'Get over it': The Rose of Tralee is a celebration of Irish women
(Left to right) Florida Rose Molly Ronan, Cork Rose Shauna O'Sulivan, Leitrim Rose Shauna Murtah, co-host DĂĄithĂ O'SĂ©, co-host Kathryn Thomas, Galway Rose Deirdre Jennings, Waterford Rose Abby Walsh and Roscommon Rose Rachel Hastings at the launch of this yearâs Rose of Tralee International Festival 2024 at Airfield Estate in Dublin. Photo: Domnick Walsh
There are two words you really shouldnât mention when you discuss the Rose of Tralee â âlovelyâ and âgirlsâ.
As fans of the annual festival will point out, anybody who thinks it amounts to little more than an infamous Father Ted parody centered around a fictional Lovely Girls competition just âdoesnât get itâ.
The same goes for anybody who thinks todayâs contestants have anything in common with the âhappy maidensâ nostalgically referenced in Ăamon de Valeraâs now infamous, and often misquoted, 1943 radio address about his vision for an ideal Ireland.
It also isnât, others will tell you, anything whatsoever to do with the âLovely Legsâ contest that used to be held in the 1950s in Butlins Mosney camp in the UK.
While you are at it, you should also erase any comparisons with the Ballybunion Bachelor Festival, which featured men parading on stage in their speedos showing their . . . âvital statisticsâ.
Festival CEO Anthony OâGara, currently recovering from heart surgery, took on the festivalâs small but vociferous group of critics a number of years ago, when he penned an open letter to them on the festivalâs website.
In it, he said it was time to correct âmisconceptionsâ about the festival âfoisted on the unsuspecting public annually by zealous, angry, perhaps misguided social commentatorsâ.
He described what they had to say as âboorish nonsense from uninformed opinion writersâ.
âThe Rose of Tralee is not all about colleens on parade tricked out as national stereotypes, flagrant misogyny or masquerading as Irish culture,â he stated.
Kerry County Council councillor Deirdre Ferris, who lives just outside Tralee, is one of the many who agree.
âI've heard comments about this supposed âLovely Girlsâ competition,â she said when asked about the modern-day appeal of the 65-year-old festival set up to boost the fortunes of Tralee at a time when it was badly hit by unemployment and emigration.
âBut from what I have seen, it has progressed and shown incredible diversity among women. You are seeing very successful women up there, and seeing young women starting out.
âLooking at it as a woman, it has shown great progression in the lives of women and the opportunities for women. It is also about an absolute celebration of the reach of Irish people around the world and the diaspora.
âI think we have to let go of the old âLovely Girlsâ competition idea because that was something that was thought up by men. There is too much emphasis put on this objectification."
Fellow Kerry County Council councillor Anne O'Sullivan, who lives in Tralee, agrees with this view of the festival, which is open to females or those who identify as female aged between 18 and 29 who are Irish born or of Irish origin.
âIt may have started out in its infancy as a Carnival Queen competition, to attract people into the town but it has evolved radically over the years,â she said.
âIt is a wonderful opportunity to look at how the role women play in society has evolved and changed since the infancy of the contest.
âIt is no longer a Carnival Queen competition on the back of a lorry kind of thing. It is very much about celebrating women of Irish origin and celebrating their ancestors.â
Apparently each rose is worth an estimated âŹ200,000 to the economy of the town and surrounding areas because they each attract up to around 200 close family members â including parents, brothers, sisters, and partners â along with relatives, friends, and supporters who descend on Tralee.
Then friends and relatives across Ireland will also make the trek, along with a cohort of festival fans from the county or country each rose represents.
It is estimated that these will all spend at least âŹ1,000-a-head during the festival. So, with 32 roses this year, that works out at âŹ6.4m.
Added to that, there is the year-round publicity from Rose of Tralee-related events â such as the selection of each rose â around the world which continuously promote the town as a tourist and go-to destination.
The publicity for Tralee, Kerry and Ireland from the festival alone is valued at around âŹ12m to âŹ15m after all the local, regional and national media appearances are accounted for.
