Wednesday 22 January, 2025
After seven hours of loveliness over two nights, the Rose of Tralee is over again for another year.
Missed tonight’s action? DailyEdge.ie was on hand to document the evening’s proceedings and witness Offaly Rose Jennifer Byrne be crowned Rose of Tralee 2017. Catch up below…
*sways gently to Rose of Tralee*
Right, are we all set for round two?
Few housekeeping duties: tonight’s hashtag is #RoseofTralee and you can stream the whole thing on the RTÉ Player.
LET’S DO THIS.
Daithí has ditched the off-white suit tonight, instead opting for a dapper navy number.
Look at him. Full of jizz so he is.
Our first Rose of the evening is the Abu Dhabi Rose. Did you know that the correct Irish pronunciation of Abu Dhabi is ‘Aboo Debbeh’?
Niamh Kelly is a nurse with a very dotey Dad who was trying fierce hard not to cry.
D’aw.
Next up is the Kildare Rose who is a locksmith. Just kidding! She’s a teacher in Clongowes Wood.
Deirbhile was perfectly charming and ratted her Mam out for being straight out of Keeping Up With Appearances. Meanwhile, Daithí ripped her fella for not shaving his beard. Classic Dad move there.
Western Canada marched on stage and embraced Daithí. She’s a hugger, you see. So much so that she used to hug her teachers.
Now Western Canada kind of put her foot in it when she explained that she had 23 first cousins living “in the UK” including 20 in Ireland.
Poor sweet Western Canada Rose. You don’t even know what you’ve done, do you?
Is someone double-jobbing?
Sydney Rose put every child in the country to shame when she explained the lengths she goes to in order to keep in touch with her mother. “Not a day goes by where I don’t ring my mother,” she said. “She rings her mother every day and she’s living in Sydney. You live in Dublin and I have to call the guards to make sure you’re alive, ” says your mother.
Elsewhere, Sydney Rose told a very winning story about having a lamb to help her cope with loneliness.
Aw, we like her.
Down Rose told a very moving story about her brother who sadly passed away from cancer last October. After his diagnosis, he sat his A-Levels, got the grades necessary to study mechanical engineering and became the first person from Northern Ireland to win UK Young Engineer of the Year.
Amazing.
And that’s to say nothing of Daithí’s attempts at a Newry accent.
Daithí is every aunt at a wedding tonight…
Germany Rose has won the talent portion of the evening anyway with a *stunning* performance. Angelic, even.
*deep breath*
And now for a break before we enter the home straight.
Empty your bladder, make some tea, get your circulation going.
OH THANKS FOR THE REALITY CHECK, RTÉ!
Anyone else feeling weirdly soothed by the Rose of Tralee theme song?
La la la la la la la la la la
So mindless. So easy to sing along with.
AH WUDJA LOOK, ETC.
We’re right back into it and the Galway Rose is giving a CPR demonstration.
Rose of Tralee: where giving CPR is considered a talent. Eat your heart out, Miss World.
Next up is the bookies’ favourites. Yes, it’s the Texas Rose.
Lydian Lawlor Lopez is from Houston. Her mother’s people hail from Abbeyleix, Co. Laois, and her father is Mexican. She is hoping to become an immigration lawyer and subtly spoke out against President Trump’s anti-immigration policies and his proposed wall between the United States and Mexico.
My goal will always be to help people come to the United States.
YAS.
The Waterford Rose began her spiel by asking for an All Ireland ticket. A woman after my own heart, tbh.
She doesn’t have a boyfriend and Daithí couldn’t leave well enough alone…
God forbid you be single in your twenties, eh?
Daithí and the Southern California Rose just had an autopsy of Sunday’s match between Mayo and Kerry. (She’s originally from Mayo, you see.)
Things got… tense. I thought there might be pushing and shoving.
Once things calmed down, she recited all fifty states in 23 seconds.
As you do.
Extremely valid point here.
New Zealand Rose, originally from Clonakilty, shared the story of how she chased her Kiwi fiancé.
Upon hearing his accent:
Too easy, you are mine.
She was a chatty Cathy in the best way possible.
Malahide’s Maria Coughlan is this year’s Dublin Rose.
She’s a world champion Irish dancer and a teacher. In other words, she’s an alpha Rose of Tralee.
Daithí just shouted the words “FOOT UNDIES” upon seeing the support strapping Maria had on her feet. He’s getting tired, God love him.
Kerry Rose is a Home Economics graduate and a lecturer in St. Angela’s College, Co. Sligo. So naturally her talent was… cooking an omelette.
No, it is not 1957.
Florida Rose Elizabeth Marince told a very touching story about her severely disabled brother and what Walt Disney World meant to her family.
She described family holidays to Walt Disney World as “the most incredible memories I have with my brother” and described seeing her brother, who is non-verbal, showing emotion during trips to Walt Disney World.
She now works in the entertainment department of Walt Disney World and volunteers for the Special Olympics.
In keeping with the Disney theme, the cameras panned to her escorts and Daithí roared, “Two right Mickeys!”
Oh good. Shane Filan is here to sing Bryan Adams’ Heaven.
“He has a lovely voice now.”
- Your Mam, probably
CHICARGO ROSE IS HERE TO RELINQUISH HER CROWN!
Why am I nervous???
Daithí is doing that thing where he recites all the facts he’s learned over the last week.
You like Terry’s Chocolate Orange, don’t you?
JUST TELL US WHO THE WINNER IS.
And the Rose of Tralee is…
Jennifer Byrne from Offaly!
And that’s it done for another year, folks.
Congratulations to Offaly!
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