Rose of Tralee’s moon is still rising

IF you want to know what the man in the street thinks, ask a taxi driver.

And if your driver happens to be a Kerryman during the Rose of Tralee festival, you may be told: “Nothing can compete with it. “If they had another festival on at the same time then that would close.”

Quite why the Rose of Tralee is still running exercises the minds of pundits and know-alls, to whom every year may be the last as they predict lower crowds and declare each festival more irrelevant than the last. But in an age where TV stations compete against more channels than ever, it remains one of the top 10 most-watched shows in Ireland. The bookmakers also know how popular the festival is, taking four-figure bets on a contest for which there is no form-book.