Rose of Tralee 2023 Róisín Wiley adjusts to title after ‘life-changing’ few days
Rose of Tralee Róisín Wiley pictured in Tralee Town Park. Pictures: Domnick Walsh
As the famous Rose of Tralee lights were dismantled on Wednesday morning, the quiet streets of the Kerry town were hardly recognisable after a night of celebrations.
Just hours after fireworks, ‘Midnight Madness’ and jam-packed streets, there was a sense of calm in Tralee as many locals and tourists were slow to emerge from their homes and hotel rooms.
However, at the Rose Garden in Tralee’s Town Park, a crowd had begun to gather to catch a glimpse of the 2023 Rose of Tralee Róisín Wiley, who was still adjusting to her new celebrity status in the town.
“I’m so excited and I’m still trying to soak it all in,” said the New York native.
The Rose Garden has been part of the town park since 1987. Surrounding a life-size bronze statue of the original Rose of Tralee, Mary O’Connor, and the author of the famous Rose of Tralee ballad, William Pembroke Mulchinock, is the famous Rose Wall which includes the names of every participant since 1959.
With the festival’s history all around her, the newly appointed Rose of Tralee took time to pose for photos with her fans.
Among those to make their way down to get a picture with the Rose was proud Tralee man Michael Fox O’Connor and his dog, Kerry.
An excited Australian tourist who happened to stumble upon the gathering also snapped pictures from afar and said that she could not wait to send them to her friends.
For the 2023 Rose of Tralee, the past couple of days have been “life-changing” and she gave a special thanks to the people of the town for their support.
“I just have to say a massive thank you to the town of Tralee. The most unbelievable part of this whole experience for me has been the two parades that all the girls and I have participated in,” she said.
The 27-year-old and her brother John were raised in New York but with both of her parents hailing from Limerick, the family returns to Ireland every year, especially when it's to cheer on the Limerick hurlers.
While her mother Majella is from Templeglantine, her father Eddie is a Kilmallock native and a huge Limerick GAA fan. While on stage in the Dome on Tuesday night, the Rose said her father had only recently changed his phone background from a picture of Limerick captain Declan Hannon.
With all of the glitz and the glamour that comes with it, the Rose of Tralee often comes under criticism, but our 2023 Rose said she sees it as a celebration of so much more than that.
“The Rose of Tralee festival is about celebrating women and Irish culture and what makes us beautiful and different. There is nothing outdated with doing that,” she said.
Speaking about the moment she was named the Rose of Tralee, Wiley said she was “in shock”.
“From there, it’s just a whirlwind. You see your parents walking down the aisle afterwards and then to pull up on Denny Street and see all of the girls behind clapping for me – it’s a blur but the best blur ever.”
As for her parents, they are also adjusting to their daughter’s new title.
“We look at each other and we’re shaking our heads like we can’t believe it – that this is about to happen, and this next year is coming ahead of us,” she said.
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