IT TOOK nine weeks, 4,000 photos and 92 pages of baby pictures
but here she is - our new
Sunday World Comfort Pure
Baby of the Year 2009.
There was great excitement, not to mention €20,000 to be won, when the final 10 and their guests gathered for the plush ceremony at the Green Isle Hotel, Newlands Cross, in Dublin this week.
The Sunday World readers and voters
made the tough decision for us and chose
little darling Martina Maughan, from Co.
Galway, as your favourite baby of 2009.
Little Martina, at just 14 months, has already learnt the importance of catching her beauty sleep as she slept right up to the announcement and her moment of crowning glory.
It was only when her older sister Ellie
tapped her mum and asked "is that us?" that
the family realised they had scooped the
€10,000 prize. Martina (right) then woke up
fresh as a daisy and posed perfectly for her
photos with Amanda Brunker.
Mum Una said: "She's a busy little thing that loves dancing, everything girly and when her sister Ellie dolls her up."
So while Martina was ready for the spotlight, her parents were overwhelmed.
"I just cannot believe we won, I thought the twins had it in the bag.You know double votes, double trouble! It's the first competition any of us have ever entered and we couldn't believe we got to the final, let alone win."
It was extra special for
the Maughan family -
who have five children
under seven years of age
- (Michael, Ellie, John
Paul, Marty and
Martina) as they have
had some bad luck over the past year.
Granddad Marty passed away and dad John Paul lost his job, so they hope baby Martina's success story is a sign of future hope and Una added: "Granddad would be looking down at the paper proud as can be."
"Everyone was so excited when Martina got down to the final, and we have to thank granny Anne in Ballina who was voting away, the teachers and pupils of Trellin National School and all our family. You won't believe this but I come from a family with 22 children - 10 girls and 12 boys who all got behind her for the competition.'
There was a huge response to the competition
this year with 4,000 babies taking
part.The other nine finalists from all over
Ireland were John Martin Sinnott from
Meath, Alex Lysaght from Dublin, Kelly-
Ann Dullaghan from Louth, Shalga
Rainee O'Sullivan from Kerry, Keith
Malone from Mayo, Chloe Tennyson
from Kilkenny, Jesse and Ethan
Corrigan from Limerick, Shannon
Byrne from Tipperary and Owen
Mongan from Galway. They each
received a cheque for €1,000.
DEBRA Ireland also attended the awards
ceremony and with thanks to your votes, the
Sunday World was delighted to make a substantial
donation to the children's charity.
DEBRA Ireland was set up by families of children with Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) in 1988. It is a distressing and painful genetic skin disorder causing skin layers and body linings to separate and blister at the slightest touch. Children born with EB have skin that is as fragile as the wings of a butterfly - and as easily damaged.
Our girl Amanda presented representative Kathleen Fitzsimons with the cheque.
The Sunday World wants to thank sponsor Comfort Pure and all the babies who entered the competition making it a huge success.
If you didn't enter this year, don't miss your chance next April when the competition kicks off again.
