Rose of Tralee CEO to miss festival while recovering in hospital after heart surgery

Anthony O’Gara is understood to have been taken to hospital in the last few days

Anthony O’Gara is said to be recovering from cardiac bypass surgery. File picture: Domnick Walsh 

Anthony O’Gara, the CEO of the Rose of Tralee, is in hospital after heart surgery, the festival has confirmed. He is understood to have been taken to hospital in the last few days.

A festival spokesperson told the Irish Examiner: “Anthony is currently recovering from cardiac bypass surgery, and the entire Rose Team sends him our best wishes for a speedy recovery.” 

As a result of his hospitalisation, Mr O’Gara will not be able to perform any of the duties he was due to perform at this year’s festival, the main part of which starts on Friday.

His main role would have been to announce this year’s winner next Tuesday night at the MTU campus just outside Tralee town centre.

The festival hit headlines late last year when he revealed that, for the first time in its history, the main part of the festival — the two nights televised on RTÉ — could move to Dublin.

He told Radio Kerry this could happen if he did not get the funding needed to run the festival properly.

“Whether the TV event happens in Dublin or on the Moon doesn't really matter as long as we have a festival that's successful in Tralee and promotes Kerry and Tralee,” he previously said.

High court case 

The festival has recently become embroiled in legal proceedings with a major shareholder.

Last month, the High Court heard that the business relationship between shareholders in the company behind the Rose of Tralee Festival has “irretrievably” broken down.

US-based shareholder Richard Henggeler has brought a claim against Kerry Rose Festival Limited, Mr O’Gara and a director, John McCarthy.

Mr Henggeler, whose wife is from Kerry, says he invested €800,000 in the company after his 27-year-old daughter Dorothy, a former contestant, died of a brain hemorrhage in 2014.

The 31.1% company shareholder also claims most of the money went to existing shareholders, with only a portion benefiting the festival itself.

Mr O’Gara, however, has said he and the other respondents have always put the interests of the festival first and that the festival has been professionally managed. Mr Henggeler’s allegations, including of minority oppression, are denied.