Rose of Tralee Maria Walsh: ’Being gay is normal to me’

Rose of Tralee organisers were unaware during the judging process that the 56th Rose, Maria Walsh, was gay, it emerged yesterday.

“It was just something that never came up,” the festival’s communications manager, John Drummey said.

Ms Walsh, 27, revealed in a Sunday newspaper that she has been openly gay for two years. She said she was confident about who she was as a person.

“To me, being gay is normal. I told my parents and they were supportive, as I knew they would be,” she said.

She later welcomed the positive feedback and commentary in the media when the story was published in the Irish Sun on Sunday.

Former minister Mary O’Rourke, speaking on RTÉ radio, said the story underlined Ms Walsh’s worthiness as the Rose of Tralee, who was truthful like the words of the song — “the truth in her eyes ever dawning”.

Ms Walsh said she did not know what William Mulchinock had in mind when he wrote the ‘Rose of Tralee’, but Ms O’Rourke’s comment was lovely. “My family are very proud of me and the most important thing for them is that I’m happy and healthy,” she said.

Immediately after the festival, Ms Walsh said she was single and that herfather would have high ambitions for the person who would want to go out with her. “So, if they can pass the mother and father test then I might give them an aul’ gander,” she said.

She said she was not at all ashamed of her sexuality and that the Rose of Tralee was about celebrating women’s intelligence, careers, and voluntary work. “The question of sexuality just never came up,” she said.

The festival’s executive chairman, Anthony O’Gara, said Ms Walsh’s sexuality was just one part of her.

“She is a wonderful person, an attractive, intelligent woman and a very worthy winner who happens to be gay,” he said.

Mr O’Gara said they were looking forward to working with Ms Walsh over the next 12 months.

“Her sexuality will no doubt create some interest, hopefully all positive,” he said. “She wants to be celebrated as Maria Walsh in the complete sense of her person and hopefully everyone will respect that.”

The studio manager flew back to America last night after cheering on Mayo with her family and friends in Croke Park, Dublin.

Ms Walsh has agreed to appear on The Late Late Show on September 5, and is not giving any interviews in the meantime.

Ms Walsh, who was born in Boston, grew up in Shrule, Co Mayo. She was the bookies’ favourite to win the competition.

In 2010, she moved to New York and the following year moved to Philadelphia, where she works for fashion brand Anthropologie.

Ms Walsh plans to spend her year travelling the world as ambassador for the festival, and encouraging young women to get involved.