Hello everyone, Kia ora, Dia Dhuit and thank you so much for taking the time to read through this uncovering of my Rose of Tralee experience so far! I’m more of a talker than a writer, but I’ll give it a good crack.
I should probably start from the beginning since this is my very first check-in since Daithí called out New Zealand as the International Rose of Tralee for 2024. My whole entire world was rocked from that moment onwards.
Back in August I packed up the life I’d been living for the past four years to move back home from college. I was about halfway through my last semester of university, living in my eight-person rundown student flat and feeling eager to embark on my newest side quest in life; attending the Rose of Tralee Festival as the New Zealand Rose. Four months prior, I had little to no idea about the meaning and ethos of the festival, but I headed off anyway, naive and as clueless as ever to what I was about to experience. I’d never watched or followed the Rose of Tralee, but I knew that I had always been proud of my Irish culture and loved celebrating strong, smart, independent women. That was my base knowledge and all I understood the Festival to be about at this point.
Experiencing the festival day-to-day with no expectations was so special, every day offered something new and exciting, and being escorted around Ireland practically as a new-age princess felt as though I was living in a dream. I hadn’t lived the most glamourous life in New Zealand and although I was very content with my student life, going from that to being a Rose was an insane transition. I achieved so much personal growth during the tour and the festival, my heart was so full, and I had met 31 new, beautiful, and strong girls who I now consider my close friends. I truly felt I had already won.
I don’t think I’ll ever be able to put into words the feeling that rushed over me as I was selected. The video however speaks volumes, and I think it’s fair to say I wasn’t expecting it at all. Every girl can vouch for the fact that at the end of the festival you tend to forget the fact that you are here to have one girl selected as the overall Rose of Tralee, and the rush and confusion of getting pulled back onto stage to stand in the line for a winner to be announced was an afterthought in our minds. My favorite photo ever must be the one taken as I was announced. Every single girl was so genuinely happy for me, and I felt so supported and loved in this moment. Kerry, our beautiful Wicklow Rose, jumping so high she is levitating in this picture always makes me smile!!
My parents, grandparents, godmother, aunties, uncles, and cousins were all overjoyed and I think the announcement nearly sent my Mum into a state of shock. I’m still unsure if they were more excited about my selection or the fact it won them a small fortune on the bookies. I’m sure we can all make an educated guess. I was so lucky and grateful to have come all the way from New Zealand and have such an amazing support crew with family who followed me from New Zealand and Dublin.
It was so special to have the sash handed over to be my Róisín. She is the true epitome of a Rose, and she made me feel so supported and calm in such an overwhelming moment. I won’t lie, at times it’s still overwhelming to know it’s my role now to take what I’ve learnt from each of these wonderful women and represent them as well as I can as the ambassador for the festival, but I’d like to think so far I’m doing an alright job!
The rest of that night is a blur, but I’ll always remember walking into the room full of all the past International Roses of Tralee and feeling an overwhelming sense of love, support, community and girlhood. It was reassuring to see Mindy, Dom, Nuala and Ollie for a hug and check that they were still happy with their decision!! I had such a fabulous time getting to know them over the festival and letting them inside my world to show them who I am as a woman. They did an amazing job of supporting all the girls throughout the process making us feel calm, comfortable, and confident which is an ode to each of their individual characters.
That night I was sent to bed at around 3am and proceeded to spend the next few hours looking for my phone, bag, and belongings (the escorts had clearly signed off duty). After locating them I went back to my new room to sleep before I had to be ready for my breakfast interview at 7:30am. I went to set my alarm for 6am so that I had time to get ready properly, however it was 6:15am already. I went to sleep and did my interviews and photos for the day in the previous night’s hair and makeup. Classy as always, I was running off pure adrenaline, excitement, and joy.
That afternoon I found out that my grandad, Eddie O’Grady, known to me as Baggie or Big Eddie had passed away in the early hours of that morning. I like to think he passed at that time so he could spend the night celebrating and dancing with me in spirit. He was an incredible man and I’ll forever wish I had the opportunity to spend more time with him before he passed. I’m forever grateful I managed to visit him before I headed off on tour to let him know that I was going to be a Rose on the telly. I think he seemed rather impressed.
