The Rose of Tralee: How and Why The Lovely Girls' Are Still Popular Today.

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THE ROSE OF TRALEE:

H OW AND W HYY THE L OVELY G IRLS ARE S TILL P OPULAR
T ODAY .
Author - Rosalynd Hayes
UCD School of History & Archives
Archives, Supervisor Tom Inglis
Submission - July 2014
The thesis is submitted to University College Dublin in part fulfilment of the requirements for
the degree of Master of Irish Studies.
Word Count 10,050
~ Rosalynd Hayes 12252105 ~
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C ONTENTS
How and Why the Lovely Girls are Still Popular Today. ............................................................................. 1
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 5
Festival Background ..................................................................................................................................... 7
Festival Roots ........................................................................................................................................... 7
The Flourishing Sixties ............................................................................................................................. 9
The Troubling Seventies ........................................................................................................................ 10
The Recessionary Eighties...................................................................................................................... 11
The Globalising Nineties ........................................................................................................................ 12
The Turn-Around Noughties .................................................................................................................. 13
Today ..................................................................................................................................................... 15
Modern Selection Process ................................................................................................................. 15
International Selection Nights ........................................................................................................... 16
The Best Year ................................................................................................................................... 17
Beyond The Dome ............................................................................................................................. 18
Detractors .................................................................................................................................................. 20
The Feminist Perspective ....................................................................................................................... 20
The Modernist Perspective .................................................................................................................... 22
The New Ireland Perspective ................................................................................................................. 24
Popularity ................................................................................................................................................... 26
Viewing Figures ...................................................................................................................................... 26
Social Media .......................................................................................................................................... 27
Visitors Numbers ................................................................................................................................... 27
Festival Growth ...................................................................................................................................... 28
Research Question ..................................................................................................................................... 30
Literature Review ....................................................................................................................................... 30
Culture and Nationalism ........................................................................................................................ 31
Pageants as Cultural Sites.................................................................................................................. 31
Banal Nationalism ............................................................................................................................. 33
Invented Traditions ........................................................................................................................... 36
Aspirations ............................................................................................................................................. 39
Conclusion .................................................................................................................................................. 41
Appendices ................................................................................................................................................. 44
Appendix 1: 2013 Rose Centres ............................................................................................................. 44
Appendix 2: Winners 1959 to Present ................................................................................................... 45
Bibliography ............................................................................................................................................... 46
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The Rose of Tralee
by William Pemroke Mulchinock
The pale moon was rising above the green mountains, The sun was declining beneath the blue sea;
When I strayed with my love by the pure crystal fountain, That stands in the beautiful Vale of Tralee.
She was lovely and fair as the rose of the summer, Yet 'twas not her beauty alone that won me;
Oh no, 'twas the truth in her eyes ever dawning, that made me love Mary, the Rose of Tralee.
The cool shades of evening their mantle were spreading, And Mary all smiling was listening to me;
The moon through the valley her pale rays was shedding, When I won the heart of the Rose of Tralee.
Though lovely and fair as the Rose of the summer, Yet 'twas not her
er beauty alone that won me;
Oh no, 'twas the truth in her eyes ever dawning, that made me love Mary, the Rose of Tralee.

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I NTRODUCTION
Once a year since 1959, the Irish diaspora and national media descend on
this town to watch judges put young women through their paces in search
of Marys modern likeness.1
As a Kerry native I have grown up with the Rose of Tralee festival as the highlight at the
end of each summer. During my childhood I went to the street parade every year to
look at the Roses on their decorated floats; I admired their photographs in shop
windows and watched the fireworks released on the announcement of the winner
from my house. Even now, as an adult, I watch the two night television broadcast every
year and enjoy the street entertainments throughout the week. I have also been to the
Festival Dome itself on a number of occasions to see the Selection live. 2
FIG. 1: ANNUAL FESTIVAL PARADE THROUGH TRALEE TOWN CENTRE
Most girls in Kerry grow up with the desire to be a Rose; I was lucky enough to live out
some of that dream when I entered the Kerry Rose competition in 2011. It was a
wonderful experience which gave me a number of great friends both among the Roses
and the Escorts. This year my eight year old sister is applying to be a Rosebud
companion to one of the Roses and hopefully she will follow in my footsteps when she
is older.
FIG. 2&3: MY EXPERIENCE DURING THE KERRY ROSE CENTRE FINAL 2011.
LEFT: WITH COMPERE DITH. RIGHT: WITH THE OTHER COMPETITORS
1
st
Gary Younge, Who Are We- and Should it Matter in the 21 Century?(London, 2010), p.113.
Fig.1 Image Source: http://www.southerncaliforniaroseoftralee.com/assets/images/home_6a_new.jpg
Accessed:21/07/2014 16:50
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When approaching this paper, I struggled to devise an accurate description of the Rose
of Tralee Festival for the uninitiated. As Guardian columnist Gary Younge states; The
competition is somewhat of an enigma call it a beauty pageant, and the organizers will
correct you firmly3. Unlike the annual Miss Kerry competition, the Roses (although
never aesthetically displeasing) are not chosen for their looks. Instead, the winning
criteria is based on the much more elusive concept of appropriate personality: the
judges are looking for...A well-rounded personality that can represent the Irish
diaspora at home and abroad...it is the search for the embodiment of quintessential
Irish womanhood chaste, charming, accomplished and comely. The kind of woman
you can take home to meet family or take around the world to showcase a diaspora.4
In this respect the festival is unique and, for me, an extremely interesting study.
In this piece, I plan to discuss this festival and investigate its enduring popularity; it is
over fifty years old and despite the many derisive comments about this lovely girls
competition it has not only maintained and grown its popularity within Ireland but also
abroad throughout the Irish Diaspora.
I will first discuss the history of the competition as I feel it is important for the reader
to understand the festivals transition from its humble beginnings to todays global
media event. In order to convey an impression of the contemporary festival I shall also
detail the current selection process. In addition, I shall then detail the present situation
of the competition in relation to areas such as viewing figures and visitor numbers. As a
comparison to this success I will examine the various form of criticism that the festival
receives from many corners such as feminist and modernist critics. In the face of this
disparagement I plan to discover how and why the competition has retained its
popularity, especially among the Irish Diaspora, who I feel are the life-force of the
entire concept. I will use various academic sources to analyse this question in the
hopes of understanding the phenomenon.
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F ESTIVAL B ACKGROUND
During my research I found that there is a dearth of information about the history of
the Festival. There are individual websites that give short summaries, however, there
is only one resource that gives a full and accurate account of the Festival from
foundation to fiftieth anniversary; The Rose of Tralee: Fifty Years A-Blooming by
eminent historian and Irish Examiner columnist, T. Ryle Dwyer. I found this book
invaluable in my research and have used it as the basis for the below section. The book
is a comprehensive history of the festival; however it does not go into any form of
analysis, forcing me to look elsewhere for a greater understanding of its popularity and
appeal.
F ESTIVAL R OOTS
The Rose of Tralee Festival has its origins in the annual Tralee Races (now
unfortunately no longer operating); in 1957 it was decided to extend the racing festival
over three days in order to attract some much needed revenue to the town.5 In
conjunction a carnival would be held, which culminated in the selection of Beatrice
Spring (cousin of Dick Spring) as Carnival Queen. Building on the success of the 1957
festival and that of the following year, in 1959 a number of local business men decided
to find a way of developing the carnival into a festival in its own right.6 A group came
together in Roger Hartys pub to talk about building on the success of the second
carnival...They came up with the idea of developing on the Carnival Queen concept by
exploiting the 19th century love song, The Rose of Tralee, which was written by a local
merchant, William Pemroke Mulchinock.7
The official story of William and the girl he loved, Mary, is well known to any Tralee
schoolchild (there are a number of lesser known, unauthorised versions); in the midnineteenth century, shortly before the potato famine, the son of a wealthy Irish
Protestant merchant, William...became besotted with a Catholic cobblers daughter [a
servant in his house]...William was something of a wastrel - poet, dreamer and
5
http://www.independent.ie/regionals/kerryman/lifestyle/first-buds-of-rose-festival-27386240.html
Accessed:21/07/2014 16:55
6
T. Ryle Dwyer, The Rose of Tralee: Fifty Years A-Blooming. (Dublin, 2009), p.12.
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drinker.8 William proposed to Mary, but she refused not because she didnt love
him but because she felt the barriers of class and religion were too strong.9
Soon after, at a local anti-Act of Union meeting a fatal fight broke out and William was
accused of killing another man. To escape the aftermath William fled to India. Upon
returning to Tralee, William discovered that Mary had died prompting him to write his
now famous song.10 Gary Younge states that the love story is in the best Irish narrative
tradition, containing in equal parts politics, passion, repression, religion, regret and
misery.11
On the advice of Boston native Mike Reidy this new Festival of Kerry was targeted
specifically at the emigrant market, encouraging girls from across both Ireland and the
Irish Diaspora to enter. 12 The festival was being launched at a very important time in
Ireland; as the country approached the new decade it was a time of flux for Ireland, the
country was entering onto the world stage. It was also a time of expansion into the
area of tourism; farming and traditional trades were being overtaken by service
industries. The festival was perfectly timed to take advantage of this new Ireland.
In the first year there were five entrants, all with
connections to Tralee town; a Tralee Rose and four
representing the traditional migration centres of New York,
London, Birmingham and Dublin. The selection night took
place at the main festival dance and was captured on closed
FIG. 4: THE INAUGURAL CONTESTANTS
circuit television and relayed to the other festival

