Northern Ohio Chooses



1971 Rose of Tralee Linda McCravy Shubeck, left, and 2009 Northern Ohio Rose Annie Dunn, right, congratulate 2011 Northern Ohio Rose Bridget Linton.

Westlake is a sister city of Tralee, and the new 2011 Northern Ohio Rose has been chosen. She is Bridget Linton. A good Irish that - Bridget. She attends University of Akron sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism.

Read more at the Westlake Patch

Fund raising update

Elsewhere on the site you can read about the climb up Kilimanjaro to raise funds for VSO. Kelly O'Shea, 2009 Queensland Rose, was one of the climbers. she is second from right in the above photograph.

Full details at The Chronicle.

Proper Way to Water Roses

The Irish Independent has this photograph and story. It seems that 6 Roses jumped fully clothed into the Atlantic Sea on the Kerry coast. Dominick Walsh is the photographer in the water, with Eric Hanaton taking the pic.

The article says 6 Roses went into the water, but I can only see 5 in the picture. Does anyone know who the missing Rose is?

The wet Roses were Belfast Rose Rose Frances Rafferty, Cork Rose Laura Mitchell, Kerry Rose Veronica Hunt, Tipperary Rose Lynda Kelly, Dublin Rose Niamh Sherlock and the 2009 Rose of Tralee Charmaine Kenny.

Mr. O'Gara is quoted in the article "If you are entering the knobbly knees or glamorous granny competitions, looking above to the magnificent aerial display and parachute jump or simply perusing the 50 years of fashion exhibition at the County Museum, we wish you every enjoyment at this year's festival".

Read the Independent article here.

Athy 2, London 2

The Kildare Nationalist has something of note to write about - the new 2010 London Rose, Clare Kambamettu is from Athy - just as last year's London Rose, Charmaine Kenny is also from Athy. Charmaine went on to become the 2009 International Rose of Tralee.

Do read the article, from which the following is quoted 'According to her mum, Breda, Clare decided to enter the competition when she saw an advertisement on her way home from work one evening. “She had been attending a lot of very serious interviews and just decided that this would be a bit of fun,” said Breda, adding that her daughter was selected as London Rose at Moran’s Hotel in North London last Saturday night. “Actually it was 2.30am on Sunday morning when the final result was announced – it was tremendous excitement all round,” Clare’s delighted mum told The Kildare Nationalist'.

What Really happens in Tralee

Lisa Monaghan was the 2009 New Zealand Rose. The New Zealand Rose Site kept a diary, both photograpic and written, of Lisa's adventures at the International Rose festival in Tralee.

This is a very, very full diary!

So, if you are coming to Tralee as a Rose or are just interested in looking behind the scenes, follow Lisa in Tralee.

Louise from Sydney

We have no other information about the Sydney Rose than a series of pictures, all available at the Irish Echo. In the picture above Louise Leninhan, the 2010 Sydney Rose has the 2009 Sydney Rose, Romy Farrelly on her left and Charmaine Kenny the 2009 International Rose on her right.

So, until we get more details, enjoy the pictures at the Irish Echo.

Catherine, Birmingham's Choice Rose

We get this picture from the Facebook page of the Birmingham Rose of Tralee.

Sitting and waving to us is Catherine Maher, 2010 Birmingham Rose.

Wrong! We wre wrong! This is the 2009 Birmingham Rose. Thank you, anon.

Arlene Crowned in Offaly

The Offaly Express tells us that Arlene Kelly from Edenderry has be crowned the 2010 Offaly Rose. The picture shows Arleen with the 2009 Offaly Rose, Natalie McCabe. It's off to Portlaoise for the Reginal competition for Arleen.

Thanks to the Offaly Express.

Southland Joins The Race

Things are hotting up in New Zealand, with Roses cropping up all over the place. In the photograph above we see Nicole Gourley (left) the 2010 Southland Rose. On the right is Lisa Monaghan who was the 2009 New Zealand Rose.

The story is available at the Southland Times.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Charmaine In Malawi

More news about Charmaine Kenny, 2009 Rose of Tralee. She is visiting Malawi to view VSO projects. The article was carried in the Irish Examiner. Here are some quotes;
"ROSE of Tralee Charmaine Kenny is in Africa where she is visiting Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) projects aimed at making Malawians more self-sufficient.
Malawi is one of the poorest countries in Africa, with many of its 14 million inhabitants living in extreme poverty. VSO sends experienced professionals to developing countries such as Malawi where they work to develop their educational, health and business sectors.
Charmaine, from Athy, Co Kildare, visited the Zuzuga Tea Growers Association which began as a VSO project with 11 locals but now has 400 members. Last year it produced 1.5 million tons of tea. VSO volunteers helped the Malawians develop a small out-growers scheme where they plant tea. Tea is Malawi’s biggest export but most tea estates are privately owned."
And;
"Charmaine, who has a degree in management science and a masters in economics, was impressed.
'This project is proof of the difference that VSO volunteers can make. All the people of Zuzuga area needed was some advice and expertise and now they are going from strength to strength. VSO is not about handouts. It is about giving direction and confidence to succeed,' she said."
The full article is here.

Charmaine off to Malawi

We are grateful to the Leinster Leader for the latest on Charmaine Kenny, 2009 Rose of Tralee. You can read it here, or below if you wish.
"AS her first overseas engagement as Rose of Tralee, Athy's Charmaine Kenny, will travel to Malawi this month with the volunteer charity VSO in order to highlight the poverty facing the country.



Departing on a week-long trip on Saturday, November 21, Charmaine will visit local organisations in Malawi that address hunger and food insecurity amongst women and children. On her return to Ireland she will launch the VSO Christmas Fundraising Appeal.
Speaking of her upcoming expedition to Malawi, Charmaine said: "I've spent about six months volunteering in a developing country before and witnessed firsthand some of the hardships people endure.
"I am fortunate to have had a good education and many opportunities in life. It seems unjust that all people do not have these same chances, especially in poor countries like Malawi. I believe VSO is making giant strides towards improving the livelihoods of people living in Africa."

Where in The World is Charmaine Kenny?

Charmaine was to found in Kildare in October. She was visiting her first school, the pre-school 'Young World'.

A quote from the article in the Kildare Nationalist "Owner of Young World, Bridie Corrigan, had all of her pupils on hand to welcome Charmaine in only the best of fashions. The little boys were dressed as escorts while the little girls were dressed as princesses fit to be roses. They held handmade baskets (made at Young World) from which they sprinkled rose petals for Charmaine when she alighted from her pony and trap - helped by her attentive escorts, of course - and onto the red carpet." Bridie is on the left in the picture.

Go here for more of this story.

A Full History of the Rose

Here is a great book detailing fifty years of the Rose of Tralee. Packed full of photographs and anecdotes it's a joy to read. We don't sell it, but fully recommend T. Ryle Dwyer's book. Get it here, at O'Brien Press.

Washington and Fermanagh

Tara Maguire, 2009 Washington D.C. Rose had a great time at the 2009 Festival. You must read the Fermanagh Herald for the full story, but we can give you some quotes; "The parade was a totally surreal experience. Thousands and thousands of people lined the streets despite the wind and the rain, and greeted us. It was an amazing welcome and something that we will all hold with us for the rest of our lives. "We got to attend the Fashion Show of the Year. Not only did we get to see some amazing designs, but we also got to strut our stuff on the catwalk! All 50 Roses were on cloud nine".

Why is all this reported in the Fermanagh Herald? Well, Tara is a native of Derrylin. Read it here.