How is it March already?? I’m just over halfway through my year as the 2024 Rose of Tralee and I’m pleased to tell you that time in fact really does fly when you’re having fun.
I’ll start off by wishing you all a very Happy International Women’s Day, and hope this day serves as a reminder to be thankful for all the incredible women you may have in your life. I’m a persistent advocate for the beauty, strength and spirit that the women in my life bring and I am so lucky to be surrounded by remarkable women that consistently uplift and inspire me. I’ll take this moment to thank my mum, godmother, grandmothers, stepmum, aunties, sisters, dance teachers, friends and fellow Roses as some of the women in my village that make my world turn. I would be nobody without you.
The 2025 IWD theme is Accelerate Action for gender equality. At the current rate of progress, it could take until 2158 – five generations from now – to reach full gender parity. We cannot afford to wait. Together, we must take decisive steps to remove systemic barriers and biases that prevent women from reaching their full potential, in all aspects of life.
As an ambassador for this Festival which celebrates women, I want to note the incredible achievements, resilience, and strength of women across the world. The Rose of Tralee International Festival has long been a platform for women to share their stories, connect across cultures, and inspire positive change in their communities. From our Roses and Rosebuds to our volunteers and supporters, the Festival is a reflection of the power of women coming together to support, lead, and make a difference.
As a Festival that celebrates empowered, ambitious, and compassionate women, the Rose of Tralee has always been about fostering a global sisterhood that inspires change. To all the amazing women in the Rose of Tralee family—past, present, and future—we celebrate you today and every day. Let’s continue to support and inspire one another as we strive for a more equal and inclusive world.
I could talk endlessly about the power of women if you let me, but there is so much to cover from the last few months, so I’ll pick up where I left off from last time.
At the start of December I was invited to America to visit the Texas and Arizona Rose Centres. I was greeted at the airport with signs and flowers from people I had never met before, but they instantly felt like family. The Rose of Tralee community and connection is something that you can find all across the world and never fails to amaze me.
I had the absolute best trip, meeting our Arizona/Texas Roses and Rose Centre Reps who took such good care of me. I visited the Grand Canyon, Historic Goldfields, Arizona Irish Cultural Centre, Texas State Capitol, the Austin Irish General Consulate, unveiled an ANZAC’s memorial, went country dancing, tried in-n-out, raising canes, tex-mex and texas BBQ for the first time (dreams achieved), visited Fort Worth, saw the Dallas Cowboys stadium, met cowboy santa, sat on a Texas Longhorn, and most importantly stopped off at Buc-ee’s. I can’t believe that place is actually real, I’ve never seen such a large selection of beef jerky.
I was lucky enough to attend numerous events in Arizona and Texas and it was eye-opening to see how strong the Irish communities were and people’s passion for their culture and the Rose of Tralee Festival itself. I had the pleasure of meeting the 2013 Rose of Tralee Hayley O’Sullivan, as well as the gorgeous Houston, Austin, and San Antonio City Roses who will go forward for the Texas Rose Selection in April. There’s something special about being an international Rose and witnessing the beauty of yet another international Irish community. A massive thank you to Ciara, Lydian, Ash and Jason for being so kind, accommodating, and fun, I am dying to come back already!
Landing back in Dublin from America, I was met by my best friend Maggie from New Zealand who had come over to visit me. The Rose of Tralee is still rather alien to my girls from back home so I was excited to properly immerse her in my new lifestyle. We did all the classic touristy experiences, visiting the Guinness Storehouse, Temple Bar, Molly Malone, Ha’penny bridge and more. We then got dressed up and headed to a Christmas Concert Fundraiser held by Dublin Rose Casey Harris for our humanitarian trip to Poland which was followed by a night out with the 2024 Rose Class for a pathetic attempt at 12 pubs of Christmas (I think we managed about a solid three).
I experienced my first Christmas away from home and in Dublin with my Irish family. Although usually my Christmas is spent soaking up the sun and enjoying a BBQ, I am so blessed to have such a large support system within my family here and it was great to spend Christmas with an abundance of my aunts, uncles and cousins, even if it wasn’t as tropical as a New Zealand Christmas. I even managed to go for a swim at the beach on Christmas Day, but I can’t say I was in the water for too long. I’ve been so lucky to spend lots of time with my granny since I’ve moved over, she lives just down the road so I’m always inviting myself over for a cup of tea and to be fed. I wonder how long it will take before she’s sick of me… The week after Christmas, I rang in the New Year with my fellow 2024 Roses and Escorts at a fabulous ball at the Knightsbrook Hotel in Trim, Co. Meath. It was so special to have the majority of the group back together, and I even came away as the winner of the prestigious “biggest liability” award (so not true).