dances...this was a novelty for the people of Tralee, as there was no TV reception in the
area at the time.13Alice OSullivan, the Dublin Rose, was chosen as the inaugural Rose
of Tralee on the night and her crowning was celebrated by the unusual sight of a
fireworks display. Some 80,000 people thronged into the town that night. This had an
enormous impact on the town with a population of around 10,000.14 15
st
st
10
st
11
st
12
13
14
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T HE F LOURISHING S IXTIES
The next decade was a period of great expansion for the
festival. Following on from the success of the previous year,
the 1960 Rose of Tralee saw a growth not only in the number
New Rose Centres in the

1960s included:
1960: Boston, Chicago, Leeds, Kerry
1961: Cork, Limerick
of Roses (Boston, Chicago, Leeds and Kerry), but also in the
1962: San Francisco
hype surrounding the festival including the purchasing of the
1963: Sydney, Coventry
now famous street lighting from Blackpool. 16
1965: Toronto
1966: New Zealand
1960 also marked the extension of eligibility to young,
1967: Liverpool, Galway
unmarried women who had ancestors from any part of Kerry,
1968: France, Los Angeles,
not just Tralee.17 Throughout the decade the festival carried
Philadelphia, Nottingham, Clare,

Waterford
on to grow with greater success each year.
1969: Argentina, Melbourne,

Massachusetts
In 1964 the success of the growing festival was recognised as

a one-hour special television programme on the arrival of the Roses in Tralee was
filmed18. This programme proved to be a precursor to a live broadcast of the actual
selection in 1965.
In 1967 eligibility was again extended to include young women with Irish ancestry of
any form from any county. It was also the first year that the committee introduced the
famous floral floats19 that are paraded through the town each year on the Saturday
night and Sunday morning during the festival. Towards the end of the decade in 1968,
famous face Terry Wogan took over from commercial traveller Kevin Hilton as the
Selection compere ushering in a more professional era for the competition. 20
15
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19
20
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T HE T ROUBLING S E VENTIES
Ryle Dwyer states that in the midst of the growing troubles in Northern Ireland, the
Festival of Kerry was taking on national significance in helping to promote tourism.21
Bord Filte and Aer Lingus...were keen to support any initiative that would reduce
the damage done by the Northern troubles to tourism in the rest of the country.
Because Ireland is so small, people abroad assumed that the violence was
countrywide and it became very important to reassure them that the Republic was
largely free of the Northern troubles. This is where Roses from various centres
abroad played a kind of ambassadorial role.22
Despite the worrying times in 1971 crowds of up to 100,000
thronged the town each night23 and Bord Filte estimated that
1970s included:
spending topped 1 million in Tralee during the 1972 festival.24
1970: Miami,Michigan
In 1974, as the festival continued to achieve success, a huge
1971: Calgary and Lawrence,

Newcastle, Thames Valley
marquee...was purchased...Christened the Dome.25 The Selection

Nights and other entertainments are still held in the Dome today,
one of the most recognisable factors of the festival (albeit in a
newer marquee!). In the same year broadcaster Gay Byrne hosted
1972: Holland, Switzerland,

Hawaii
1975: Galway, Ohio, Pennsylvania,
Ontario
1977: Cailn Gaelach
the show, bringing his expertise and celebrity to the proceedings.

Byrnes involvement with the contest was invaluable, not only did he add a touch of
professionalism and create greater interest through his endorsement, but, in 1978, Gay
brought RTE with him to broadcast the entire selection live. He had
persuaded...[them]...to run a three-hour programme...It was also at his initiative that
the talent spot which has become a staple of the Rose selection was begun.26
According to Ryle Dwyer the television broadcast...was a reminder to viewers
watching in Ireland of the many people who had been forced to emigrate.27This
primetime spot garnered national recognition for the competition, the Rose of Tralee
was no longer just a street festival but now a televised contest.
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26
27
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T HE R ECESSIONARY E IGHTIES
According to Ryle Dwyer in its third decade, the Festival of Kerry
had become a major television event...The Rose Selection in the
Dome was extended to two nights, with RTE covering both nights
live on television.28The televised event garnered high viewership
and the festival had become very successful, but the 80s were a
decade of inertia; the festival reined in its expansion to focus on
New Rose Centres in

the 1980s included:
1980: Zimbabwe
1982: Jersey, Las Vegas
1983: Glasgow
1984: South Wales
1985: Tenerife
what was working.
1986: Perth
The eighties was an economically harsh decade for the Irish

people, particularly the youth of the country, making the festival ever more popular
not only as a distraction but also as a connection to the Irish abroad.
Ireland was blighted by a renewed surge of emigration in the 1980s, with much of
the younger generation being compelled to leave the country ... This made Irish
people all the more conscious of the Irish Diaspora, and the Rose of Tralee was
unquestionably the biggest celebration of that Diaspora... The television audience
liked to see what was happening to the various generations with Irish
connections...Some were the children or grandchildren of Irish people, but the
Irish connections went back much further than others. The magic ingredient was
the affinity they retained with Ireland even though their assimilation into other
cultures may have been patently apparent.29
This connection was of course the defining factor of the festival, the reason for its
popularity. It was also the main reason for the financial success of the festival as well as
increasing visitor numbers to Kerry every August. In 1988 alone the Australian centres
sent 313 people to Tralee...spending...22 days each in Ireland... 25 came from New
Zealand...the American centres sent a total of 1,005 people, while Canada sent 80,
Germany and Belgium sent total of 107, and a further 1,170 came from Britain and the
Channel Islands. Nearly all of those people travelled around Ireland, so they were a
distinct boost for Irish tourism.30
28
30
29
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T HE G LOBALISING N INETIES
As Ireland began to move beyond the economic depression of the 80s and into the
Celtic Tiger success of the 90s, the festival began to reflect the position of Ireland and
its people in a much more globalised world. Rose contestants no longer strictly fitted
into the Irish Colleen mould. Ryle Dwyer describes the contest in 1995 when Ursula
Carolyn, the Darwin Rose, had a Malaysian father, but she was very much
overshadowed by the Rose from France, Evelyn Faye, 19...the first black Rose, whose
hair was worn in dreadlocks. Her mother was from Dublin and
her father from Senegal.31
Reflecting the new multicultural Ireland in 1998 Luzveminda
1990s included:
OSullivan, 21...was chosen as Rose of Tralee. A great-
1992: New Orleans
grandfather on her fathers side was a member of Kerrys first
1995: South Africa
two All-Ireland winning football teams...Mindys mother,
1998: Dubai
Florita, was a Filipino who came to Ireland as an au pair for a
1999: Japan
Dublin family.32
As the millennium approached in 1999 President Mary McAleese opened the 40th Rose
of Tralee Festival. The success of the festival is the success of the many generations
who have left our shores...The challenges they faced were considerable but their links
with their homeland were constant and were maintained by their love of Irish culture
in all its forms. [Ryle Dwyers goes on to say:]The idea, which the founders of the
festival fostered, had become a focal point for Irish communities throughout the world
in places as far apart as Birmingham, Sydney and New York.33
31
33
32
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T HE T URN -A ROUND N OUGHTIES

As the Celtic Tiger boomed throughout the early noughties the
festival dwindled; street events faded and the Dome became
the focus of the festival removing much of the carnival

2000s included:
2002: Italy, Luxembourg,
Philadelphia
atmosphere throughout the town. This in turn resulted in a

downturn in the number of visitors creating huge financial
worries for the festival organisers.
In 2004 the event was reorganised, the voluntary aspect was
removed and Kerry Rose Festival Limited trading as Rose of
Tralee International Festival was inaugurated in April 2004.34
As managing director of the new company Anthony O Gara
2004:Laois, Kildare, Kilkenny

