Saud was selected last week as the 2026 Dublin Rose, with the Sligo native set to represent the capital at the annual Rose of Tralee International Festival later this summer.
Born and raised in Ireland, Saud is of Somali heritage, and in the days following her victory at the Royal Marine Hotel in Dun Laoghaire suffered racist abuse online.
Speaking to Kieran Cuddihy on RTÉ Radio 1's "Liveline" on Monday, Saud detailed the horrible comments she had received online.
"It's been a lot of, 'You're not Irish.' I think that's the general consensus on the socials," she said.
"A lot of mentions about skin tone, religion, and a lot of people saying, 'She has no Irish heritage.'
"They aren't really reading the information, they're just assume, 'Oh, she was born somewhere else.' If you actually read the bio, you'd see I was born in Ireland -- born and raised in Ireland."
The Dublin Rose admitted that she was "not surprised" with the racism, noting that it is "part of the experience of growing up in Ireland as a person of color."
She said: "It's nothing I haven't heard before. I was more so surprised at the volume of hate that's been coming in. It's been constant ever since."
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Fortunately, Saud isn't letting it deter her and told Kieran about the sense of "pride" she gets from "going forward for things" like the Rose of Tralee.
"Considering the reaction that I've received, change is needed," she explained.
"I'm just grateful to be given the opportunity to be at the forefront of this and to represent other communities, and show girls who see themselves within me that you can go for this.
"This is open to you, and there's no reason why not."
Saud added: "I know I'm Irish, and I know myself. I don't have to prove to anyone how Irish I am. I'm very confident and I'm very secure in that fact.
"It is a very small group of people, who are just very loud."
The Dublin Rose added that there had been plenty of "positives" and noted those sending hate "does not represent Ireland."
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* This article was originally published on Evoke.ie.
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