I’ve returned to Kerry more times than I can count over the last few months, racking up the kilometres on my beautiful Kia Niro car thanks to Kia Ireland which has been an amazing way to explore the country and get me to and from all of my events. I have fallen in love with the people and the town of Tralee and really value my time spent there. I can’t thank all the team and staff at the Meadowlands Hotel enough, they truly are a home away from home and always welcome me in with open arms. Myself and Emer Dineen, our Kerry Rose, are frequent flyers at the Meadowlands now, and they even helped to host our coffee morning fundraiser in the lead up to our humanitarian trip to Poland where we raised over €800. They also let us into the kitchen with chef hats, aprons, and all, to help in preparations. Recently the Meadowlands took us on an action packed adventure day, involving surfing, horse riding, kayaking, hiking and more. Emer was able to show me Castlegregory, her hometown, and I can confidently say that the Kingdom of Kerry truly is a beautiful place with so much to offer.
I’ve been kept busy during my time in Tralee, experiencing lots of new opportunities, meeting new people, as well as returning to visit familiar faces. I returned to J. Turners Bar in Tralee, my twinned pub from the Festival where they let me behind the bar and taught me how to pour the perfect pint. I attended my first GAA match at Austin Stack Park which saw Dublin take the win as I was standing in a Kerry jersey… Ouch. I spent Valentine’s weekend with some of my fellow Rose’s in Kerry as a Galentine’s getaway weekend where we were spoiled by the Meadowlands, Sneem Seaweed Baths and the Skelligs Six18 Distillery. It was an honour to join the Kingdom Branch of the Irish Guide Dogs for a Valentines Fundraiser night which was filled with dancing, singing, and puppies, all in aid of such a vital and life-changing charity.
I was delighted to attend the All Ireland Irish Dance Championships to present some of the awards and watch the incredibly high standard of dance that was on show over the week. Since being in Ireland I’ve absolutely loved being able to continue to dance and be involved in the Irish dance community with the Cabe Academy of Irish Dance that has become another home. I absolutely love to dance and I’m just thankful that my legs haven’t given out quite yet as I get closer to entering the senior ladies age category!! This past week I attended a Charity Walk in the heart of Tralee involving a guided journey along Tralee Heritage Trail sponsored by Network Ireland Kerry, an organisation involved in the promotion of professional and personal development of women. This walk was in aid of two incredible local charities – the Kerry Hospice Foundation and the Kerry Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre. The demand for the services these charities provide is constantly growing and their work is indispensable. It’s been so eye-opening to learn about such a wide variety of charities across Kerry and Ireland over the last six months and I hope I can play my part by using my role to educate and create awareness. It has been such a pleasure to meet so many kind-hearted, passionate and inspiring individuals and teams who devote their lives to such exceptional causes.
One of the most special events I attended in Tralee was the Rose of Tralee Reunion where I was able to spend time with some of the past International Roses of Tralee. This group of women are so inspiring, loving and full of the best craic! They’ve welcomed me into the group and made me feel so at home. I’m so lucky to be a part of that family for the rest of my life. It was surreal to pay a visit to Therese Gillespie Collins, the first ever televised Rose, from 1965. Meeting the lady who was just like me sixty years ago was amazing and her spirit and energy were infectious. It’s incredible to see how the Festival has impacted these ladies and how it continues to resonate with them all throughout their lives.
The most significant and incredible opportunity I got to partake in over these last few months most definitely was the humanitarian trip to Poland where I was joined by a group of seven other Roses and our token Rose Escort for the trip, Sean Malone. This trip was in support of two incredible charities; Chernobyl Children’s International and the Happy Kids Foundation.
CCI are an Irish charity based in Cork who operate in Belarus, Western Russia and Ukraine and help those affected by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986 through programmes a such as humanitarian aid delivery, the children’s food programme, summer respite camps and funding cardiac surgeries for the condition known as ‘Chernobyl Heart’.
The Happy Kids Foundation are a charity organisation in Poland who run 20 safe houses for orphans. These safe houses take the place of an orphanage and are family-based homes. They are not government-funded and rely heavily on fundraising and donations. When the war broke out in Ukraine, this charity took in 1500 Ukrainian children as well as their caregivers from orphanages in Ukraine and gave them a place of safety in several centres across Poland.
