10 questions with Limerick Rose, Leah McMahon

10 questions with Limerick Rose, Leah McMahon. Photo: Eamon Doody

Limerick Rose, Leah McMahon chats about her career, community involvement, and what representing Limerick means to her

Limerick Rose, Leah McMahon is a 29-year-old Limerick native and financial planner with a passion for education, community, and creating opportunities for others.

After graduating from the University of Limerick, she built a career focused on improving financial literacy, especially among women and young people, because she believes “knowledge is one of the most powerful tools we can offer”. Resilient and driven, Leah has seen firsthand how access to the right support and information can transform lives.

That belief inspires everything she does, from delivering financial advice to running Bláthú, a workshop designed to help women grow in confidence, find community, and take up space in their personal and professional lives.

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Outside of work, she coaches Ahane U8 Girls’ Gaelic football team, plays with the Ahane Mothers & Others, and volunteers with NOVAS. As a financial planner in a male-dominated industry, Leah is committed to uplifting women’s voices, championing inclusion, and encouraging more women to pursue careers in finance. As the Limerick Rose, Leah McMahon hopes to represent Limerick’s strength, heart, and ambition and inspire others to believe in their own potential.

1. Tell us about your childhood growing up in Limerick.

I am originally from Southill in Limerick, and I attended Our Lady Queen of Peace National School. I was about 11 when we moved to Castletroy, and I went to secondary school in Castletroy College. I graduated from Castletroy College in 2014 and started in the University of Limerick that September, studying Business.

Growing up in Limerick, memories that stick out are dance classes with Heavenly Bodies, pancakes and hot chocolate in Frenches (now the Wildberry Café). I remember trips to Lough Gur with my grandparents, swimming lessons in Bawnmore, followed by a trip to town, where my grandmother would buy me a book. I remember St Patrick’s Day with the street packed with people, the crowds heading to Thomond Park, and saying hello to everyone you passed (something my grandmother passed on).

I’m a proud Limerick woman, and growing up in Limerick was nothing short of amazing.

2. How did you first get interested in financial planning, and when did you realise it was the career for you?

I studied Business with HR in UL and during my third year of college, before our co-operative placement, I found out that I was pregnant with my daughter. I returned and graduated from UL in August 2019 and worked full time while my partner/Ella’s dad completed his masters in UL. Around September 2020, I saw an advert for a graduate programme in financial services. I remember reading the job description and thinking, ‘I think this is something I’d enjoy doing’.

I think for me, I work best with a goal, so if I want to do something, I map out how and what I need to do to get there. Financial planning is exactly that – just aligning money to it. For me, in my third year, what scared me most is the financial aspect of raising my daughter and being able to give her everything she needed, so early on, I started organising and budgeting so that I could provide her with a comfortable life. For me, as a financial planner, my goal has always been to be able to support people, guide them and reduce their financial worries.

3. Between studies, work, and being active in your community, what motivates you to lead such a busy life?

To be honest, I get great joy out of what I do. I honestly love my job, and that’s down to the work itself, but also my employer Castle Capital. They really support and encourage me that I can go out there and pursue personal and professional goals.

With education, I am a big believer that knowledge is power and that everyone should be able to pursue and further educate themselves. With financial planning, my role in a client’s life is to support and advise them on how to make financial decisions therefore, it’s vital for me to have the highest level of education. It’s a responsibility that I have to myself and my clients.

Outside of work, I play for the Ahane Mothers and Others, I coach Ahane U8 Girls football, and I volunteer with NOVAS. I spent a long time just focusing on home and work and it’s as I got older, I realised how privileged I am, and it’s made me focus on giving back to communities and organisations that work to support people.

Some weeks I might say I am ‘up the walls’ busy but I feel very lucky to say that and I genuinely love what I am involved in and hope that my contribution is making a difference.

4. Who is someone you look up to in life and why?

My mom. My mom to me is my greatest supporter, but also my biggest motivator. Growing up, my mom raised me to stand on my own two feet and be independent. I remember not long after I turned 16, she told me that I would be starting in McDonald’s the following week. My mom instilled in me the importance of being independent, being proud of who I am and where I come from, and most of all that there was nothing I couldn’t do. It’s now that I’m a mother, I understand why there were curfews and why she needed to know where I was always (hahaha). My mom is the strongest person in my life; she would do anything for me and our family, and I feel very lucky to have her.