2005: Carlow, Clare. Leitrim, Mayo,
Midlands U.K, North West England
2006: Armagh, Belfast, Westmeath
2007: Derry, Edmonton/Western
Canada, Fermanagh, Longford,
Wicklow
2008: Cavan, Coventry, Louth, New
Jersey, Roscommon, Tipperary
began restructuring and investigating methods of creating a

more financial viable festival. They set up a five-year plan to introduce more Rose
centres. They aimed to increase the number of overseas centres to a total of 85.
Obviously it would not be possible to have eighty-five Roses competing in the final, so
he planned a series of regional selections in Ireland35
As part of the restructuring the number of Selection Night contestants was reduced to
26 with 11 from the Irish centres.36 The benefit of this innovation was threefold: firstly
it allowed the festival to bring a large amount of Roses to the regional final, generating
more profit and a higher global profile; secondly it created a more compact Selection
process in Tralee, reducing the risk of tedium; thirdly it allowed the organisers to
ensure that those Roses who would appear in the televised show would be the cream
of the crop, creating a more polished image for the competition.
As a new development in an effort to reach more of the global Irish Diaspora, the 2006
the Selection Nights went out live on the internet for the first time.37Showing that the
festival was in touch with the modern Ireland, in 2008 the eligibility criteria were
34
36
37
35
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altered to allow unmarried mothers to enter for the first time. Anthony OGara said it
was important to move with the time.38
In 2009 Tralee celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first festival. Fifty Roses came to
Tralee from ten countries : 5 from Australia, 13 from Britain, 4 from Canada, 9 from
Ireland, 14 from the United States, and a Rose each from Dubai, France, Germany,
Luxembourg and New Zealand.39 All previous winners were invited back and there was
much celebration in the with a local history display in the library, winners dresses
display in the museum40, and a TV documentary that garnered an audience of 495,000
viewers, 36% proportion of the available audience.41
Over the next five years the Festival continued to grow with new centres opening and
increased visitor numbers to the town.
38
40
41
http://www.superannrte.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=724:rose-of-tralee885000-viewers-724&catid=10&Itemid=115 Accessed:21/07/2014 17:13
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T ODAY
Todays festival is far removed from its Carnival Queen origins, but it still retains very
important ties with the local area and people, the Irish community abroad and, of
course, festival customs. Below I will discuss the festival as it is today, the selection
process, the experience and the other entertainments that take place in conjunction
with the Dome nights.
M O D ER N S E L EC T I O N P R O C E S S
As mentioned above, the mid-noughties saw a shake up in the selection process,
allowing the festival to introduce more centres (and revenue). The Regional Finals are
now held each year in Portlaoise, featuring all the national and international Roses
except those from Australia & New Zealand, Cork, Dublin and Kerry.
Each Rose is selected at a smaller selection night run by their own centre. Entrants are
nominated by local businesses, community organisations or through other events such
as the Castlegregory Carnival Queen (the oldest such contest in Ireland). The
contestants attend a number of events together and are then interviewed by the local
judges. They take part in a selection night that resembles the contest in the Dome with
a compere interviewing each entrant. One young woman is chosen to represent the
centre by the judges based on both her interview and performance on stage. The
judges are searching for an ambassador; a friendly, wholesome, young woman who can
represent them well on a world stage.
The winner from each centre is then sent to the Portlaoise Regonal Finals to take part
in a similar process on a much larger scale with the other 60+ Roses. Just like the
International Festival, the Regional Festival is hosted by Dith S who interviews
each Rose on stage...over three nights, and the Roses also visit local tourist attractions
and take part in parades.42
On the third night of the Regional Selection the finalists are chosen to attend the
International Selection in Tralee.
42
http://www.roseoftralee.ie/roses/regional-roses Accessed:21/07/2014 17:13
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FIG. 5: CONTESTANTS AT THE 2014 REGIONAL FINALS IN PORTLAOISE
43
INTERNATIONAL SELECTION NIGHTS

The International Festival Selection Nights take place on the Monday and Tuesday
evenings and are the culmination of the festival week. Competitors are divided into
two groups and, over the both evenings, Kerryman Dith S introduces each
contestant and conducts a short interview focusing on the Roses family, job,
qualifications, interests, home town and a few interesting stories. A number of Roses
usually perform a talent spot, although this has been restricted in recent years to
those with the best talents as viewers were beginning to get jaded with the many
poems written by Roses family members.
On the second night, after all interviews have been conducted, the judges are excused
to make their final decision based on the stage presence, individual interviews and the
Roses performance throughout the week.
When the judges have reached their decision, all the Roses line up on stage and the
famous envelope is given to the host who reveals, (after much stalling), the new Rose
of Tralee. The winner is crowned by her predecessor and is serenaded by the famous
song as she is congratulated by her competitors, friends and family.444546
43
Fig. 5 Image Source: http://www.roseoftralee.ie/roses/regional-roses

Fig. 6 Image Source:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.225567984121199.67089.225566310788033&type=3
Accessed:21/07/2014 17:15
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http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5eEJcRsmTDI/THWtaoD9CqI/AAAAAAAAMW4/k2d8GnnCjrk/s1600/mot-rot.jpg
Accessed:21/07/2014 17:15
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FIG. 6, 7& 8: FORMER HOST RAY DARCY REVEALED THE WINNER, A WINNERS REACTION AND A NEW ROSE OF TRALEE IS CROWNED
T H E B ES T Y EA R
It has become almost a clich to hear every Rose of Tralee winner describe her title
year as the best year of her life. However, it is an experience without parallel; the
Rose of Tralee spends her year travelling around Ireland and world promoting Tralee,
Kerry and Ireland. She gets to spend time with dignitaries, community leaders, and the
media. She also has the opportunity to promote charities of her choice. 4748
FIG. 9&10: LEFT: A FORMER ROSE OF TRALEE MEETS FORMER IRISH PRESIDENT MARY MCALEESE. RIGHT: FORMER ROSE OF TRALEE
GETTING INVOLVED IN CHARITY WORK IN
INDIA
46
Fig. 8 Image Source: http://www.irishtimes.com/news/rose-from-down-under-takes-top-prize-in-tralee1.605005 Accessed:21/07/2014 17:15

47
http://www.roseoftralee.ie/images/joomgallery/details/2011photos_12/mary_mcaleese_rose_of_tralee_2
0120626_1647913901.jpg Accessed:21/07/2014 17:15
48
Fig. 10 Image
Source:https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.527469693931025.99077576.225566310788033&ty
pe=3 Accessed:21/07/2014 17:15
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BEYOND THE DOME
Although the Selection Nights are the highlight of the festival
FIG. 11: ANNUAL FIREWORKS
to the national and global audience there is much more going

on in Tralee in the lead up to the final night. The festival
website describes the five day event as a carnival of family
and children's entertainment, a fashion show, live music and

concerts, fireworks, workshops, markets, circus, funfair, air display and Rose
parades.495051
FIG. 12: MANY FAMOUS ACTS INCLUDING JEDWARD HAVE PLAYED AT THE FESTIVAL THROUGH THE YEARS
Events begin on Thursday with day and night events continuing until the following
Tuesday. The streets are lined with markets during the day and live music stages at
night; there are childrens entertainments in Pearse Park as well as a funfair that is so
large it covers two car parks. The famous Rose Ball takes place in the Dome on the
Friday night and there is an International marathon on the Saturday morning. Sunday
features the now customary air display and Fashion Show featuring well-know Irish
designers.
The traditional Rose parade takes place on Saturday evening; locally made, businesssponsored floats are driven through the town centre, each containing a number of
Rose contestants. Roses are often accompanied by the young local girls who have been
given the honour of being one of the 26 Rosebuds. The floats are flanked by the ever
49
http://www.roseoftralee.ie/about-us/frequently-asked-questions Accessed:21/07/2014 17:20

Fig. 11 Image Source: http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7290/9978204626_f88315508d_m.jpg
Accessed:21/07/2014 17:17
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Fig. 12 Image Source: http://www.roseoftralee.ie/ Accessed:21/07/2014 17:15
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present Rose Escorts who tend to the Roses needs and help the young local girls get
the Roses autographs.
Local bands, performing arts groups, schools and sports clubs take part in the parade,
as well as the visiting Fossetts Circus. The towns streets are always crowded with
people, particularly families. (It usually rains at some point but everybody is well
prepared with umbrellas!) The parade is repeated on Sunday morning on a smaller
scale for the children who were unable to stay up to watch it the night before. 5253
FIG. 13&14: THE ANNUAL ROSE OF TRALEE STREET PARADE MAKES ITS WAY THROUGH THE CROWDS
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Fig. 13 Image
Source:https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.662014497143210.1073741843.225566310788033&
type=3 Accessed:21/07/2014 17:15
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Fig. 14 Image Source: www.roseoftralee.ie Accessed:21/07/2014 17:18
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D ETRACTORS
In the previous section I discussed both the history of the Rose of Tralee and the
contemporary experience; as a Tralee native I obviously have a positive view towards
the festival, however in my opinion it is important to study other attitudes. The Festival
has received much criticism over the years from various quarters. Feminists are
derisive of the contests focus upon young, pretty women; modernists are critical of
its old-fashioned pageant style, while many are scathing of the twee Oirish type of
Irishness that they feel is on display in the Festival Dome every year.
Below I shall examine in more depth some examples of this type disparagement in
order to give the reader a sense of the negative feelings that surround the festival and
enable them to get a feel for the dichotomy of attitudes towards the Rose festival.
T HE F EM INIST P ERS PECTIVE

