Dublin and Laurens County pageants advance to the state pageant. Its new name is Distinguished Young Women. The Miss and Outstanding Teen Irish Capital Scholarship Pageant is an official Miss Georgia and Miss America preliminary pageant and is held in the fall. The Miss Irish Capital Pageant is currently on hiatus and will hopefully return soon. Former Miss Irish Capital winners are: Donna Sellers, Carly Floyd, Amanda Rampley and Brittney Griffith. Former Miss Irish Capital Outstanding Teen winners are: Katie Lassiter, Jordan Mason and Katherine Phipps. Tom Lively started the pageant and was the executive director for the first three years until moving to the Atlanta, Georgia, area and was the executive director of the Miss Southern Empire Pageant for two years. Kenn Nix was the last executive director for the Miss Irish Capital Pageant. They hope to return soon. In literature Dublin, the Oconee River, and Laurens County are mentioned in the opening page of James Joyce's Finnegans Wake: "nor had topsawyer's rocks by the stream Oconee exaggerated themselves to Laurens County's gorgios while they went doublin their mumper all the time." (Joyce explained in a letter: "Dublin, Laurens Co, Georgia, founded by a Dubliner, Peter Sawyer, on r. Oconee. Its motto: Doubling all the time.") Notable people Jamel Ashley, retired track athlete who competed in the sprint events Jermaine Hall, basketball player for Maccabi Ashdod of the Israeli Basketball Premier League Anthony Kewoa Johnson, retired American mixed martial artist who competed in the light heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship Matt Hatchett - Businessman and politician. He is a member of the Georgia House of Representatives from the 150th District. Marcos Knight, professional basketball player J. Roy Rowland, congressman from 1983 to 1995 and a resident of Dublin Demaryius Thomas, football player in the NFL for the Denver Broncos Quincy Trouppe, baseball player in the Negro leagues Erik Walden, National Football League player Darrell Williams Jr., football player in the NFL for the San Francisco 49ers Ron Rogers, retired Football Player at Georgia Tech and in the NFL for the Baltimore Ravens Leh Keen, racing driver See also List of Irish place names in other countries References External links Official website Dublin-Laurens County Chamber of Commerce Dublin Carnegie Library Dublin Downtown Development Authority Carl Vinson Veterans Administration Medical Center Theatre Dublin Dublin St. Patricks Festival Cities in Georgia (U.S. state) Cities in Laurens County, Georgia Dublin, Georgia