THE ROSE OF TRALEE: Festival of fun, frocks and frolics

The 2014 Rose of Tralee was crowned last night after a nerve-wracking finale to the contest saw six different contenders neck and neck until seconds before the winner was named.

Festival-goers normally clear in their predictions were still tipping almost a fifth of those taking part moments before the show ended.

Chief among them were Philadelphia’s Maria Walsh — whose odds shrank drastically — Abu Dhabi’s Patrice McGillycuddy and Carlow’s Miriam Smyth, with Laois’s Teresa Brennan, Dubai’s Ailis Hughes and Cork camogie star Anna Geary also close by.