Julia Rose update

I hope you are keeping up with Julia Rose. Who she? The Chicago and Mid-West Rose for 2010. (I'm confused, slightly!). She has a lively blog going on at http://thejuliaroseshow.com/ .

And if you go to this part of her blog, you can read about her selection process and, more importantly, see many photographs.

Very interesting.

Kilkenny Rose for 2010

We must thank the Kilkenny Advertiser for bringing us first news of the Kilkenny Rose. Chloe Hitchcock is the 2010 Kilkenny Rose having being chosen at an event in the Ormonde Hotel.

Looing forward to getting more information on Chloe Hitchcock.

The suspense is killing.

Derby Rose 2010

We are grateful to The Irish World for bringing us up to date with events across the water. At the 27th annual Derby Rose of Tralee event, Sarah Harper was selected as the 2010 Derby Rose.

Go Munster

The Munster Express brings us the above picture and news of the Waterford Rose 2010. Sarah Murphy from Dungarvan is the lady who will be travelling to the regional competion in July.

A Waterford Escort was also chosen - he is Tommy Murphy. - He goes straight to Tralee - no regional competition for him.

Waterford Facebook

Waterford has a facebook page. That's it. Waterford has a facebook page. Oh, and that's Sarah Murphy, 2010 Waterford Rose of Tralee.

Craanford? Where's that?

Craanford is a village in County Wexford. Anne Sinnott hails from Craanford and has just been crowned 2010 Wexford Rose of Tralee. The Echo (Enniscorthy) has the full story of the night - there were twentty contestants !

A quote from the Echo article, "I have always been a fan of the Rose of Tralee and it has been a family tradition to sit around the television and try and pick out the winner".

It's on to the regional competition for Anne. Only 29 other Roses to beat there!

Good luck.

Rose Oddity

How about that! League of Decency approved! This is a frame from a 1937 film starring Binkie Stuart, Talbot O'Farrell, Kathleen O'Regan and Danny Malone. Apparently you can buy a DVD copy on eBay, see this link.

There is a little more information about the film here.

Donal the Roscommon Escort

Here we have Donal Gill, who will represent Roscommon at the 2010 Rose Festival in Tralee. The poor Roscommon Rose, Deirdre Lenehan, will have to go through the trauma of the Regional Selection. Hardly seems fair does it?

Read all about it at the great Roscommon Rose website.

Roscommon Rose Queen of the Castle

This is Deirdre Lenehan who has been selected as the 2010 Roscommon Rose of Tralee. The event took place at Kilronan Castle on 23rd April. She is off to Portlaoise for the regional finals. The best of luck to her!

There are plenty of photographs and details at the Roscommon website - go there!

Limerick's Wonderful 50th

We are, as ever, grateful to Event Capture for this photograph of Brid Richardson who has been chosen as the 2010 Limerick Rose of Tralee. It was a very special selection night in Limerick - a black tie affair celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Limerick Rose Centre.

Event Capture have absolutely tons of Rose photographs from various centres and selection nights. Well worth a visit.

Southern California, 2010

Sarah Felong is the 2010 Southern California Rose. This news comes from the Southern California website, and we quote directly from it - "She (Sarah) is an alumni of UC San Diego where she earned a degree in music humanities. Sarah traces her family roots back to Cork and Kerry. Aside from being an accomplished opera singer, Sarah also volunteers for JDRF and Promise Ball".

Sarah's picture is also from the site. There is lots of news there, and pictures too!

The Rose - A Judge's Perpespective

Jane Daly was a judge for the 2010 Ottawa Rose of Tralee. Her initial reaction was, to say the least, hesitant.

She has written a great article on her experiences during the event. It is a full and frank critique of the Rose Festival and is really worth reading. It would be fantastic if her post could be reproduced in print!

I will leave you with her final words. "And our 2010 Rose of Tralee, Laura Hay, has every quality one could want in a Rose. She will make Ottawa proud as she prepares to travel to Ireland. But I have no doubt that each and every young woman we met this weekend will go on to bigger and better things. They will settle for nothing less than the best that they can do and can give, as they make the sky their limit. I am truly honoured and grateful to have met them all. Now this is a pageant I look forward to telling my daughters about. Bravo ladies and Sláinte!".

Read the full post here. It's good!

Just a photograph

Another pic of Laura Hay, 2010 Ottawa Rose of Tralee. From SNAP.

This is Laura Hay, who will represent Ottawa  as the 2010 Ottawa Rose of Tralee.

The picture is care of the Ottawa Centre of the Rose of Tralee.

We are grateful to The Depaulia for news about Julia Rose, 2010 Midwest Rose. I'm a bit confused myself, as the official Rose site names Julia the Chicago Rose!. I'm sure they are the same thing.

