The Rose of Tralee contest brings together Irish women from all communities around the world for an international contest, very traditional in Ireland. The 2022 competition was the 62nd event.
This year’s winner was Rachel Duffy from County Westmeath. The 24-year-old is a Rosemount resident and studying performing arts. It is the first time in history that a competitor from the County of Westmeath has been crowned.
She currently works in a bar and wants to graduate in Spanish to become an Iberian-language interpreter and translator.
The event registered an audience of hundreds of thousands of people, not just from Ireland, but from all over the world. People from as far away as the United States, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey.
This year’s edition brought together 33 women from Ireland and other places in the world such as the United Arab Emirates, the United States, England and Australia
The event lasted five days, until the announcement of the winner, who received the crown and won an award that includes hotel accommodation. Tralee’s four-star Meadowlands year-round and a €25,000 package to spend on travel, plus other items such as jewelry.
What is the Rose of Tralee
The idea for the contest came about during a conversation with businessmen from the city of Tralee, who were thinking about how to attract more tourists to a local horse racing event. The initial idea was to bring to the city, including Irish people and their descendants, who were in other nations. Thus, the Rose of Tralee contest was born in 1959.
Initially, only women from the city could participate, however, little by little, the competition expanded its borders, until, in 1967, it was decided that all Irish women or descendants of Irish could participate. It didn’t matter where they lived. This decision was a milestone in the contest.
Since then, in addition to representatives from every county in Ireland, women from all over the world have also participated.
According to the organizers, this is not a beauty contest, but a personality contest. The “Roses of Tralee” are women who should represent the Irish community well. For this, the judges analyze the personality and ability to serve as ambassadors for the festival.
Despite having gone through moments of financial crisis over the years, the contest is currently consolidated. It is even broadcast by the national television network RTE.
The event is always held in August, so you already have in your 2023 agenda, in August, the 63rd Rose of Tralee Festival. Who knows, maybe you can follow the final in the city of Tralee itself?