Despite the organisers repeated denial of the beauty contest label every year the
festival is criticised by feminists who view pageants as misogynistic, sexist and
disempowering.
In my opinion blogger Susan Daly neatly sums up the feminist antipathy towards the
festival itself: The naysayers call ...[it]...outdated and insulting to women. They say
that it perpetuates the over-rated value of ninnyheaded femininity.5455
Irish Feminist Network contributor and scientist, Naomi
Elster, goes further when discussing her aversion to
what she describes as the the over-hyped, insipid
beauty pageant that is the Rose of Tralee. She goes on
to list her problems with the contest, issues that are
FIG. 15: DONT THEY ALL HAVE

LOVELY BOTTOMS? A REFERENCE
TO THE FAMOUS FR. TED EPISODE
echoed by many feminist contributors:
54
http://theantiroom.wordpress.com/2010/08/24/they-all-have-lovely-bottoms/ Accessed:21/07/2014
17:18
55
Fig.15 Image Source: http://irelandjournal.typepad.com/ Accessed:21/07/2014 17:19
~ 21 ~
My reasons for disliking the Rose of Tralee are far from original. Its a beauty
contest, sexist nonsense... The girls get dressed up, laugh prettily at the male
hosts witless jokes, and recite a poem about how much they love their homeland
before, demure and docile, they waltz off the stage... to any woman who is
intelligent, independent, compassionate and has meaningful aspirations, this is
downright insulting and condescending. If any of the Roses were endowed with
wonderful, inspiring qualities, they were given no chance to display them. They
stood on stage while the male host delivered tired look at all these lovely girls
clichs, and simpered while they patiently waited to get a word in edgeways.56
Elenor Fitzsimons sums up the final issues that are levelled against the festival each
year: it clearly discriminates along gender lines as men are precluded. It is ageist as
contestants must be aged between 18 and 28. Married women are precluded from
entering and, in my opinion; the whole event is quite simply sexist.5758
FIG. 16, 17 & 18: COMMENTS ON A JOURNAL.IE ARTICLE ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
56
http://www.irishfeministnetwork.org/articles/the-rose-of-tralee Accessed:21/07/2014 17:20

17:19
58
Fig. 16, 17 &18 Image Sources: http://thedailyedge.thejournal.ie/rose-of-tralee-viewers-1047441Aug2013/ Accessed:21/07/2014 17:19
57
~ 22 ~
T HE M ODERNIST P E RSPECTIVE
In her article Fitzsimons goes further saying that she finds the contest a conundrum
fascinating and repellent in equal measure....[she is]... intrigued that such an outwardly
archaic and patriarchal event continues to find such universal favour, effortlessly
commanding a secure place in the national broadcasters schedule when comparable
events such as Miss World have quite rightly been denigrated and dropped.59
This opinion echoes many of the views that are expressed every August when the
festival hits the news; the contest is denigrated as outmoded and out-of-date, even
more old-fashioned than the Eurovision!
The competition is also constantly referred to as a Lovely Girls Competition. This is a
reference to the satirical sketch in the acclaimed comedy Father Ted, featuring the
priest acting as host, interviewing (rather incompetently) the young women, exclaiming
things like dont they all have lovely bottoms?!. The sketch was a clear parody of the
interview process that is televised each August and similar festivals such as the Lily of
Killarney and Mary of Dunloe. 606162
FIG. 19&20: THE LOVELY GIRLS COMPETITION, A CONSTANT COMPARISION FOR THE FESTIVAL
Naomi Elster writes on the Irish Feminist Networks website that the competition
would be a lot less condescending if it would drop the pretence at being anything other
than a twee, outdated fashion show. Theres no intelligence or independence to that
spectacle, and certainly no relevance to the modern Irish woman. If the emphasis is
59
17:19
60
http://thedailyedge.thejournal.ie/rose-of-tralee-2013-1035401-Aug2013/ Accessed:21/07/2014 17:19
61
Fig. 19 Image Source: http://passmeamineral.com/?p=1011 Accessed:21/07/2014 17:20
62
Fig. 20 Image Source: http://thedailyedge.thejournal.ie/rose-of-tralee-2013-1035401-Aug2013/
Accessed:21/07/2014 17:20
~ 23 ~
on personality, why must you be under 28 to enter? Why are you ineligible if you are or
ever have been married? So that good Catholic Irish men can daydream (or
masturbate) over you without feeling guilty?
guilty? 63
Here Elster touches upon one of the major criticisms of the contest; it belongs in the
20th century with the Calor Housewife of the Year competition. Critic
Critics of the festival
feel that despite the high calibre of entrants the contest still focuses on the Lovely
L
Girl
aspect.
64
FIG. 21, 22, 23 & 24: COMMENTS ON A JOURNAL.IE ARTICLE ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
63
http://www.irishfeministnetwork.org/articles/the
http://www.irishfeministnetwork.org/articles/the-rose-of-tralee Accessed:21/07/2014 17:21
Fig. 21, 22, 23 &24 Image Source:http://thedailyedge.thejournal.ie/rose
http://thedailyedge.thejournal.ie/rose-of-tralee-viewers--1047441Aug2013/ Accessed:21/07/2014 17:21
64
~ 24 ~
T HE N EW I RE LAND P ERSPECTIVE
Journalist Louise OSullivan discusses the final main criticism of the
festival in her blog post, stating that she feels that the contest does not
give an accurate representation of Ireland in 2013...it promotes some
very old-fashioned stereotypes which a lot of people would rather
didnt exist. It feeds off older clichs which arent around anymore.65
She goes further encouraging the contestants to represent
FIG. 25& 26: ROSES

REPRESENTING THE DIASPORA
OFTEN ATTEMPT TO SHOW THEIR
IRISHNESS
Ireland in your community abroad by all means but please dont

heighten or exaggerate the annoying top of the morning to ya
attitude...majority of the contestants were very nice people, with
good educations and jobs, but I dont recall one rose who was
struggling to find work and no one can deny that this is a
huge problem in modern Ireland. 666768
The emphasis on Irishness, in particular the Irishness of the International Roses,
sometimes proves a little cringe-worthy for the native Irish audience, especially as the
type Irishness on display is often a highly idealised version. This cringiness has created
some negative feelings towards to festival which leads to derisive comments every
August.
69
FIG. 27: A COMMENT ON A POLITICALWORLD.COM THREAD ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
65
http://intrigue.ie/the-rose-of-tralee-modern-day-ireland/ Accessed:21/07/2014 17:21

http://intrigue.ie/the-rose-of-tralee-modern-day-ireland/ Accessed:21/07/2014 17:21
67
Fig. 25 Image Source:http://www.breakingnews.ie/media/images/r/RoseOfTralee1Aug22_large.jpg
Accessed:21/07/2014 17:21
68
Fig. 26 Image Source: http://i.ytimg.com/vi/OYv7DpZ6N9Q/0.jpg Accessed:21/07/2014 17:21
69
Fig. 27 Image Source: http://www.politicalworld.org/showthread.php?12493-The-Rose-of-Tralee-HeckleThread#.U70xB5RdUnN Accessed:21/07/2014 17:21
66
~ 25 ~
FIG. 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 & 33: COMMENTS ON A JOURNAL.IE ARTICLE ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
~ 26 ~
P OPULARITY
As we can see the festival receives much
criticism each year. In the face of all of
FIG. 34: JOURNAL.IE POLL
this denigration why is the contest still

