Cork encroachment a thorny subject at Kingdom’s festival

It may be the jewel in Kerry’s cultural crown, but this year’s Rose of Tralee has more than a whiff of county controversy in the air.

Of the 32 finalists in the 2014 event, a third were either born in — or have direct links to — the self-styled kingdom’s bitter enemy Cork. That includes — and you may want to sit down for this — Kerry’s own contender.

Speaking in front of Cork rose Anna Geary as the rebel county were humbled by Tipperary’s hurlers yesterday, Kerry-jersey draped festival host Dáithí Ó Sé insisted the situation has not stopped locals from greeting all participants with a heartfelt welcome.

However, in a pointed reference to the girl who the day before was pictured being ‘forced’ to don a Kerry training top to smooth over concerns, he added: “It doesn’t look like Cork are doing too well at the moment though.”

Out of the 32 roses set to take centre stage over the next 48 hours, two — Cork’s Anna and Darwin’s Natalie Kelly — were born in the Rebel county.

Another six — Perth’s Sinéad Lehane, Texan Cyndi Crowell, Boston and New England’s Michelle Prior, and North Carolina’s Nancy Boyce — can trace their Irish ancestry back to the banks of the Lee.

Kerry rose, Mary Hickey, has been keen to stress she is from the “beautiful village of Rathmore”.

However, she too has dipped her toe into Cork waters, as she currently works as a primary school teacher at Presentation National School, Millstreet.

The 26-year-old will share the responsibility of representing the green and gold of Kerry this year with Abu Dhabi’s Patrice McGillycuddy, a Killorglin native who left for that other kingdom in the east in 2012 — one of six roses who have departed from Ireland in recent years.

The duo’s involvement means Kerry will be strongly represented at this year’s festival.

However, the Cork encroachment has still not gone unnoticed, with some pundits last night heard openly asking for checks on exactly what mountain range the wild goat from that other quintessentially Kerry festival — the Puck Fair — is ‘really’ from.