5. What inspired you to apply for the Rose of Tralee?

Growing up, I always wanted to enter the Rose of Tralee. I remember watching it when I was younger, but it was as I got older, I started to really understand the meaning behind the festival. The Roses on stage all had their own individual story, showed resilience, diversity and confidence in themselves. The Roses were role models, showing bravery and resilience in the obstacles they faced, showing compassion and a genuine desire for change and a positive impact.

The Rose of Tralee to me represents the power of women and the importance of bringing women together to uplift and empower each other. As a woman in business, I’ve seen the barriers that women face when it comes to representation, finances, and confidence, and it’s something I am continuously working towards improving, through my workshop Bláthú.

Where I am at with my career and education and what I am working towards, now feels like the right time. My daughter is older, so I am now starting to get the chance to do something that is for me.

6. What has been the most interesting part of the Rose of Tralee journey so far?

So far, I’ve met so many amazing women, and it’s only just the beginning of lifelong friendships. I think the most interesting or maybe surprising part has been the reaction I received. I don’t think I ever could have expected the reaction I got. I have had so many messages from family, friends, acquaintances and people I don’t even know, congratulating me. The messages I have received have been so heart-warming. People really took the time to write to me to congratulate me, wish me luck and share really heartfelt praise about who I am and what I do. It’s been surreal because you always hope that people can see you have a good heart, and you want to make positive changes, so to have a reaction where people understand and admire you is just unbelievable.

The week after the selection night, I was coaching the younger girls and one of the other coaches had told the girls and they all gathered around excited, full of questions and I could just see them looking at me with such awe. It feels strange to think it’s had such a reaction, and I remember the week before my interview feeling nervous about telling my story, but it’s been such an important reminder about the importance of being yourself and being brave, putting yourself out there and at times being vulnerable.

7. What does being a Rose mean to you?

Being a Rose means standing proudly in who you are, while representing something bigger than yourself, your county, your story, and the values that shaped you.

For me, being the Limerick Rose is deeply personal. Limerick is where I was born, raised, became a mother, built a career, and truly grew into myself. It’s a place filled with warmth, resilience, and a deep sense of connection. That spirit of community and pride is something I carry with me.

To be a Rose is to lead with authenticity, to celebrate both strength and vulnerability, and to show others, especially young women, that you don’t need to have it all figured out to move forward. It’s about using your voice, sharing your story, and lifting others as you go.

8. What message are you most passionate about promoting as a Rose?

The message I’m most passionate about promoting as the Limerick Rose is the importance of believing in yourself, especially when life doesn’t go as planned. I want to encourage women and young people to embrace independence, take chances, and know that they can create the future they want.

Becoming a mother at 21 while still in college taught me that with resilience, support, and self-belief, you can overcome even the most daunting situations. That experience shaped my passion for financial literacy because knowing how to manage your money means having choices, freedom, and a sense of control.

It’s who I am, and it’s what sparked the creation of my workshop Bláthú. I’ve seen how powerful it is when women are encouraged to back themselves, speak up, and support one another.

As a financial planner in a male-dominated industry, I want to show others that their voice matters and that independence, confidence, and knowledge are the foundation for a secure and empowered life.

9. How do you hope to inspire others who will watch the competition?

As the Limerick Rose, I hope to inspire others by showing that strength often grows from life’s most unexpected challenges. Becoming a mother at 21 while still in college was one of the most defining moments of my life. It taught me resilience, focus, and the power of carving your own path even when it feels uncertain.

That experience sparked my passion for financial education, not just as a career but to help others feel secure, confident, and in control of their future. I believe that when we share our stories openly, we create space for others to feel seen, supported, and less alone.

Through my work as a financial planner and through Bláthú, a workshop I run to support women in aligning their health, confidence, and financial wellbeing, I’ve witnessed the incredible power of community and conversation. It’s in those honest, inclusive spaces that real growth happens.

I want to represent Limerick with pride, showing that vulnerability and ambition can go hand in hand and that your story, no matter how imperfect or unplanned, can become a source of strength for someone else

10. What’s your favourite thing about Limerick?

Without a doubt, it’s the people. Limerick is a place full of genuine, hardworking and kind people who support one another and take pride in the community. Representing Limerick means representing humility, resilience, and the belief that every story matters.

Limerick is rich in tradition but full of modern ambition, and our sense of connection is something truly special. In Limerick, you can have a chat with someone at the bus stop and find out that you’re either related or connected somehow. It just shows how important connection is and that the people of Limerick are incredibly friendly.