being broadcast after fifty years?70
As the Spailpn blog comments: Not that
anybody watches the Rose of Tralee, of
course. Oh no. One no more admits to
watching the Rose of Tralee than one
admits to voting Fianna Fil, going to Mass
or reading the Sunday Independent. Yet all these things still seem to get done,
somehow.71 In other words despite all the criticism that the Rose of Tralee receives it
is also constantly among the most popular programmes on Irish television.72
V IEWING F IGURES
As a contrast to the previous section, I think it is important to investigate at the
growing viewing figures for the televised event. In 2013 according to [TAM] figures
released by RT an average of 668,000 watched the final of the competition thats 49
percent of the people who were sitting in front of the box.73Indeed, at its peak, there
was a whopping 1.2 million viewers, with 808,000+ tuning in the watch the crowning of
the Texas Rose. These figures indicate that despite all the criticism, the competition is
still drawing in the audiences!
The international viewing figures are also very interesting as these are an invaluable
way of calculating the popularity of the festival among the diaspora. According to the
Journal.ie Over a hundred thousand people watched the show online on the RT
Player, with 40 per cent of those watching outside Ireland.74
70
http://www.thejournal.ie/rose-of-tralee-564840-Aug2012/ Accessed:21/07/2014 17:24

http://spailpin.blogspot.ie/2010/08/rose-of-tralee-first-fell-sign-of.html Accessed:21/07/2014 17:24
72
Fig.34 Image Source: http://www.thejournal.ie/rose-of-tralee-564840-Aug2012/ Accessed:21/07/2014
17:24
73
http://thedailyedge.thejournal.ie/rose-of-tralee-viewers-1047441-Aug2013/ Accessed:21/07/2014 17:24
74
http://thedailyedge.thejournal.ie/rose-of-tralee-viewers-1047441-Aug2013/ Accessed:21/07/2014 17:24
71
~ 27 ~
S OCIAL M EDI A
In the modern world I think it is also important to examine the popularity of the festival
on social media, as this is the growing medium of global communication. According to
olytico.com the Rose of Tralee...[was]...one of the most engaged-with television
programmes broadcast by RT...[in 2013].75 There was a total of 16,216 tweets posted
throughout the second night alone with a peak of 330 a minute as the winner was
crowned.
It is evident that the festival in a small town in the south west of Ireland has been
embraced by social media; the Rose of Tralees Facebook page has 26,000+ likes a
great achievement for an event that is constantly condemned as being out-of-date
with no place in the modern world.
V ISITORS N UMBERS
In recent years there have been growing visitor numbers to Tralee during the festival;
in my opinion, a brief examination of these numbers is useful as these visitors are the
lifeblood of the Rose of Tralee providing it with the necessary funding each year.
In 2010 87% of the total hotel room capacity for the eight hotels was booked for the
festival weekend, that figure discounting the other holiday providers including holiday
apartments, guesthouses and hotels
76
In the following year up to 100,000 visitors [were] expected to visit the town...[as
the]...53rd the Rose of Tralee ...[was]...crowned. At the time it was expected [that]
the Rose festival...[would]...pump between 6 and 7 million of badly needed cash into
the local economy. 77These figures are increasing each year and although they may not
seem like a huge figure but in the era of low cost holidays, recessionary austerity and a
proliferation of local festivals it is an impressive feat for a small town.
75
http://olytico.com/the-rose-of-tralee-twitter-analysis-final-night/ Accessed:21/07/2014 17:25

http://www.roseoftralee.ie/press/press-archive/31-festival-continues-to-attract-visitors-from-outsidekerry Accessed:21/07/2014 17:25
77
http://www.independent.ie/regionals/kerryman/news/over-100000-visitors-expected-over-rose27410313.html#sthash.dWizW5iV.dpuf Accessed:21/07/2014 17:25
76
~ 28 ~
FIG. 35: A REPRESENTATION OF IRISH FESTIVALS DURING THE MONTH OF AUGUST ALONE
F ESTIVAL G ROWTH
I think it is also interesting to study the growth of the contest
itself; there are now more centres than ever with more constantly
opening in various international locations. There are also now
more entrants globally than ever before, showing that despite the
critics the festival not only remains popular but is also growing. In
2009 festival MD Anthony OGara stated that Rose Centres
around the world have trebled in the past five years which
underlines the continuing passion for the Rose of Tralee in Irish
communities abroad and in our thirty-two counties at home. 7879
The Rose of Tralee Office recently explained to me that in 2003
we had 26 [centres], in 2004 we had 39 now in 2014 we have 69.
78
79
Fig.36&37 Image Sources: www.roseoftralee.ie 22/07/2014 10:16
FIG. 36&37: THE ROSE OF

TRALEE FESTIVAL IS VERY
IMPORTANT TO THE DIASPORA
~ 29 ~
The rate of growth of the festival is of course related to the marketing strategy
initiated by OGara, but I feel that it must clearly reflect an interest in the competition
too, both at home and abroad.
In Appendix 1 I have listed all the currently participating Rose Centres. As we can on
the map (Fig.39) the centres are spread throughout the globe. I have also included a
map detailing the spread of the Irish Diaspora throughout the world as I think it offers
an interesting comparison, showing the popularity of the festival among the Diaspora.
Although countries such as South Africa, Argentina and France are not represented
currently in the competition they have been in the past and the organisers are working
hard to coordinate with local Irish communities in order to set up official centres again.
As we can see the competition is particularly popular among the traditional emigration
centres of Northern America, Australia and the UK. Each county in Ireland also sends a
competitor to the Regional finals. The existence of these national and international
centres is testament to the
enduring popularity of the Rose of
Tralee; a popularity which I intend
to examine through my Research
Question. 8081
FIG. 38: ROSE OF TRALEE CENTRES WORLDWIDE

FIG 39: THE IRISH DIASPORA WORLDWIDE
80
Fig.38 Image Source: Google Maps image, updated by author.

