Ireland's first Miss World, 19-year-old Rosanna Davison, arrived in Dublin today for a civic reception hosted by the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Mr Royston Brady.
The bookies' favourite to win the competition, Ms Davison , a sociology and art history student at UCD, won the Miss World beauty pageant in Sanya, China on Saturday.
She arrived this afternoon at the Mansion House in a horse-drawn carriage accompanied by Mr Brady.
She was greeted by a round of applause from onlookers as well as a phalanx of photographers and TV cameramen.
Asked how it felt to be Ireland's first Miss World, Ms Davison told ireland.com: "It's been amazing. Totally crazy. It hasn't sunk in yet. I'm so happy I just wanted to make Ireland proud and I couldn't have asked for a better reception. I just want to thank everyone here for their support".
Ms Davison said she didn't want to talk about how much being Miss World would mean to her financially.
"I don't want to talk about money now. It would be vulgar to do so. What everyone is saying [about her potential earnings] is speculation," she said.
Adding that she would like to perform some ambassadorial role for Ireland, Ms Davison dismissed critics of the pageant.
"The viewing figures speak for themselves. We were treated like princesses over there. People should experience it for themselves before criticising it," she added.
Those attending the civic reception included her parents Diane and Chris as well as celebrities Pat Kenny, Gerry Ryan and Robbie Fox.
President McAleese will receive Ms Davison at Áras an Uachtaráin tomorrow at 11 a.m.