Tales of the unexpected at Rose of Tralee

The beauty pageant is a national institution. But that doesn’t mean we can’t poke fun of its more bizarre moments.

WHEN infamous US showbiz blogger Perez Hilton took a sudden shine to the Rose of Tralee in 2011, no one was overly surprised.

While the celebrity stalker was dumbstruck by Dublin Rose Siobheal Nic Eochaidh’s liberal interpretation of hip-hop, Irish audiences have grown to expect the bizarrely unexpected at the event.