Fig.39 http://www.sigmarrecruitment.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Global-Irish-DiasporaMap.jpg Accessed:22/07/2014 10:17
81
~ 30 ~
R ESEARCH Q UESTION
As we can see, despite all of the criticism the Festival faces it has not only remained
popular, but is in fact growing each year, particularly abroad among both recent
emigrants and the wider Irish Diaspora. This juxtaposition is at the heart of my
research question; how and why, in the face of such derision, does the Rose of Tralee
festival maintain its popularity? In the twenty-first century many feel the festival is
outdated and sexist, however each year more educated young women enter the
contest from both Ireland and the many Irish emigration centres. Why is this the case?
Throughout the next section I aim to analyse various academic works and other facts in
order to find an answer to my research question.
L ITERATURE R EVIEW
The popularity of the festival can be viewed as a dichotomy of local and global
popularity. Through my investigation of my Research Question I think it will also be
interesting to discover whether the festivals popularity among the Diaspora can be
attributed to the same reasons for the popularity at home. I will examine my research
question through analyse of a number of different academic approaches beginning
with a discussion of research relating to the cultural/nationalistic aspects.
~ 31 ~
C ULTURE
AND
PAGEANTS
AS
N ATI ONALISM
C U LT U R A L S I T ES
Beauty contests are everywhere: they take place around the world; draw local and
international audiences; span every conceivable group, interest and topic; and
involve competitors ranging in age from infants to centenarians...as universal and
diverse as beauty contests are and as varied as their cultural and historical
contexts tend to be, what they do is remarkably similar. Whether the competition
is for the title of Miss Universe or the Crooked Tree Cashew Queen, these contests
showcase values, concepts, and behaviour that exist at the center of a groups
sense of itself and exhibit values of morality, gender and place.82
As stated above, the Rose of Tralee organisers constantly deny that the contest is a
beauty pageant; however, in my opinion it is beneficial to look at some pageant-related
literature as the contest shares many similarities with the type of American
Beauty/Community Pageants immortalised in the black comedy Drop Dead Gorgeous.
In his chapter, Its Not a Beauty Pageant! Hybrid Ideology in Minnesota Community
Queen Pageants, Robert H. Lavenda explains that many beauty pageants are often
not described as such by their organisers; The automatic response that the people
involved with small town pageants always give: Its not a beauty pageant!...To them,
to talk of beauty is to emphasize physical features when pageants are supposed to
find a representative for the community who embodies what local people believe to
be the best of themselves: talent, friendliness, commitment to the community and its
values.83 In my opinion clear comparisons can be drawn between these criteria and
the above descriptions of those qualities sought in a Rose.
Rebecca Chiyoko King-ORiain, senior NUIM lecturer, explains the importance of this
denial : The argument that it is a cultural not a beauty pageant is common in
82
Colleen Ballerino Cohen, Richard Wilk and Beverly Soeltje (eds), Beauty Queens: On the Global Stage
(New York, 1996) pp 1-2.
83
Robert H. Lavenda, Its Not a Beauty Pageant! Hybrid Ideology in Minnesota Community Queen
Pageants. in Beauty Queens: On the Global Stage, eds. Colleen Ballerino Cohen, Richard Wilk and Beverly
Soeltje (New York, 1996) p. 31.
~ 32 ~
cultural pageants such as those that purport to reward cultural authenticity, cultural
practices and preserve cultural tradition...However, they do so by choosing a woman
as a symbol of all of this culture.84
The reason for the academic interest in pageants is evident in King-ORiains
comments. Through research it has become clear to me that beauty pageants are
interesting cultural production sites.85 Winners are chosen in order to represent a
community and a culture; they are an exemplar of that community and its collective
identity to both those inside the community and the wider audience as a whole.86The
author states that Beauty pageants also produce beauty queens that symbolize
collective identities and produce those same identities in racial, ethnic, gender and
cultural terms through the pageant.87 In Beauty Queens: On the Global Stage,
Ballerino Cohen et al go further explaining that by choosing an individual whose
deportment, appearance, and style embodies the values and goals of a nation, locality,
or group, beauty contests expose these same values and goals to interpretation and
challenge.88
It is due to this embodiment that Ballerino Cohen et al argue that the beauty contest
stage is where... identities and cultures can do and frequently are made public and
visible89
They expand on this, explaining that pageants are not only places where queens are
chosen but where they are made. In this sense, beauty pageants can be seen as
cultural forms of collective self-identity as well as embodied production points of
cultural identity.90
84
st
Colleen Ballerino Cohen, Richard Wilk and Beverly Soeltje (eds), Beauty Queens: On the Global Stage
(New York, 1996) p.8.
86
M Colleen Ballerino Cohen, Richard Wilk and Beverly Soeltje (eds), Beauty Queens: On the Global Stage
(New York, 1996) p.1.
87
(New York, 1996) p.8.
88
(New York, 1996) p.2.
89
(New York, 1996) p.2.
90
Rebecca Chiyoko King-ORiain, Making the Perfect Queen: The Cultural Production of Identities in Beauty
Pageants, Sociology Compass 1, no. 10 (2007), p.2.
85
~ 33 ~
I think this concept is very important in the analysis of the Rose of Tralee; the contest
focuses on choosing a young woman who is the embodiment of the Irish community,
representing Irish culture at home and abroad. It could therefore be argued that a
large part of the appeal of the festival is the desire to see which woman is chosen to
embody the audiences culture and community. Of course, among the contestants
there is an aspiration to personify Ireland and its Diaspora appropriately on the world
stage.
I feel that this angle of academic discussion is very important in finding a solution to my
research question.
Beauty pageants are public events where decisions about who the queen will be
and what she will represent in cultural... terms during her reign, provide a space
for discourse and cultural action in...national communities. Beauty pageants...both
provide a field for debates about culture while also creating the culture and
collective meaning that is to be debated...[Cultural]...pageants require individual
candidates to develop sets of cultural skills used to make authenticity claims to be
queen, but these are exercised within a collective and communal gaze.91
B A N A L N A T I O N A LI S M
In the above section I have discussed how pageants and competitions such as the Rose
of Tralee are important sites of cultural production.
On the surface these events often do not appear to have much real significance;
however, frequently productions that appear inconsequential are in fact very
revealing. Ballerino Cohen et al explain that cultural critics argue that in treating
popular culture as trivial, we risk obscuring the operation of structures of power that
are masked by the seemingly frivolous nature of events and images.92
91
Rebecca Chiyoko King-ORiain, Making the Perfect Queen: The Cultural Production of Identities in Beauty
Pageants, Sociology Compass 1, no. 10 (2007), p.9.
92
(New York, 1996) p.7.
~ 34 ~
Below I plan to examine the importance of seemingly insignificant events on a cultural
and nationalist scale. In the previous section I have discussed cultural production; the
creation of a cultural identity by a community. This concept is clearly related to
nationalism, a form of cultural identity.
In Nation- States and Nationalism, Maleevi explains that some types of nationalism
can be ignored:
Since nationalism is colloquially associated with highly momentous events such as wars,
revolutions, insurgencies, terrorism or genocide, there is a tendency to overemphasize
the emotional at the expense of the habitual acts in the nationalistic experience. Far
more attention is given to the proclamations of revolutionaries, the voluntary sacrifices
of soldiers and the inflammatory speeches of radical politicians than to the everyday
manifestations of nationalism expressed in sports, cinematic productions, tourism,
beauty pageants or cuisine.93 (My emphasis.)
In fact, Maleevi argues that triviality is the defining feature of nearly all
nationalisms94 not the momentous easily recognisable events. Instead of being a
mere synonym for frailty, it is the trivial and habitual acts that both reflect and
reinforce the organizational and ideological powers of modern nation-states. In this
sense nationalism is much more powerful when it appears in an invisible, routines and
habitual, rather than in a hostile, guise.95
In the modern world, following the upheavals of the mid-twentieth century, a level of
stability has been achieved in the developed world. There are no longer the wars in the
Western World and therefore no longer the stage for aggressive nationalism. Instead
other milder forms have taken over, such as sporting competitions, the Eurovision and,
of course, beauty contests.96
This form of nationalism has been referred to as Banal Nationalism by Billig, however
he is is adamant that, for him, banality is not a synonym for benign acts: banal
nationalism can hardly be innocent.97 In fact from the commemorations of national
days to public festivals, sports competitions, beauty pageants, tourist destinations,
93
Sinisa Maleevi, Nation-States and Nationalisms (Cambridge, 2013), p. 121.

95
96
Sinisa Maleevi, Nation-States and Nationalisms (Cambridge, 2013), pp.122 123.
97
94
~ 35 ~
national cuisine, triumphal arches or war memorials. In everyday life all of these and
many other symbols can became(sic) powerful mobilizers of nationalist action... The
key point is that one should not confuse invisibility with irrelevance. Although such
symbols can remain unnoticed for very long periods of time, it does not mean that they
are insignificant.98
In a post-colonial Ireland, nationalism and the need to define the nation-state have
been a dominant force, from the emphasis on the use of the native tongue to the
promotion of Gaelic Games. The Rose of Tralee, although a trivial beauty contest, is
an event which allows another form of nationalistic promotion; young woman from
around the world come to Tralee to declare their love for their nation of origin
(whether or not that origin was a very long time ago). The fact that many of these
young women have a different country of birth only goes to increase the nationalistic
feeling; they are proud to be Irish despite having a more dominant culture. In fact in
2001 South Australian Rose was actually born in Taiwan, but was adopted by a couple
from Adelaide with Irish ancestry,99 further proving the supremacy of Irishness.
Perhaps the appeal of the festival is that it plays on nationalistic feelings among the
Irish and the Irish abroad. The women on stage are accomplished and confident, filled
with Irish pride. The Roses promote Irish culture on-stage by performing traditional
songs, dances and stories and by wearing traditional costumes. In fact the
international Roses also receive Certificates of Irish Heritage proving how important
their Irishness is to them.
Although it may seem to be an unimportant contest, in fact the Rose of Tralee may be
a significant outlet for Irish nationalistic feelings. 100
98

100
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.387272981327151.88822.156917537696031&type=3
Accessed:24/07/2014 12:42
99
~ 36 ~
FIG. 40: INTERNATIONAL ROSES RECEIVE THEIR CERTIFICATES OF IRISH HERITAGE IN

CROKE PARK WHILE WEARING THEIR ANCESTRAL COUNTY COLOURS.
Because the concept of nationalism has been restricted to exotic and passionate
exemplars, the routine and familiar forms of nationalism have been overlooked. In
this case, our daily nationalism slips from attention. There is a growing body of
opinion that nation-states are declining. Nationalism, or so it is said, is no longer a
major force: globalization is the order of the day. But a reminder is necessary.
Nationhood is still being reproduced: it can still call for ultimate sacrifices; and,
daily, its symbols and assumptions are flagged.101
I N V EN T E D T R A D I T I O N S
In the closing quote above Maleevi discusses the view that nationalism may be
decreasing, however, nationalism still proliferates, a nationalism of a different style.
In my opinion, in the modern globalised world, nationalisms are now proving even
more important than ever as a differentiating aspect. In fact, for the Irish, I think it is
felt to be vital to, not only enforce the importance of their nation-state, but also their
worldwide community in order to create a global Irishness. As part of the
homogenising European Union many traditions are now are vanishing, below I will use
Hobsbawns theory of invented traditions to argue that others are being created in
order to maintain our individual identity.
In his work The Invention of Tradition, Hobsbawn argues that traditions which
appear or claim to be old are often quite recent in origin and sometimes invented.102
The author goes further stating that these traditions are a set of symbolic practices,
101
Michael Billig, Banal Nationalism, (London,1995) p. 8.

