Alternative Miss Ireland

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Panti appearing on publicity poster for Alternative MIss Ireland 2006.

Alternative Miss Ireland is an alternative pageant conceived by Frank Stanley, Ross Elliot Tallon and Niall Sweeney. Inspired by Andrew Logan's Alternative Miss World the competition was originally held as a one off event in Sides night club on April Fools' Day 1987, Dublin, Ireland.

After a gap of nine years, the competition was revived in 1996 when Dublin Aids Alliance approached Niall Sweeney, Rory O'Neill and Tonie Walsh with the idea of reviving the competition as a way of raising much needed money to enable Dublin AIDS Alliance help those directly or indirectly affected by HIV and A.I.D.S. Contestants; both men and women are judged in the tradition of day-wear, swim-wear and evening-wear. Performances range from burlesque to drag to comedy. A group of celebrity judges awards points for poise, personality and originality.

Originally the proceeds of the show went to the Rape Crisis Centre. In its recent reincarnation all funds have gone to Cairde, the practical support group for people affected by HIV and A.I.D.S Proceeds donated to Cairde are specifically for programmes designed to help children who are HIV positive or who have lost their parents to AIDS. Over recent years the Alternative Miss Ireland has been judged and endorsed by a wide-range of people, among them Marc Almond, Agnes Bernelle (who once famously entered her dog in the contest), Rifat Ozbek, Brenda Fricker, Van Morrison, Michelle Rocha, Anna Nolan, John Reynolds and Louis Walsh.

The competition is run by Niall Sweeney, Rory O'Neill, Trish Brennan and Tonie Walsh.^[1] Since 1996 it has been hosted by drag artiste Panti.