Town to transform as festival blossoms again

THE traditional end-of-summer Irish festival everyone pretends to hate is set to kick off in style this weekend as a host of public events, charity drives and picture perfect pouts are showcased in Kerry over the coming days.

Freshly picked from its 12-month hiatus, the Rose of Tralee international festival is back to wow and irritate its fans and detractors in equal measure — in the process ensuring vital funds are both pumped into the local economy and given to worthy causes.

With this year’s 32 Roses arriving in Tralee yesterday to meet their escorts and the child participants who will act as their rose buds, the Kerry town has been transformed into a family-friendly festival site.

Among the events on offer are tag-rugby competitions, kayaking, a children’s treasure hunt and — as long as no one notices — the odd pint or two (or three) for the adults.

As the events unfold, 32 young women — two of whom, Cork Rose Kathryn Brennan and German Rose Saoirse Fitzgerald, are from the rebel county — will be hoping to follow in the high-heeled footsteps of last year’s winner Clare Kambamettu.

The 27-year-old, born in Leeds but from Athy, was crowned Rose of Tralee 12 months ago this week by presenter and quintessential Kerryman Daíthí Ó Sé, becoming the second winner in succession to represent London.

This means the pressure will be firmly on current London rose Caroline Marley — currently priced at 33/1 with Paddy Power — to make it a hat-trick of victories on a par with Ireland’s mid-’90s Eurovision domination, but all of the competitors believe they have a chance of taking home the prize.

In the meantime, they are busy raising the profile of key charities such as the 1Life suicide prevention group, the Cystic Fibrosis Association of Ireland and Voluntary Services Oversees (VSO).

The latter group has taken previous winners to some of the world’s poorest countries to highlight the plight of poverty in the developing world.

Those competing in the event will also be practicing their often amazing, occasionally absurd, and at times down-right frightening party pieces when they finally get to take centre stage during the live RTÉ broadcasts on Monday and Tuesday night.

Not to be outdone, organisers will also hope to showcase their own party trick, which they seem able to repeat without fail every 12 months: despite almost everyone you meet claiming they avoid the ‘cheesy’ event when it comes on screen, it routinely has one of Ireland’s highest annual television figures.

The excuse that the remote is broken looks shakier every year.

Festival history

MURDER, false accusations, star-crossed lovers and — no, you can’t even escape it here — emigration. These are the four admittedly unexpected pillars the annual Rose of Tralee festival is based on.

According to the international event’s organisers, and any self-respecting Kerry native, the festival everyone pretends not to watch is based on a poem penned by wealthy 19th century Protestant Pembroke Mulchinock.

Mr Mulchinock fell for his family’s Catholic maid, Mary O’Connor, and persuaded her to marry him by writing a poem.

However, after being accused of murder — falsely, the festival’s organisers insist — he was forced to flee to India. On his return many years later he met the funeral cortege of one Mary O’Connor — his long-lost love, breaking down in tears at the sight.