Eric Hobsbawn, Introduction: Inventing Tradition in The Invention of Tradition, ed. E. Hobsbawn and T.
Ranger (Cambridge, 1992), p.1
102
~ 37 ~
rules and rituals that aim to create values and accepted behaviour which give the
impression of being a continuity of the past, particularly a past that is considered
suitable to those creating the traditions. This process is one of formalisation and
ritualisation linking the tradition to the past through repetition. In my opinion this is an
idea that is pertinent to the Rose of Tralee festival. That the festival is only just over
half a century old is, of course, common knowledge, however it is a yearly tradition
that links to a historic past and is used as a basis for connections between the Irish at
home and abroad.
One aspect of Hobsbawns hypothesis that I found particularly informative is when he
discusses the construction of entirely new traditions for new purposes with the use of
ancient materials. Hobsbawn explains that sometimes new traditions could be grafted
on old ones, sometimes they could be devised by borrowing from...official ritual, [and]
symbolism.103 He goes on to explain how this form of invented tradition has been used
to engender and encourage nationalist feelings.
The author also explains that the past with which these traditions are associated need
not be ancient, covering centuries; but instead may be connected to a relevant past
that has a specific cut off point. However we must be clear, this connection with the
past is largely factitious.104 Hobsbawn argues, these traditions are responses to novel
situations which take the forms of reference to old situation, or which establish their
own past by quasi-obligatory repetition.105 In my opinion this is a perfect explanation
of the festival, it utilises a song with questionable origins in order to create a link with a
historic Ireland, an Ireland that is the tenuous connection between third, fourth, and
fifth generation members of the Irish diaspora. This connection is perpetuated by the
annual festival, a tradition in its own right.
Finally, Hobsbawn explains that the situations in which invented traditions flourish are
those in which a rapid transformation of society weakens or destroys the social
patterns for which old traditions had been designed, producing new ones to which
103
104
105
~ 38 ~
they were not applicable and their...promulgators no longer prove
sufficiently...flexible, or are otherwise eliminated: in short, when there are sufficiently
large and rapid changes on the demand or the supply side.106 This is again a perfect
description of Ireland during the twentieth century, dealing with independence,
economic depression and growth, globalisation, and mass emigration and immigration.
Hobsbawn therefore argues that all invented traditions are highly relevant to that
comparatively recent historical innovation, the nation, with its associated
phenomena: nationalism, the nation-state, national symbols, histories and the
rest.107Nations make use of their history, or more importantly pertinent sections of
their history, to legitimate and validate their existence and more importantly create a
group consciousness that agrees with this continuation. We can indeed say that the
nation and many its important symbols and rituals rest on exercises in social
engineering which are often deliberate and always innovative.108
The above has been an overly brief summary of Hobsbawns approach however I feel
that his theory is very relevant and useful in the analysis of the popularity and
continuity of the Rose of Tralee. Of course The Invention of Tradition deals with the
concept of nationalism, as discussed above, I feel that in the modern, globalised world
we can look beyond pure nationalism to the idea of Irishness on a broader scale. I
would argue that in the case of the Rose of Tralee we can view diaspora and
community building as a more modern approach to nation building. I think that the
popularity of the invented tradition of the Rose of Tralee, is an indication of the Irish
communitys desire to create a unifying identity for itself.
106
107
108
~ 39 ~
A SPIRATIONS
In the last three sections I have discussed the possible
nationalistic and cultural attraction of the Rose of Tralee;
however, I feel that we should not overlook the personal,
aspirational appeal of the competition. 109
In an Economist article discussing the enduring popularity of
Barbie, the author explains that part of Barbies appeal is that
FIG. 41: BEAUTY QUEEN BARBIE
she has become...the face of the American dream. Barbie is

not a mere toy nor product category: she is an icon...Some think she answers an innate
girlish desire for fantasy, role-playing and dressing-up.110 In conclusion it is stated that
the small plastic doll is an apparently enduring statement of aspiration and western
aesthetic.111
In my opinion a similar description could be applied to the
Rose of Tralee. In the Introduction I discussed my own
relationship with the festival; from growing up, watching and
meeting the glamorous Roses to attempting to become one
myself. I think that my story is a reflection of most young
womens desires to live some form of a fairytale. The Rose of
Tralee is a modern fairytale; young women get the
opportunity to dress in beautiful gowns, attend balls and have
FIG. 42: A GIRL DREAMS...
a male escort to be their perfect chivalrous companion, tending to their every need.
Women have few opportunities to live out this fantasy apart from perhaps their Debs
or Wedding Day. The festival provides an opportunity for girls and women to live out
their fantasy, vicariously, through the Roses on stage.112113
109
Fig.41 Image Source: http://www.redbubble.com/people/kristenmarie/works/1312841-beauty-queenbarbie Accesed:24/07/2014 12:47

110
"Life in - plastic; Barbie." The Economist, 21 Dec. 2002: p.1.
111
"Life in - plastic; Barbie." The Economist, 21 Dec. 2002: p.1.
112
Fig 42: Image Source: www.roseoftralee.ie Accessed:24/07/2014 12:50
113
Fig 42: Image Source: www.roseoftralee.ie Accessed:24/07/2014 12:50
~ 40 ~
The Roses personify any girls dream for herself, any parents
hopes for their daughter and any mans dream for a girlfriend.
Indeed the contest can appeal to mens aspirations also; the
young women on stage can be seen as the ideal woman, an
ideal accomplished, intelligent and attractive wife. (In fact, it
is well known that some of the escorts sign up with this idea
in mind, indeed two hosts, Ray Darcy and Daith himself have
married former Roses!) One could argue that in a world where
FIG. 43: A CHIVALROUS ESCORT
the traditional role of men is challenged and man is no longer

the sole breadwinner; the Roses provide an ideal element of traditional femininity that
appeals to male audiences as well as female.
~ 41 ~
C ONCLUSION
In this paper I have endeavoured to give the reader an insight into the annual Rose of
Tralee Festival. As we can see from the history of the competition it began as a small
Carnival Queen contest that has grown into an international, week-long festival with a
two-night, primetime television slot. This small event in a medium-sized industrial
town in South West Ireland has grown to become internationally recognised, even
beyond the Irish community (on my first day of college in London, my lecturers treated
my whole class to a rendition of The Rose of Tralee upon learning of my town of
origin.)
As a Tralee native I have always had an interest in the contest and the attitudes of
others towards it. I find it fascinating to see and hear the derisive comments directed
towards the festival each summer. It is for that reason that I undertook to understand
how and why the festival has managed to remain popular for over half a century in the
face of this criticism.
In order for the reader to understand the true situation of the festival, I have discussed
the denigration the contest has received, comparing this to its enduring popularity.
Despite much of the feminist and modernist condemnation the televised shows draw
in huge audiences, are followed intently by social media and attract large crowds to
the town each year.
In order to understand the continuing success of the festival I examined a number of
cultural theorists. Firstly, I discussed how pageants could be investigated as sites of
cultural production, validating my interest in the festival. Through my research I
discovered that academics believe pageants to be important as they allow a
community to nominate an ambassador to showcase that community, its culture and
values on a larger stage.
I next studied the concept of banal nationalism, learning that although events such as
the Rose of Tralee may appear trivial they can in fact be important sites of nationalistic
production. Nationalism is often viewed as a concept related to revolutions and major
upheaval, however the Rose of Tralee allows for the promotion of all things Irish in a
much more passive way. Continuing with my investigation of nationalism I discovered
~ 42 ~
that an invented tradition like the Rose festival is an ideal conduit for nationalistic
sentiment.
With all the discussion of nations and nationalism I felt it was also important to
investigate more personal motivators which led to my examination of aspirations and
our desires to achieve perfection whether through participating or vicariously through
voyeurism.
I feel my research has given me great insight in order to answer my research question.
It could of course be argued that the popularity of the festival is down to clever
marketing, habit or lack of anything any better to watch.
However, taking into account my above discussion I argue that in my opinion the Rose
of Tralee has maintained its popularity because it appeals to two basic, natural desires:
the yearning for perfection and the need to belong.
The glitz and glamour of the Rose of Tralee resonates to any young woman who has
fantasised about a Disney Princess life. The chance to become one of these princesses
is enduringly seductive, even in these modern liberated times. For the audience the
contest offers an escapist opportunity; glamour and spectacle are ever popular as
shown by the constant consumption of magazines like Hello! and TV shows such as
Britains Got Talent and Toddlers and Tiaras. For the female section of the audience,
the Roses embody their dreams and aspirations; for the men they are the ideal
girlfriend.
As humans we have an inherent need to belong, to have roots. The Rose of Tralee
helps to fulfil this need for both the native Irish and the Diaspora abroad. For the Irish
overseas and their descendents the festival allows them to create, retain and celebrate
ties to their homeland and other Irish communities around the globe. The Irish at home
are offered the opportunity to maintain links with those who have left our shores, and
to project the concept of a global Irish community centred in their small island. As Mic
Wright explains in The Telegraph The Rose is an international event, another
opportunity to push brand Ireland out into the hearts and minds of folk convinced
theyve got that all important shard of shamrock in their souls. The theory of Irish
~ 43 ~
heritage is similar to homeopathy; it doesnt really matter how dilute the link, the Irish
are ready to claim you.114
Many ex-pats and second, third and fourth generation Irish left their native land to
escape poverty and depredation with the desire to improve their life. However, there
is a nostalgia for an Ireland remembered or imagined through rose-tinted glasses, a
reassuring dream of Ireland as a small green haven, safe from the stresses of the
modern world as pleasant and wholesome as the girls on the stage in the Dome.
This phenomenon is seen in songs and stories and in films such as the perennially
popular The Quiet Man set in a rural Ireland as it never was, but as perhaps it should
have been. In the film an archetypal beautiful red-haired Irish colleen is
temperamental and feisty but ultimately becomes sweet and biddable, tamed by her
man.
The nostalgia generated goes far to explain the films popularity in America, but it was
extremely popular in Ireland where the reality of rural life was being lived while it was
being screened. Indeed it still commands appreciative audiences today, obviously
distance has led enchantment. Perhaps there is still present in the Irish psyche a touch
of De Valeras idyll with comely maidens, despite our better judgement. Similarly
audiences know that life today for any young woman in Ireland or elsewhere has many
difficulties, pressures, social issues etc. and that not all girls would be ambassadorial
material. The audience isnt blinkered or deluded, the girls on the stage in the Dome
are not there to discuss problems, they focus on an optimistic, positive view of their
lives to date and their lives in the future. The girls are pleasant, charming and Irish
(wherever they come from) they represent and showcase and ideal view of Ireland
creating a valuable, hopeful feel- good factor for a brief while.
As I watch the preparations and admire the carnival-style street lighting around the
town in readiness for another festival, I feel that, based on my research and
conclusions, the Rose of Tralee has a bright future as it will continue to appeal to some
of our most basics desires and aspirations, and I look forward to celebrating it for
many years to come.
114
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/10254002/The-Rose-of-Tralee-Why-Irelands-mostfamous-beauty-pageant-continues-to-thrive.html
~ 44 ~
A PPENDICES
A PPENDIX 1: 2013 R OSE C ENTRES
Ireland
Antrim
Armagh
Carlow
Cavan
Clare
Cork
Derry
Donegal
Down
Dublin
Fermanagh
Galway
Kerry
Kildare
Kilkenny
Laois
Leitrim
Limerick
Longford
Louth
Mayo
Meath
Monaghan
Offaly
Roscommon
Sligo
Tipperary
Tyrone
Waterford
Westmeath
Wexford
Wicklow
Birmingham
Derby
London
Liverpool
Nottingham
Manchester
Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Scotland
Boston & New England

