4 March 2019
By Mary Bermingham
mary@TheCork.ie
Celebrations begin to mark 60 Years of Rose of Tralee as the search for the 2019 Cork Rose gets underway
Archive photo: 1959 Rose of Tralee Alice OSullivan
There’s never been a better time to apply to be the Cork Rose because, this year, the famous Rose of Tralee International Festival will celebrate 60 years since Alice O’ Sullivan became the very first Rose Of Tralee.
There was great excitement at the The Clayton Hotel, Silversprings- hotel sponsor of the 2019 Cork Rose Selection as the 2018 Cork Rose Erinn O’ Connell launched the search for this year’s Cork Rose.
According to Erinn, “the whole experience has been unforgettable – the opportunities that have arisen, the people I have met, the causes I have helped and the friends I have made, have made this the most rewarding experience you can imagine and I would encourage any girl to get involved.”
This years Cork Rose Selection will take place on the 8th & 9th June where all entrants will take to the stage over the two night selection. There will not be any heats involved this year – each entrant will participate in all our events up to and including the selection weekend, with one announcement on the Saturday night where the lucky 2019 Cork Rose will receive a whole host of incredible prizes sponsored by local Cork businesses and beyond. Anyone interested in entering this year can do so online at www.roseoftralee.ie/apply. Further information about the selection process is available by emailing corkrosecentre@yahoo.com or call/text 0871474100.
The 2019 Cork Rose will then travel to Rose of Tralee International Festival which takes place from Friday 23rd to Tuesday 27th August and will enjoy everything that Ireland’s flagship family festival has to offer – parades, gala functions, entertainment, televised Rose selection nights, a Rose Tour and much more.
The Cork Rose Centre Coordinator, Denis Griffin, said: “This year is a very special one for us at the Rose of Tralee as we celebrate 60 years of Roses. Cork has taken the Rose of Tralee title three times during the Festival’s 60 year history with Josie Ruane in 1961, Denise Murphy O’ Sullivan in 1991 and Geraldine O Grady Finn in 1999. We always receive great interest from young women around the county who would like to enjoy a life-changing experience through their participation in the Rose of Tralee. This year, the Festival organisers have revamped the selection process by removing the regional qualification aspect of the event to ensure that every Rose who is selected each year will feature on Live TV which will be broadcast from the Dome on RTÉ. We are delighted to return to the Clayton Hotel, Silversprings for this year’s event and we are looking forward to another wonderful occasion for all involved.”
The Rose of Tralee, Kirsten Mate Maher, said: “My entire Rose journey has been overwhelming in the most positive sense. I still cannot put into words how surprised I was to have been chosen to represent the Festival and my amazing class of 2018 Roses and Rose Escorts. I cannot get over the amount of life-long friends from all over the world that I’ve made from the moment I was selected as the Waterford Rose, through the Festival in Tralee and beyond. It has been the most positive life-changing experience and the only way to truly appreciate that it’s more than a what people see on TV is to enter your local Rose selection now.”
The Lead Sponsor of the Rose of International Festival, Tipperary Crystal, will present the 2019 Rose of Tralee with a complete collection of Tipperary Crystal Fine Jewellery, and a range of high-quality products from their Giftware and Homeware Collections. She’ll wear the splendid tiara featuring the Rose motif as the central framework, adorned in glistening crystals and the exquisitely crafted Crystal Perpetual Trophy.
The Diamond Jubilee Rose of Tralee will drive away from Tralee in a brand new KIA from McElligotts Tralee, a World Travel Prize valued at €25,000 and a weeklong holiday in Kerry from Kerry County Council.
Every return visit to Tralee during the 2019 Rose of Tralee’s reign will be spent in comfort at the magnificent 4-star Rose Hotel, the home to the Rose of Tralee International Festival.
