Tara takes the crown at Rose of Tralee

AFTER weeks of polished smiles and high-heel-induced blisters, hot favourite Tara Talbot has been crowned 2011 Rose of Tralee.

The Queensland rose, who is half Filipino, was handed the 12-month role by last year’s winner, 2010 London Rose Clare Kambamettu, last night.

The secondary school teacher was the bookie’s hot favourite.

The result is only the second victory for Queensland roses in the contest’s 53-year history, making the location seventh highest in the overall rankings.

Tara’s moment of glory came amid a deluge of off-centre scenes which have become the signature of the Dáithí Ó Sé hosting era.

They included a fake walk-off when the host was scolded by Boston and New England representative, Moira Sullivan; a sign of support for Washington DC’s Dorothy Henggeler’s long dead dog; and a “hip hop dance” from Dublin rose Caitlin McNeill.

The cultural confusion apparent in some contestants’ stories was underlined by Germany’s Cork-born rose, Saoirse Fitzgerald, who said her Dusseldorf-based boyfriend didn’t speak to her after she said she was having “great craic” with her sister and mother.

“I also told him before to give me a ring — he thought I wanted to get married,” she said.

Last night also saw the return of live music from a recognised star to the broadcasts as Dubliner Imelda May wowed the audience with new single, Road-Runner.

The Liberties native was the first recognised worldwide act to appear on the show in almost a decade, following in the footsteps of Van Morrison and Westlife, with the possibility of more acts next year to come.

Before taking the stage, she told the Irish Examiner of her thrill at the unexpected request — and an admiration for an event many mistakenly believe is the polar opposite of the star’s uber-cool image. “I went along to it when I was about 10 with my mam and dad. The guys in the band were asking me about it so I told them it was a bit like Miss World, only nicer, and without the bikinis. They didn’t seem to like that so I told them it was a mix of Miss World, Eurovision and Fr Ted.

“Maybe they should have one for the lads, the thorn of Tralee.”

While the star never thought of taking part, she said that — true to Rose of Tralee tradition — she came to the festival loaded with her own on-stage dress dilemma.

“I had a big ball gown for tonight and me husband packed it into a box to move house. Every time he’s been looking at me since I’ve been sucking a lemon.”

Imelda “quirky ball-gown disaster story” May’s a Rose of Tralee fan? We shouldn’t have been surprised.