RTĂ's hosts of the two-night live broadcast are in no doubt about the point of the festival.
DaithĂ Ă SĂ© sums it up simply by saying it is âa good picture and indication of what Irish women are doing in 2024â.
Co-host Kathryn Thomas told the : "As a modern Irish woman and the mother of two fabulous little girls, what I love about the Rose of Tralee is it gets to showcase Irish women in all their glory.
"I think itâs very easy for us at home to forget how important that Irish connection is for the international roses who live away.â
Speaking of RTĂ, more than a million of their viewers are expected to tune in over Monday and Tuesday night. Over half a million viewers watched the crowning of last yearâs rose on RTĂ One and the RTĂ Player on Tuesday night.
The programme drew a peak of 576,000 viewers as DĂĄithĂ and Kathryn revealed the winner. An average audience of 497,000 watched the Rose of Tralee International Festival after the Nine O'Clock News on RTĂ One on Tuesday.
Across Monday and Tuesday of the festival, an average audience of 406,000 tuned in to watch the live show broadcast from the Kerry Sports Academy on the Munster Technological University campus.
In total, some 1.3 million people tuned in over the two nights, with it being the most popular among the 15-34 age group, whose viewing was up from 45.5% to 53.7%.
Up to around 200,000 people are expected to hit the town over the duration of the festival, which formally kicked off on Friday, that includes a street fair and other entertainment. Of those coming into town, around 1,200 will attend Mondayâs selection night and around 1,400 will attend Tuesdayâs final.
It is expected that the total cash and credit card spend in the town and surrounding areas will be in the region of at least âŹ10m.
County Kerry Deputy Mayor FionnĂĄn Fitzgerald, who lives just outside Tralee, said: âAll my life, the festival has been part of the DNA of the people of Tralee, and surrounding areas. It is part of growing up in and around the town.
âItâs a celebration of the giftedness of everyday people and a celebration of Irishness, and all of us, in a way, are represented through the roses.
âIt has a strong impact on the local economy. It marks Kerry on the international scene all year round, and it isnât just the week or the run up to it.â
Having the time of her life is Perth Rose, Maria Collins.
The 29-year-old primary school teacher, from Coppeen, Co Cork, has no doubt about what the point of the festival is or what it means to Ireland.
âIt is a celebration of Irish women, at home and abroad, and in particular those who are abroad and of how they have set up our lives abroad, and how previous ancestors have done that.
âIt is also about how they succeeded, and a celebration of what they achieved. What it does for Ireland is that it shines a light on the achievements of women who have moved abroad.
âIt also shines a light on the footsteps we, as a nation, have left on the world. For such a small country, we have a huge impact abroad, and our culture is really, really strong and just showcasing all of that is really brilliant.â
The festival clearly means a lot to Kerry Rose, Emer Dineen.
The 23-year-old paediatric radiographer at Temple Street Hospital, who is a former cheerleader and lifeguard, said: âI get emotional thinking about even watching the selection night.
âThere are 31 stunning people around me and we all know snippets of each oneâs lives, and then we will see them in all their finery and glory, standing up on stage, showing off the best case of themselves."
Pharmacist Shauna O'Sullivan, the Cork Rose, was asked by the to explain what prompts highly-educated women like herself to get up on stage in a show like the Rose of Tralee.
âThatâs a very good question, and a valid question,â the 25-year-old from Araglen replied. âThe appeal is absolutely there and has stood the test of time.
âThe appeal is there but in terms of pin-pointing what is the appeal, I think for a lot of people, it is the international girls to get back to their Irish roots and to celebrate them.
âFor everybody else, it is a case of being part of a community and they are making new friendships."
Does she think anybody who clings onto a perception that the Rose of Tralee is about 'Lovely Girls' need to get over themselves and is missing the point?
Quick as a flash, she replied: âYeah. Exactly.â
She added: âItâs a bit like the All-Ireland finals. Some people will watch it and some people wonât, and thatâs perfectly fine and there is no big deal about it.
âI do think there are a lot worse things going on in the world. It is a celebration of Irish women, Does that ever date? I donât think it does.â
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