From Sligo and Chicago and all the way to Melbourne, the much-celebrated local and international flavour of the Rose of Tralee event was there to be seen and heard at today’s launch.
There are 32 Roses ready to represent the Irish diaspora from the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and beyond in the long-running festival.
Thomas will join long-time presenter Dáithí Ó Sé for the second time in Tralee after making her debut last year.
“It’s to bring that fun, get these stories out there, celebrate the Irishness, celebrate all of these modern women…they’re amazing,” said Thomas.
You come to 2024 and you have engineers, doctors, occupational therapists
“They’ve such a good camaraderie, and as cliched as it sounds, they’ve become very close. There’s no competition between them, everyone is in it for the fun.”
Ó Sé, who has been the Rose of Tralee’s main presenter for 14 years, has said the competition has evolved a lot since its beginning in 1959.
“You have 32 Roses coming again this year, with different stories and backgrounds,” Ó Sé said. “It really is a good picture and indication of what Irish women are doing in 2024.
“For example, if you go back to the ’70s, I’d imagine the majority of the roles would have been teachers, nurses. You come to 2024 and you have engineers, doctors, occupational therapists.”
RTÉ presenters Dáithí Ó Sé and Kathryn Thomas at Airfield Estate with some of the 32 Roses at the official launch of the Rose of Tralee International Festival 2024. Photo: Andres Poveda
All of the Roses spoke of the massive support they received from their local communities in the run-up to the Tralee festival.
Cavan Rose Grace Farrelly (20), from Bailieborough, is a sociology and English student at Maynooth University.
She said she’s “so proud to represent Cavan and represent the kindness and warmth she has been getting” from her community.
“I clean in the hospital at the weekends when I’m not in college and during the summer,” said Farrelly. “I was cleaning this lady’s room and you kind of get to know the patient by chatting to them. And this woman said to me, ‘You should go for the Cavan Rose one day’.
“It was so lovely. She was the 2014 Cavan Rose, Laura Galligan.”
Wicklow Rose, Kerry Byrne, and Lisa O’Rourke, who is the Kilkenny Rose at Airfield Estate yesterday. Photo: Andres Poveda
Galway Rose Deirdre Jennings (28) said she “loves everything about Galway and the Rose of Tralee”.
Ms Jennings is a medical social worker from Rossaveel in Connemara and used to watch the Rose of Tralee when she was younger.
“I always used to say, ‘I’m going to be the Galway Rose someday’,” she said, adding that the support from the Connemara community has been “so touching”.
“The Gaeltacht, they’re so proud to have a Rose from Connemara. I’m really proud to be a Gaeilgeoir,” she added.
Ohio Rose Aoife Zuercher (22), who travelled to Ireland from Cleveland, said she wanted to “represent the Irish community in Cleveland, Ohio, and across the state of Ohio”.
Ohio Rose, Aoife Zuercher; Donegal Rose, Niamh Shevlin; and Dublin Rose, Casey Harris, at the official launch of this year’s Rose of Tralee International Festival. Photo: Andres Poveda
“It’s a pretty big community, and I don’t think people realise how much of a strong connection we still have to Ireland over there,” said Ms Zuercher who works at the Nasa Glenn Research Centre in Cleveland. “This community has supported me so much and I wanted to show that when I came over here.”
Melbourne Rose Dervla Dolan, who moved to Australia from Co Tyrone two years ago, said she’s “very proud to represent Melbourne”.
The Rose of Tralee International Festival takes place from August 16-20.
The televised selection nights will take place on August 19 and 20.