Written in the 19th century, and later covered by artists including John McCormack and Bing Crosby, The Rose of Tralee is a folksy Irish ballad dedicated to a woman called Mary who hailed from the town of Tralee and was “lovely and fair as the rose of the summer”.
We’re staying in Tralee for a few nights on our Shades of Ireland tour with Collette, using it as a base to enjoy beauty spots such as Ring of Kerry, one of the Emerald Isle’s most joyous touring routes.
The county town of Kerry, Tralee is a tranquil place by and large, its compact, walkable centre dotted with handsome Georgian and Victorian architecture and ample options in which to eat and drink, from traditional pubs to contemporary Asian street food diners (after a few beef and Guinness stews this past week, I’m happy to have a zesty pad thai instead).
We’re fortunate enough to be visiting Tralee in early June when the bountiful rose gardens of the town park are in bloom. Varieties Remember Me, Special Anniversary, Champagne Moment and Absolutely Fabulous flaunt multiple hues, with their pinks, yellows, violets, whites, oranges and reds blending nicely with the neatly-trimmed green lawns, while the spire of St John’s Catholic Church hovers in the backdrop.
Beside these gardens is a statue of a man (William Pembroke Mulchinock, credited with composing the Rose of Tralee ballad) handing a rose to his beloved (Mary O’Connor). Either side of this, glass panels show the names of the hundreds of previous entrants of the Rose of Tralee, a contest that forms the centrepiece of a five-day August town festival enlivened with parades, music, markets, a funfair, circus and fireworks.
Since its humble origins in 1959, the contest has developed into one of Ireland’s most popular events, broadcast live on national TV and attracting female participants, aged 18-30, from across the country and those with Irish ancestry around the world. Though the contest has been criticised as anachronistic, organisers insist this is not a beauty contest — winners are apparently not judged on their appearances but on their personalities and potential to serve as good ambassadors for Tralee.
Catherine McCarthy of Sydney was the first Australian entrant in 1963. Nyomi Horgan won the contest for Perth in 1995, followed by Lisa Manning in 2001. The most recent Australian winners — Kathryn Feeney, 2006 and Tara Talbot, 2011 — represented Queensland.
This year’s contest (August 18 to 22, 2023) will star entrants from locations as diverse as Arizona and Melbourne, San Francisco and South Australia.
We happen to be staying at the Rose Hotel, just across the road from the park. Usually I tend to walk quite briskly along hotel corridors to my room, but here I take my time. Decorating the walls are photographs of Tralee “roses” from decades past.
+ Steve McKenna was a guest of Collette. They have not seen or approved this story.
fact file
+ Departing on dates between March and November, Collette’s 12-day Shades of Ireland tour (including Northern Ireland) includes a two-night stay in Tralee. The tour is priced from $3999 per person. gocollette.com
+ For entry requirements for the Rose of Tralee, roseoftralee.ie
+ For more information visiting Ireland, see ireland.com