After the festival ended and celebrations had died down, I headed for a cheeky stop in Paris to watch one of my favorite DJ’s perform at a festival with my best friend. I then headed straight back home to New Zealand to finish my final full-time placement for my degree, working at a residential Acquired Brain Injury Rehabilitation facility as a Student Speech Therapist. I absolutely adore this area of speech therapy. I learnt so much and worked with so many amazing clients and families who had a huge imprint on my life and service delivery as a clinician. It cemented the fact that speech therapy was something I could see myself working in and loving for the rest of my life. Returning to New Zealand was exactly what I needed after a whirlwind three weeks away. Being back with friends and family grounded me and helped me to think clearly about what I wanted for the future. It was also very important to me to finish my degree to the high standard I’d maintained for the last three years. I didn’t have much time to think between work and assignments, but I knew I would be stupid to pass up an amazing opportunity that had been handed to me at such a perfect time in my life. I hadn’t decided what I wanted to do after my course had finished yet, therefore being selected as the Rose of Tralee felt like fate. I booked a one-way ticket to Ireland, with the plan to head back at the end of October to stay for the duration of my title.
During my time back home, I was able to travel around the country to Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch. I attended my first GAA game ever and reconnected with some of the girls from my national selection. I travelled to Wellington to meet the Irish Ambassador Jane Connolly at the Irish Embassy and attended the NZ Irish Dancing National Championships as the Rose of Tralee. This was the first time since 2010 that I didn’t compete as a soloist at nationals, and I felt so envious watching everyone get up on stage! I returned to Christchurch, where the start of my Rose journey took place as a Canterbury Rose Entrant, and was warmly welcomed back by the incredible Christchurch Irish Society who hosted a Homecoming and celebratory Afternoon Tea for me. Here, I returned the korowai that I wore onstage during my interview back to Sir Tipene O’Regan. I am still in awe and so honored at the support and trust Sir Tipene and Hana O’Regan placed within me.
October approached and I packed up everything I owned into three suitcases, said goodbye to all my friends and family and headed back to Ireland. I am very lucky to be living with my aunty and uncle, so am enjoying spending time with them and my Granny who lives just down the road! Since landing in Ireland I’ve tried to fit in as much as possible. I appeared on Ireland AM for an interview, picked up my new Kia Niro thanks to Kia Ireland and have attended many Rose Launch events around the country, on the lookout for our next county selection Rose entrants. I attended the Munster vs All Blacks game in Limerick and although I didn’t attend the big match of All Blacks vs Ireland as I was in Tralee, I was lucky enough to attend the All Blacks captains run with the NZ Embassy, get some pictures and signatures while making sure the boys were all being kept in check.
I’ve been very lucky to have the NZ Ambassador, Sir Trevor Mallard, take good care of me, bringing me to join the Embassy’s waiata group and attending the Asia Matters Business Awards with him. It is really special to have that space and connection for me to feel closer to home while I’m here.
One of my favorite places to visit is schools, which I’ve had the opportunity to visit lots of in Kerry and even the school that our lovely Monaghan Rose, Anne-Marie, teaches at. The children are always so excited and welcoming, they speak their minds and are unapologetically themselves which makes for some entertaining questions and conversations. These children are our future and I love getting to know each and every one of them. Another highlight is visiting the Salthill Parish Lunch Club for seniors, a social gathering for the elderly in partnership with Community Catering COPE Galway where I served the group lunch, played bingo and chatted with the beautiful community there.
Recently I attended the Cliona’s Foundation Christmas Gala, an annual event put on to raise funds for the charity which goes towards helping families of sick children with non-medical needs. I felt so honored to be invited and learn about Cliona’s story which was shared by Brendan and Terry. Cliona’s Foundation strikes close to home, reminding me of my step-sister Olivia who passed in 2019, making it a special event to be a part of. Cliona’s Foundation gives hope and vital support to families across Ireland which is so desperately needed, and I look forward to working with the foundation further throughout the year, especially when we walk the Camino as a group later this year to fundraise.
Most recently about 40 of the Roses and Escorts made our way over to Frankfurt to open and attend the Christmas Markets and a Reception with the Lord Mayor of Frankfurt at the Romer thanks to the Germany Rose Centre. I was on my best behavior and everyone else got up to copious amounts of mischief that I don’t associate with. What happens in Frankfurt stays in Frankfurt.
As for what’s yet to come, as I’m writing this, I’m 28,000 ft in the air en route to Phoenix, Arizona to connect with the Rose Centers in Arizona and Texas who are launching their search for a 2025 Rose. If the April version of myself could read this letter she would laugh at how ridiculous that sounds. But here she is months later taking every opportunity offered, putting herself out there and hopefully positively representing the wide reach and strength that Irish connections and culture can have. I’ve met and developed so many new relationships with people from across the globe, all with connections to Ireland, allowing me to see first-hand how beautiful our shared culture and community can be no matter the distance. I’m looking forward to what’s to come and I’ll update you all soon!!
Love from your 2024 International Rose of Tralee, Keely O’Grady
