D’Arcy bows out of Rose of Tralee to spend more time with his family

TODAY FM presenter Ray D’Arcy has decided to step down as presenter of the Rose of Tralee.

The Kildare native the event said his family circumstances had changed and he now wanted to spend more time with them.

“I really enjoyed my time hosting the Rose of Tralee,” he said. “I met some wonderful people in Kerry.

“My circumstances have now changed, however, and any time off is very precious.

“It’s a two-week holiday with my family or presenting the show, and my family has to be my priority.”

The organising committee of the festival paid tribute to Mr D’Arcy for the “excellent” job he did in hosting the competition over the last five years.

They said he had helped to bring in viewers in their hundreds of thousands.

Rose of Tralee managing director Anthony O’Gara, said Mr D’Arcy had brought professionalism, flair and humour to the stage.

“Ray was brilliant at putting the Roses at their ease and at encouraging them to express their personalities,” he said.

In a statement, RTÉ said it wanted to pay tribute to Mr D’Arcy’s “entertaining and masterly hosting of the show over the past 5 years”.

As the search for a new host begins, organisers of the festival have issued a final call for candidates to contest the 2010 county heats for Roses and escorts.

They have also appealed for local businesses and organisations to lend their support by sponsoring the prospective roses and escorts in their areas.

Interested candidates can get in touch with organisers by logging onto the website roseoftralee.ie and clicking on “How to become a Rose”.

Application forms are available to download from the website.

This year’s festival will be held from August 20-24.