Daddy turns to me and says, ‘You’re a nurse, you should be able to do it’. I said, ‘I’m a nurse, not a vet’,” laughs Gráinne. “The vet explained everything to me, so it was fine.”

From Buncrana, Co Donegal, Gráinne has a few strings to her bow. As well as being handy around the farm, she’s a nurse, a former Miss Universe Ireland and was a contestant on this year’s Dancing with the Stars.

Speaking with Gráinne, she’s vivacious, down-to-earth and has a great sense of humour. Anyone on the social media platform TikTok should look up the videos she has been making with her sister Gemma during lockdown, if you want a good chuckle.

I think pageants were probably more up my street, because there’s more of your personality involved

For those who might harbour preconceived notions about pageants, speaking with Gráinne would quickly dispel them. Representing Ireland in 2018 at Miss Universe in Bangkok was an extremely positive experience for her and she says pageants really let your personality shine.

“People always told me that I should go into modelling, because I was always quite tall and quite slim, but I think pageants were probably more up my street, because there’s more of your personality involved,” explains Gráinne.

“There’s public speaking, there’s charity work and people want to get to know about you as a person, rather than being like a mannequin almost. I loved pageants and it’s funny because people are like, ‘Oh you don’t strike me as the type’.

The diversity of the contestants at Miss Universe was one of Gráinne’s favourite parts of the competition. The women there were from all over the world and from a variety of different professions; from doctors and lawyers to singers. Overall, the Donegal woman says there’s more to it than just aesthetics.

It’s not just how you perform on the stage, there’s so much more

“People watch Miss Universe and they see you walking on the stage, maybe doing the swimsuit round or wearing the gown, but there’s an interview process as well. They ask you loads of things about your life, about growing up, about your job, about things you’re involved in and about things you’re passionate about.

“Also, you’re there for a full month, so the judges get to know everybody on a personal level as well; what you’re like around people, how you work with others, how you treat everyone around you. It’s not just how you perform on the stage, there’s so much more.”

Dancefloor days

While her year as Miss Universe Ireland was a hectic one, Gráinne continued to do agency nursing work in London – where she was living at the time – the flexibility of which suited her. She was working in London until the opportunity to take part in RTÉ’s Dancing with the Stars arose at the end of last year.

Gráinne says she jumped at the chance. Making it to the final – which was originally to be the semi-final, but the contest was cut short due to COVID-19. Having displayed some great moves, Irish Country Living states that obviously Gráinne could dance before this.

“Obviously I could, are you joking me?” exclaims Gráinne. “The most dancing anyone would ever have seen me do before Dancing with the Stars would maybe have been at a wedding, or maybe in a nightclub after one too many gin and tonics.

The transformation was incredible. You’re just like a completely different person

“I had never danced and you know, if you could see me on a Monday morning, before I actually danced on the Sunday night; if you had seen how much my partner Kai Witherington had to put in workwise with me, you wouldn’t believe it. The transformation was incredible. You’re just like a completely different person. I watch it back and I’m like, ‘Is that me? Oh my God, I did that?’”

The workload that comes with Dancing with the Stars is notoriously intense, Gráinne and Kai practiced every day. The pair were able to get back to Donegal just once during the live shows, but when they did Buncrana, and of course the whole of Donegal, was clearly behind them.

“I felt like a celebrity, it was nuts. Everybody couldn’t wait to see us, they were wishing us good luck and giving so much support, they really got behind me. My town really got behind me, everyone was telling my mammy they were watching it.”

Although she has been around the world and lived in different places, for Gráinne, home will always be by the sea in Buncrana.

I think when I got to my teenage years and into college, I wanted to go experience other things

“You know what? I love Donegal, I love Buncrana, I love where I grew up and I love where I live. I live in a beautiful area on the coast. I had a lovely childhood, very outdoorsy.

“I think when I got to my teenage years and into college, I wanted to go experience other things, I think everyone who lives in a country town goes through that, don’t they?

“As I get older, I even have more appreciation of where I’m from. Being from a town like Buncrana, you do really see how people back each other, everyone supports each other and everything that they’re doing.

“I love being by the coast as well. I don’t think I could settle somewhere if I wasn’t by the coast now. It’s funny, you just have that about you.”

Answering the call

After Dancing with the Stars abruptly ended, Gráinne went home to Buncrana, where she’s still isolating with her family. But it wasn’t long before Gráinne answered the HSE’s call for healthcare professionals needed to work in the public sector due to the current pandemic.

Growing up, like many, Gráinne didn’t know what career she wanted to follow.

I always liked working with people

“When I was wee I wanted to be everything, you want to be this and you want to be that. I always liked working with people. In secondary school I did a placement in the nursing unit in my home town and I loved it.”

Gráinne studied nursing in Letterkenny Institute of Technology (LYIT). She worked at home for a few months before moving to London to work as a nurse in both emergency assessment and women’s health. As she hasn’t worked in Ireland in some time, firstly she had to begin the process of registering as a nurse here.

“They have emailed me to say they received my documents and they’re being processed. So when I get the registration I would like to go back nursing in Donegal, but I think it’s very much that they might put you where you might be needed the most. So I’m not sure where I’ll be.”

Straight up, Gráinne makes no bones about the fact that nursing is a tough line of work. Very honestly too, Gráinne admits she’s nervous about returning to nursing here, but feels it’s the right thing to do.

I’m nervous about it to be honest. My family are quite nervous about it too

“I’m nervous about it to be honest. My family are quite nervous about it too, because of everything that is going on, but at the same time I’m looking forward to getting back as well. I feel like it’s the best thing for me right now, to go back to work,” she says.

“I’ve been out since last September. Even if you’re out for a few months, it’s always nerve wrecking going back, but especially to nursing, then with the pandemic on top of that and in a country you haven’t worked in in a while.”

“I think a lot of people signed up to the call, so they’ve a lot to go through. I hope the process is hurried along, because I think they’re going to need as much staff as they can get, so hopefully soon enough anyway.”

From vaccinating cattle to beauty pageants, dancing and offering to work on the frontline, Gráinne is woman who can turn her hand to anything. Quite clearly, she isn’t afraid to scrub up, in more ways than one, when called upon.