32 Roses ready to take on the Dome and meet Dáithí and Kathryn...
That was Geraldine O’Grady in 1999 - who followed in the footsteps of fellow Leeside winners Denise Murphy - in 1991 - and Josie Ruane - in 1961.
The 2023 edition takes place in the Kerry town next week, with Kate Shaughnessy, 25, from Ballincollig, chosen to fly the flag for Cork.
“When my name as the Cork Rose was announced, it was one of those wow moments,” she said in May.
Kate, a care co-ordinator at Norwood Grange Care Home in Waterfall, said her parents, Niamh and John, met at the Rose of Tralee when they were 15! Indeed, they now live in the town.
Regular presenter Dáithí Ó Sé will have a new co-host, Kathryn Thomas, when the event is televised on RTÉ1 on Monday and Tuesday (August 21 and 22) at 8pm, with a break for the 9pm news.
The pair will interview the final 32 Roses live from the festival dome in Tralee, and there will be plenty of craic on stage.
The Rose of Tralee will also be available to watch for free, live and on-demand by audiences in Ireland and around the world on RTÉ Player (Desktop, Mobile and Connected TV). The official hashtag is #roseoftralee
The Roses will represent the Irish diaspora worldwide this year, from Rose Centres across Ireland, the UK, the U.S, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and beyond.
The Dublin Rose, 27-year-old Bethany Cushing, originally hails from Cork, but settled in the capital via the Falkland Islands and London. The Radiation Therapist, who has worked in cancer research, will be hoping to put the seal on an All-Ireland/Rose of Tralee double for Dublin.
Look out too for the German Rose Megan Wolf, whose mother Mairead O’Shea is originally from Coachford, and Megan has fond memories of holidaying there as a child.
Bookies made Mayo Rose Kate Heneghan the early favourite to win. The county’s long wait for the Sam Maguire may be ongoing, but early support from punters suggests the winner’s sash could be making its way west for just the second time in the event’s history, and the first since Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin claimed victory in 2005.
Kerry representative Kelsey Lang McCarthy is 9/1 second favourite to keep the crown in the Kingdom, while a first win in the competition for Longford isn’t out of the question, with nurse Grace Kemple also hotly tipped.
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