Rose of Tralee cancelled for a second year

In a statement released today, festival organisers said that while it was difficult they are confident they have made the right decision. Picture: Picture Andres Poveda

The Rose of Tralee Festival has been postponed for the second year running as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to derail events across the country.

In a statement released today, festival organisers said that while it was difficult they are confident they have made the right decision as everyone plays their part in the country's recovery.

The team had been working on how to safely run some or all of the 2021 Rose of Tralee since the festival was postponed for the first time ever last year.

However, it said the timeframe envisaged to safely steer the country out of the pandemic and their responsibility to positively support those efforts mean the festival could not go ahead.

With the vaccine rollout continuing and a return to normal in sight, the team behind the world renowned festival are looking ahead to 2022.

"The Rose of Tralee International Festival operates on a yearlong basis, in Irish communities worldwide; and we will continue to harness the goodwill of our extended Rose Family in supporting communities and charitable efforts over the next 12 months," organisers said.

"Similarly, we will each have a role to play in restoring our community and local economy following this pandemic, and we look forward to coming together in celebration in August 2022."

Presenter Dáithí Ó Sé has said that he is gutted the festival will not go ahead this year.

"I'm gutted for all the Roses, the Rose centres, all the volunteers and especially for the people and town of Tralee," he said.