Our trip involved volunteering in Ukrainian orphanages and safe houses, connecting with and bringing joy to these children who are from war-torn Ukraine and have lived through tougher times than any of us will ever know. It was an absolute privilege to be a part of this trip and get to know these children. They were so inspiring, full of light and joy in the face of adversity, and warmly welcomed us into their lives and homes. We visited three different safe houses over the course of three days that housed children aged from 5 all the way up until adulthood. As the children didn’t speak English, we relied on toys, arts and crafts, games and activities to form a bond which was a scary thought initially, but that all washed away as soon as we entered each house and got to know them. I had an absolute blast each day, spending my time colouring, blowing bubbles, skipping, playing table tennis, basketball, and football and attempting some Tik Tok dances with the aim of bringing a smile to their faces.
One afternoon we headed to the Happy Kids aid distribution warehouse where we unloaded a busload full of aid that had been driven all the way from Kilkenny to Lodz by the CCI team, Jim, Mary, George, Jeraldine and Emily. It was incredible to see the amount of aid that had been collected due to the hard work from the Roses and kindness of our family, friends and community. At the end of the trip we had all three houses together at the hotel for a farewell party full of dancing, singing, pizza, and lollies galore. It was a really sweet and wholesome ending to the trip, but it was upsetting for both us and the children to say goodbye.
Overall, our group raised and collected approximately €90,000 worth of humanitarian and financial aid for these two worthy causes. I cannot thank every single person who supported us enough, no matter how big or small, you made such a difference and had a very positive impact on these children’s lives.
We ended the trip with a team dinner where we met and celebrated with the Irish Ambassador to Poland, Mr Patrick Haughey, and we were presented with an official certificate of thanks from the Project Director of the Happy Kids Foundation, Agnieszka Kozielska. This trip was truly humbling and eye-opening, it really gave me perspective on the world and how lucky we are to be living the way we are. It’s inspired me to keep giving back to those who need it and to use my platform to inspire others to do so.
Another meaningful event I celebrated this February was Waitangi Day. Since moving to Ireland, I’ve found a beautiful connection with Te Waka Aumihi Waiata Roopu, a wonderful singing group at the New Zealand embassy that brings together Kiwis from all walks of life. We had the incredible opportunity to perform waiata at the New Zealand Ireland Association’s Waitangi Day dinner, the same event that our last New Zealand International Rose of Tralee Maryanne Murphy of 1988 attended during her reign. It was an unforgettable night celebrating our culture with fellow Kiwis and special guests. I was honoured to speak about my experience as the Rose of Tralee and what my biculturalism meant to me.
The search for the 2025 class of Roses started early this year in January with the Longford Rose selection. I’ve been involved in many Rose launches across the country and it’s been lovely to connect with such a wide variety of wonderful, spirited, Irish women from all walks of life. Attending the Longford Rose selection was my first selection I’d ever attended apart from my own and it was incredible to be a part of. I will never get used to the feeling of being welcomed into a room with a standing ovation, with floods of overwhelming love and support from every corner of the room. It is so bittersweet watching the new cohort of girls be crowned and thinking about what is in store for them. I am even slightly envious of them! I would do anything to rewind time and do everything again to savour every moment of the Festival.
I really had not an ounce of a clue what I was getting myself into when I applied and participated in my first Rose Selection. Fast forward to today and I don’t know how I ever even considered passing up such an amazing opportunity. If I could tell anyone who’s on the fence about signing up, I would simply tell them there is nothing to lose and an incredible amount to gain, including personal growth, friends, community and some of the best craic you’ll ever have. I know first-hand how vulnerable it can feel to take that first step of putting yourself out there and applying, but once you make that step I can guarantee you’ll never look back!
To conclude, that has been my life in a nutshell over the last few months. Sometimes it still doesn’t quite feel real that I’m here and have been provided with such a large platform and opportunities I could have only dreamed of a year ago. Next up on the list is St Patrick’s Day in Chicago and New York, and my first trip back to New Zealand to attend my graduation and collect my very fancy and expensive piece of paper. I truly do feel at home here in Ireland, but I really can’t wait to hug my mum! I’m forever grateful that I’m able to be here living my life and taking every opportunity as it comes. I can’t wait to see what the future has in store and I’ll be updating you all very soon.
Love from your 2024 International Rose of Tralee,
Keely O’Grady
