Taoiseach’s niece bookies’ pick of the bunch

What does a cheese-tastic festival filled with bizarre “Irish hip-hop” dancing that would make Michael Flatley cringe, banana songs, and subtle hake ads need to keep it fresh for another year?

Why, of course, a close relative of the country’s political leader taking a centre stage in proceedings.

As the latest instalment of the Rose of Tralee prepares to gear up for another outing, the involvement of Mayo Rose Dervla Kenny is likely to result in extra interest from the watching masses.

The 26-year-old occupational therapist at the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin, is niece and godchild to Taoiseach Enda Kenny. She is also a favourite with the bookies.

Rose officials are keen to ensure people see the Mayo girl as separate to her well-known uncle, with Dervla passing off the connection recently by saying “everyone is related to somebody”.

However, given the high-profile of her political godfather, viewers are likely to have an extra reason to tune into the annual end-of-summer competition when it hits our screens next Monday.

Dervla and the other 14 Roses in this year’s bunch yesterday began the first day of the week-long festival everybody pretends to hate by taking a trip up Croke Park’s Etihad skywalk — the only time this week a Cork representative will reach such GAA heights.

During the event, US, Australian, German, Luxembourgish, and Canadian contestants were also awarded certificates of Irish heritage — officially recognising their connection to the Emerald Isle.

And with the Roses due to be whisked away on a whirlwind Irish tour — taking in the Guinness Storehouse, the Dáil, and a Connaught fireworks extravaganza — over the coming days, long-standing festival favourites can also be expected to make an appearance.

Despite the recession, this year’s Rose of Tralee festival appears to have already caught the public’s imagination, with all hotel and approved self-catering accommodation in the Kerry town booked out.

Kieran Ruttledge, CEO of the business group Tralee Chamber Alliance, said the surprise surge in visitors could be worth up to €8m for the economy.

However, while the local businessman was keen to stress the quality of entertainment on offer in Tralee from Friday until next Tuesday, he acknowledges a more mundane reason could also explain the unexpected interest.

Rain-soaked Irish summers, he says, can do a lot to convince local punters it’s better the devil you know than the drenched camping or barbecues you don’t.

Among the bookies’ early picks of the rose bunch are Dublin’s Arlene O Neill (11/4, Boylesports), Mayo’s Dervla Kenny (3/1), and Luxembourg’s Nicola McEvoy (8/1).

Should Arlene win, she will already cost the well-known bookie thousands of euro — with thousands more set to be spent by those backing the other contestants.

With the Olympics soon to join the Euro 2012 flop as a distant memory, the Rose of Tralee could not have come at a better time: At last, a competition where Ireland is guaranteed to win every event, every time.