It seems we have another Rose who is pretty good with the odd quip or two - "I just take one small step at a time," said Rose. "If you look at a mountain to scale, it's going to seem impossible to climb. But if you try little by little, you'll reach the top", a quote from the Depaulia article.

This, and more, from Courtney Sturgeon at The Depaulia.

Arizona is coming to Tralee

Arizona has chosen Danielle McBurnett as it's 2010 Arizona Rose of Tralee. She will be in Tralee this August.

The Arizona committee has a wonderul site with plenty of pictures and news.

Full Review of Laois Selection Night

The Laois Nationalist has a wonderful piece on the selection night for the Laois Rose of Tralee. Bernadette Ryan emerged triumphant!

It's great to have quotable Roses, and Bernadette is the latest in a fine tradition. "This is so surreal, it’s like a dream. I think I’m going to wake up in the middle of senior infants and think what has happened". That was her reaction to the events of the night. I'm guessing Bernadette is a teacher.

Also chosen on the night was Andrew Monaghan - he will represent Laois as their Escort at the Festival in August.

Michael Tracey of the Laois Nationalist has the full story - it is well worth reading.

Laois Photos

This is Bernadette Ryan, 2010 Laois Rose of Tralee.

Go to the Leinster Express here, and see all Alf Harvey's great photographs of the selection night.

Who was who in the Escort world, 2006

You must be dying to know who all the Escorts were in the 2006 Festival. You are? Well you can find all the biographies at this RTE link.

Kildare Rose is a Queen

Edel Kearney is the 2010 Kildare Rose of Tralee, but she is also the reigning Kildare Derby Festival Queen. I seems she is also a GAA player with St. Laurence's.

All of this somes from the Leinster Leader, where you can also find out about Will McGrath who is the Kildare Escort for 2010.

Isabella Greene's Christmas Plunge

This is a video of Isabella Greene, 2010 Galway Rose of Tralee, jumping into the freezing waters of Galway Bay on Christmas Day 2009.

Why did she she do it? Well Isabella is raising funds for UCD Volunteers Overseas. Read all about that charity at this link.

You can help Isabella's cause at her page at mycharity.

New Stephanie News

Sligo Today brings us some news about Stephanie Tempany, the Sligo 2010 Rose of Tralee. Stephanie now goes to the regional finals.

Best of luck to her!

Limerick Escort RS200

Well not quite RS2000, but this is Adam Craughan, who will represent Limerick as an Escort at the festival in Tralee in August.

This picture, and tons of other Rose pictures, can be seen at Event Capture. Well worth a visit.

Breaking news

This just in (seriously!). The 2010 Limerick Rose has been selected. She is Brid Richardson of Lisnagry. Details to come soon.

Hutt Valley does it again

The Hutt Valley Irish Society have a function every year to select their Rose of Tralee, who wil then go on to the New Zealand finals. This year they have chosen Ashley Rayna Mackenzie-White, who's mum is from Bray in County Wicklow. You can read all about her at the Hutt Valley website.

There is also a link to previous Hutt Valley Roses, here.

Update on Galway Rose

The Galway Advertiser brings us news about Isabelle Greene the 2010 Galway Rose. She was selected from 24 contestants at the show which took place in the Live Lounge at the Radisson Blu.

A direct quote from the article from Rebecca Kemp, Galway Rose co-ordinator; "We had a great crowd and support for all the girls involved. The girls on stage were a credit to themselves and their families. The standard this evening was very high of all 24 girls competing and Isabelle is a worthy winner and will be a great ambassador for Galway at the regional finals".

Read it at the Galway Avertiser.

Westmeath Rose and Escort

We are indebted to to the Athlone Voice, for it is there that we find more information on the Westmeath Rose. Cathy Brougham, studying for a masters in toxicology, is the 2010 Rose.

In the picture she is arm in arm with Niall O'Brien who has been selected as the Westmeath Escort.

More information and pictures are available at the Athlone Voice.

VSO and Rose of Tralee

You can read other posts (see the label VSO) relating to the connection between the Rose of Tralee Festival and VSO, the charity organisation.

This VSO clip shows photos of the visits to Malawi and Kenya by Aoife Kelly, Rose of Tralee 2008 and Charmaine Kenny, Rose of Tralee 2009

Sligo's Stephanie Snapped

We now have a photo of Stephanie Tempany, the 2010 Sligo Rose. Hurray!

This picture is from Event Capture. Go there for great Rose photographs from all over Ireland.

