Rose of Tralee: Contestants enjoy grand tour ahead of TV finale
There was an abundance of sparkles, county flags, and a few dodgy dance moves as thousands of people lined the streets of Tralee to welcome the 32 Roses in this year's Rose of Tralee contest.
Ahead of the finale on Tuesday, the Roses and their escorts were introduced to the public, as they made their way to the Island of Geese for the opening ceremony of the Rose of Tralee 2026.
The Roses arrived in Kerry after touring across Ireland last week, from Meath to Kilkenny, and from Limerick and Listowel.
On Saturday evening, festivities properly kicked off with the Roses in the Moonlight parade as colourful floats made their way to Denny St, ending with the candidates being introduced to the crowd on stage.
On Sunday afternoon, the Roses, their escorts, and the rose buds and buddies were ready to party again as they joined The Sunlight Parade, alongside 10 marching bands.
The Cork Rose, Lexi Linnane, is one of the youngest participants at only 19.
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The Mahon native is doing a degree in early years and childhood studies at University College Cork, while also teaching dance and working in content creation.
“I never expected to take home the Cork sash, but I couldn’t be more grateful for it. I’ve taken everything in my stride. I’ve embraced it fully, and I embrace it every single day,” Lexi told the before The Sunlight Parade.
“When my name was called out, I actually was a little bit in shock, I thought that they called out the wrong name. My face just dropped, I couldn’t take my jaw off the floor.”
This weekend, Lexi spotted family and friends in the crowd as they came out in force to support her.
She was twinned with the Paddy Macs pub in Tralee, which has been decorated with Cork colours and rose flags for the occasion. She said:
“The parade last night was so meaningful as well, just to see the support from not only your own family, but the whole county of Cork, to see random people shouting my name was just absolutely amazing. I hope that I remember that for the rest of my life because it was just absolutely incredible.”
Representing Co Clare in this year’s competition is Méabh Holland, 22, a teacher hailing from Sixmilebridge.
Growing up, she watched the Rose Parade every year — a family tradition. Over the years, she became inspired by the Roses and the charities they support.
“If I could be an inspiration to one little girl out there, just as all the previous roses have been to me, it’d be an absolute honour of a lifetime,” Méabh said.
Her friends have travelled from all over the country to see her, hopefully, become the second ever Clare woman to win the title.
“The energy on the streets is amazing,” she said.
"I didn’t sleep for hours because it was just so exciting, everyone is in such good form. It’s so lovely to be meeting the people of Tralee, the people who’ve travelled from all over the world.”
Méabh is advocating for the Clare Crusaders Children’s Clinic, which provides free therapy and specialist treatment to over 450 children with special needs in Co Clare.
“The work they do is just phenomenal, so any way that I could help them at all would be huge,” she said. “I’ve worked in special needs, and I’ve seen the benefit that it has for those children, the way it changes their lives. So for me, it's really important to highlight that much as I can.”
The 32 Roses are preparing to take the stage at the MTU on Monday and Tuesday night, with both nights televised on RTÉ from 8pm.
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