Rose of Tralee 'not made for modern political beliefs' says winner

The winner of the Rose of Tralee has moved to defuse criticism of the festival, saying it is not designed to “celebrate the ambitions and political beliefs of the modern day Irish woman” writes Catherine Shanahan.

Maggie McEldowney’s comments, issued through the festival’s communications manager, come after a week of controversy in which one Rose claimed to have been “manipulated, bullied, and mistreated” in the course of filming Road to the Dome, a documentary broadcast by RTÉ immediately before the Rose of Tralee, at the end of which half of the Roses were dumped out of the competition on camera.