Leitrim's Martha

Here we have a Leitrim couple. Well, not quite. Martha Gilheaney is the 2010 Leitrim Rose. That gentleman on her arm is the Leitrim Escort - he is chosen to go straight to Tralee!. He is Jason Fox.

This picture is from Event Capture. Go there for great Rose photographs from all over Ireland.

Galway is Greene

This is Isabella Greene, who has been chosen as the 2010 Galway Rose. Hopefully we will have more information about Isabella soon.

This picture is from Event Capture. Go there for great Rose photographs from all over Ireland.

Heats are on for pick of the bunch - The Irish Times - Tue, Apr 20, 2010

Charmaine Kelly (Rose of Tralee 2009) with the Clare contestants

The Irish Times have a great 'behind the scenes' article. It's all about the selection night for the 2010 Clare Rose, held at the West County Hotel. Irish Times journo Brian O'Connell;s sister Aoife was a contestant on the night. Did she win? Click the link below to read the article!

Heats are on for pick of the bunch - The Irish Times - Tue, Apr 20, 2010

Fundraising for Kilimanjaro

Elsewhere on the site, here and here, you will find details of the trek to Kilimanjaro being undertaken in 2010 by five Roses and five escorts.

They aim to raise €50,000. So how is it going?

Visit mycharity to view their progress.

Those Roses (all 2009);

Aideen Reilly Manchester, Kelly O’Shea Queensland, Ashling Colton New York, Tara Cunningham Cavan, Melanie Carroll Limerick.

Roses Trek to Kilimanjaro

There is another side to the Rose of Tralee festival. Five Roses and five Escorts will be travelling to Tanzania and Kenya in June 2010 to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.

One of the aims of the trek is to raise vital funds for VSO.

The five Roses are;

■Aideen Reilly Manchester Rose 2009
■Kelly O’Shea Queensland Rose 2009
■Ashling Colton New York Rose 2009
■Tara Cunningham Cavan Rose 2009
■Melanie Carroll Limerick Rose 2009
 
They well be accompanied by five escorts ;
 
■Sean McGarrell from Meath
■Colin Conway from Tyrone
■Patrick Foley from Kerry
■Noel Judge from Galway
■Ciaran O’Connell from Clare
 
To see the aims and objectives of both the trek and VSO, please visit their website at VSO.

Waterford Rose 2010

Just a quickie - Sarah Murphy from Dungarvan has been chosen as the 2010 Waterford Rose.

Kearney from Kildare

This is Edel Kearney who has been chosen as the 2010 Kildare Rose.

Her reaction?

""I’ve always been a great follower of the Rose of Tralee. I entered the Derby Queen competition in the Curragh last June and I was lucky enough to win that and they sponsored me in the Rose of Tralee,” explained Edel, who sang Eleanor McEvoy’s version of Caledonia as her party piece on the night.


"We had the interview in the morning they were asking me a lot about my education and my job,” said Edel, who teaches 23 junior infant boys and girls. “The students were delighted I was showing them pictures this morning. They said I looked like a princess.”"

All this, and more, from the Kildare Nationalist.

Sligo's Stephanie

With thanks to the Sligo Post, we learn that the 2010 Sligo Rose is Stephanie Tempany from Templemore. It appears that Stephanie is another lady who is into being fit. On the selection night she did Irish dancing as her party piece and she is in training to run a mini-marathon in May.

Read more on the Sligo Post website.

Taranaki calls in

The ever-busy Taranki people have done it again. They have selected Anna Mills as the 2010 Taranaki Rose.

She will now go forward to the New Zealand finals on June 5th.

Thanks to Stratford Press.

You must know Coosan

Coosan is in Westmeath. And Coosan is where Cathy Brougham hails from. And Cathy Brougham has just been selected as the 2010 Westmeath Rose.

We are grateful to the Westmeath Independent for this news. And if you want more, go here!

No pics, yet.

Bernadette Ryan, Laois Rose 2010

We are grateful to the Leinster Express for the news that Bernadette Ryan from Rathdowney has been selected as the 2010 Laois Rose.

Not only was Bernadette first on stage on the night, but the PA system failed during her party piece. Oh well, it didn't hamper her, it seems.

All of this news is available at the Leinster Express. But no pics.

Longford Rose Chosen

Sarah Keogh with 2009 Rose, Lisa Duffy

It's that time of the year when Rose centres are choosing their Roses for 2010. Sarah Keogh has been selected as the 2010 Longford Rose.

The Longford Leader has a very big article all about Sarah - read it here. In the meantime perhaps you would like some tasters from the article;

"I couldn't believe it – I didn't even hear my name being called out and next thing the girls all crowded around me so I guessed that I must have won".

