Meet the Galway hurling ace who has taken the Irish modelling scene by storm.
Wayne Walsh, 27, became Mr Ireland the day after playing a pivotal role in helping his club Gort win another senior title.
Balancing his modelling commitments and his lifetime love of hurling is something he relishes.
He told the Irish Mirror: “I’ve always loved playing hurling since I was young.
“My team Gort has been very successful, it has instilled a lot of good things in me.
“It is the discipline, working towards a goal. That has been very useful to me in the modelling world."
“We beat Joe Canning’s Portumna recently and I got a goal in the last minute to win it.
“Those moments give you big confidence to take on other challenges in your life.”
The dapper 6 ft 2 model gets his hair cut every week and eyebrows done every three weeks.
He was signed by Catwalk Modelling Agency in Galway when he was 23, and he models full time now.
Wayne understands how important social media and particularly Instagram is for his self-promotion.
He said: “Social media plays a huge role. It’s good for building relationships.
“The modelling agency I work for would encourage people to post at work as much as possible.”
Wayne is a qualified personal trainer and has been working in a gym in Salthill, Co Galway, for the last two years.
Exercise is a key part of his work life balance.
He said: “I train six days a week and do a mixture of weights, cardio and hurling.
“I can bench over 110 kilos. I really look after my diet from a health point of view.
“I eat 6-8 eggwhites or porridge for my breakfast every morning.”
His win at Mr Ireland got a very favourable reaction from his hurling teammates in the dressing room albeit with some heavy slagging.
And he is excited to represent Ireland at the Mr World competition which takes place in the Philippines in August.
He added: “It’ll be great to represent Ireland on the international stage.
“I’ll give it my all and prepare as well as I can for it because the competition will be strong.”
Wayne wants to progress into acting and presenting and is taking courses in both at the moment.
But for anybody looking into getting in the modelling world, he admits there is a lot more to it than just getting your picture taken.
Wayne said: “It’s different all the time, it is very sporadic.
“It’s been a great experience, the reality however is long days and hard work.
“You could be on a set for 8-10 hours every day.
“There’s a lot more to it than just showing up looking well.”
