ANOTHER YEAR, ANOTHER Rose of Tralee is crowned.
This year’s winner of the festival was New York’s Róisín Wiley, who will hold the title for the next year.
The festival has decent viewing figures, receives across Irish media, and is a cash injection for the local community – but on paper, the competition can seem out of place in 2023 Ireland.
There is an enduring appeal to the Rose of Tralee, but why? How has it stayed relevant enough to remain a yearly fixture in Ireland?
Joining us on this week’s episode of The Explainer is our own reporter Carl Kinsella, who was at the festival earlier this week and is author of the Surrealing In The Years column, and Rose of Tralee veteran Kirsty Blake Knox, journalist and features writer with the Irish Independent.
They explore the history of the festival and how it has (or hasn’t) changed over the years, its relevance in today’s world, and look at what’s next for this year’s winner. Also – if they were a Rose, what would their talent be?
The Explainer / SoundCloud
This episode was put together by presenter Laura Byrne, senior producer Nicky Ryan, and executive producer Sinéad O’Carroll.
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