New Zealand Rose named as  2024 International Rose of Tralee

The New Zealand Rose, Keely O'Grady, was last night named as the 2024 International Rose of Tralee. 

The 21-year-old is a fourth-year student at Canterbury University and is studying a Bachelor of Speech and Language Therapy. 

She hopes to work in the healthcare or disability sector, helping children to communicate effectively.

The Rose of Tralee festival is now in its 64th year. 

There was a strong Cork contingent taking part in this year's event. 

Cork Rose Shauna O’Sullivan was among the favourites to be named as Rose of Tralee. 

Coming from Araglen just outside Fermoy, a village that borders Limerick and Tipperary, Shauna is a recently qualified pharmacist.

She also plays a leading role in her local community as a member of the organising committee for the Araglen Carnival.

Six other roses had strong links to Cork including Ciara O’Sullivan, from Newmarket, who represented Dubai;  Perth Rose, Maria Collins, who hails from Coppeen in mid-Cork; and San Francisco’s Maggie Baglin, whose Cork connections come via her father’s family who hails from Gurranabraher and Glanmire.

Billie Cooper, the New York Rose grew up in Cavan but her father is from Cork;  Molly Ronan, the Florida Rose has links to Cork city; and Megan Cahill, who represented Chicago in this year’s festival has roots in Cork and Clare.