"Sarah is passionate about horses. The 25-year-old spends her free time show jumping and taking part in cross country and dressage events with her local club Mosstown Stables. She also likes to lead an active lifestyle through swimming, cycling and walking".

I'm tired already.

Read the article.

Ratoath Rose is Meath Rose

Sarah McCann in black

Meath has selected it's 2010 Rose. Sarah McCann from Ratoath emerged as the winner from the fourteen competitors on Easter Sunday night.

Just a snippet from the article in the Meath Chronicle "The new Rose is a qualified dietitian who runs her own clinic in Ashbourne, as well as lecturing. Sarah has spent time travelling the world alone and has volunteered to work with children in India, along with raising funds for charities at home. She is a big fan of Meath GAA, is a keen swimmer and has enjoyed horseriding since she was a child".

The picture is also from the Meath Chronicle.

Channel Islands' Site Launched

The Channel Islands have just launched their website. That's it! Go there for all the news.

Laura Hay, Ottowa Rose

We learn from Ottowa East EMC that Laura Hay is the 2010 Ottowa Rose of Tralee.

To lift a quote from Desmond Devoy, "Now, there was a "party piece," segment, equivalent to the talent competition, but this proved to be a worthy afternoon's entertainment. U of O student Callaghan danced a jig in her traditional Irish dance costume, while Fiona Duffy, a nurse, administered CPR to an oversized, stuffed Curious George doll. Hay, who works at Indian and Northern Affairs, showed a small video of her adventures running in snow shoes while Lynch, the Marketing Director for the Ottawa School of Art, drew an Ottawa 67s logo onto the face of a very obliging host Michael O'Byrne of CTV News at Noon, like the ones she does for kids at hockey games at the Civic Centre".

The full piece is here, no pics unfortunately.

The First Philadelphia Rose

"At left, Ann Marie O'Reilly-Gindhart, Ph.D., and her daughter Mary Catherine, who was one of four semi-finalists who will go on to the Mid-Atlantic Rose of Tralee Final. Ann Marie was Philadelphia's first Rose, in 1968, when the local festival was sponsored by the Philadelphia Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA)."

The above quote and picture is from a set of Flickr photos celebrating the 2010 Philadelphia Rose of Tralee selection night. You can see all their great pictures at this Flickr Link.

Carla does it for Tyrone

We thank the Tyrone Rose of Tralee site for this picture of Carla O'Brien, their 2010 Rose.

Dancing in Southern California

This video can be found on YouTube, or at diddlyi. The best I can do is quote entirely from that !
"Here's another championship dance that was performed by the Kelly School of Traditional Irish Dance at the 2010 Southern California Rose of Tralee at the CBS backlot in Studio City. It tells the story of a fight between the two types of dance shoes in Irish Dance, the "light" softshoe (ghillies) and loud hardshoes. The girls in the cream are the softshoes, and those in black are hardshoes. I absolutely love this choreography and you guys did a fabulous job! :)"

Where to get your Toronto news

Front row Siobhan Keenan Bradley-1998; Kayla Mahomed-2009; Maureen Hamill Horgan-1971; Patty O'Shea Sullivan-1977; Lisa Mullen-1996;

Back Row Sarah Sullivan-2009; Ashley Connaughton-2009; Jenna-Lee Creelman-2006; Erin Horgan-1999; Kathleen Looney Conway-1981; Colleen Moorley McPhee-1996; Ciara Wilson Costello-1992

You will find this photograph of Toronto Roses at the Toronto website. There are full details on all things you need to know if you want to know about Toronto Roses, believe it or not!

Roscommon news easy to find

It's now easy to keep up to date with all things Roscommon.

Website at http://roscommonrose.com/

Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Roscommon-Rose-of-Tralee/361560963377

From Brandon to Kilimanjaro

Kelly O'Shea, 2009 Queensland Rose of Tralee, is about to do something I'm afraid I will not be doing. Mount Brandon beats me! On June 17th 2010 she will be climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. It's all for charity - read it here.

The Julia Rose Show

This is Julia Rose who is the US Midwest Rose for 2010. She will be coming to Ireland to compete in the regional heats.

She has a great website at The Julia Rose Show.

I think there may be fun ahead.

Charmaine - Money and Haggling Advice!

2009 Rose of Tralee, Charmaine Kenny is a master at PR for the Rose of Tralee festival! In this Irish Times article she shares her advice on money, shopping and haggling. Just one of the questions;

8. Do you invest in shares?

A summer working in the equity research department of an investment bank in London killed any interest in investing in shares. So, that would be a no!

Read it here.

San Francisco Who?

This is a picture from the St. Patrick's Day Parade in San Francisco, 2010. You can see the set at Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/bucky1105/4432088895/.

But who is the Rose?