New York
San Francisco
Chicago
North Carolina
Southern California
Kentucky
Ohio
Texas
Britain
USA
Arizona
New Orleans
Philadelphia
Washington DC
Canada
Western Canada
Newfoundland & Labrador Ottawa
Toronto
Europe
Germany
Luxembourg
Australia & New

Zealand
Darwin
South Australia
Melbourne
Sydney
Perth
New Zealand
Queensland
Bahrain
Dubai
Oman
Middle East
Abu Dhabi
~ 45 ~
A PPENDIX 2: W INN ERS 1959
TO
P RESE NT
Year
Name
Represented
Year
Name
Represented
1959
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
Alice O'Sullivan
Theresa Kenny
Josie Ruane
Ciara O'Sullivan
Geraldine Fitzgerald
Margaret O'Keeffe
Therese Gillespie
Lorraine Stollery
Anne Foley
Eileen Slattery
Cathy Quinn
Kathy Welsh
Linda McGreevey
Claire Dubendorfer
Veronica McCambridge
Maggie Flaherty
Maureen Shannon
Marie Soden
Orla Burke
Liz Shovlin
Marita Marron
Sheila O'Hanrahan
Debbie Carey
Laura Gainey
Brenda Hyland
Diane Hannagan
Helena Rafferty
Noreen Cassidy
Dublin
Chicago
Cork
Dublin
Boston
Tralee
Belfast
New Zealand
Birmingham
Clare
Dublin
Holyoke
Miami
Switzerland
Belfast
New York
London
New York
Waterford
Pennsylvania
Belfast
Galway
Birmingham
Peterborough
Waterford
Limerick
Boston
Leeds
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
Larna Canoy
Mary Ann Murphy
Sinad Boyle
Julia Dawson
Denise Murphy
Niamh Grogan
Kirsty Flynn
Muirne Hurley
Nyomi Horgan
Colleen Mooney
Sinad Lonergan
Mindi O'Sullivan
Geraldine O'Grady
Risn Egenton
Lisa Manning
Tamara Gervasoni
Orla Tobin
Orla O'Shea
Aoibhinn N Shilleabhin
Kathryn Feeney
Lisa Murtagh
Aoife Kelly
Charmaine Kenny
Clare Kambamettu
Tara Talbot
Nicola McEvoy
Haley O'Sullivan
Chicago
New Zealand
Dublin
Germany
Cork
Galway
Midlands UK
Limerick
Perth
Toronto
France
Galway
Cork
New York
Perth
Italy
Dublin
Kilkenny
Mayo
Queensland
New York
Tipperary
London
London
Queensland
Luxembourg
Texas
~ 46 ~
B IBLIOGRAPHY
"6 lovely girls pageants that are not the Rose of Tralee." The Daily Edge. Web. 24 July
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"885,000 Viewers As Jubilee Rose Of Tralee Is Crowned." Superannrte. Web. 24 July
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<http://www.superannrte.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&i
d=724:rose-of-tralee-885000-viewers-724&catid=10&Itemid=115>.
Akenson, Donald H. The Irish diaspora: a Primer. Toronto: 1996.
"An Spailpn Finach: The Rose of Tralee - the First Fell Sign of Winter." An Spailpn
Fainach: The Rose of Tralee - the First Fell Sign of Winter. Web. 24 July 2014.
<http://spailpin.blogspot.ie/2010/08/rose-of-tralee-first-fell-sign-of.html>.
Baudrillard, Jean. The Consumer Society Myths and Structures. Thousand Oaks,
Calif.:1998.
Billig, Michael. Banal Nationalism. London: 1995.
Cohen, Colleen Ballerino, Richard R. Wilk, and Beverly Stoeltje. Beauty Queens on the
Global Stage: Gender, Contests, and Power. New York: 1996.
"Daithi O'Se: Recession has impacted the Rose of Tralee." irishmirror. Web. 24 July
2014. <http://www.irishmirror.ie/showbiz/irish-showbiz/rose-traleepresenter-daithi-ose-2152278>.
Dwyer, T. Ryle. The Rose of Tralee: fifty years a-blooming. Dublin: 2009.
"Dith O'S Tells Rose of Tralee Critics To Put A Sock In It." Her.ie. Web. 24 July 2014.
<http://www.her.ie/entertainment/daithi-ose-tells-rose-of-tralee-critics-toput-a-sock-in-it/>.
Elliott, Anthony. Identity in question. Los Angeles: 2009.
"Festival reaches its peak in glory decade - Independent.ie." Independent.ie. Web. 24
July 2014. <http://www.independent.ie/regionals/kerryman/lifestyle/festivalreaches-its-peak-in-glory-decade-27386246.html>.
"Festivals." Rose of Tralee International Festival. Web. 24 July 2014.
~ 47 ~
<http://www.discoverireland.ie/Whats-On/rose-of-tralee-internationalfestival/505697>.
Gray, Breda. "Longings and belongings gendered spatialities of Irishness." Irish Studies
Review 7.2 (1999): pp.193-210.
"Half of last nights telly viewers were watching the Rose of Tralee." The Daily Edge.
Web. 24 July 2014. <http://thedailyedge.thejournal.ie/rose-of-tralee-viewers1047441-Aug2013/>.
"Havent They All Got Lovely Bottoms! The Rose Of Tralee Is Bonkers Craic." Beautie.
Web. 24 July 2014. <http://beaut.ie/2013/havent-they-all-got-lovely-bottomsthe-rose-of-tralee-is-bonkers-craic/#.U9ED9uNdUnN>.
Hegarty, Shane . "Why even Father Ted couldn't kill the Rose of Tralee." The Irish
Times [Dublin] 17 Aug. 2013, sec. Life&Style: p.10.
Hobsbawm, E. J., and T. O. Ranger. The Invention of tradition. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 1992.
King-ORiain, Rebecca Chiyoko. "Making The Perfect Queen: The Cultural Production
Of Identities In Beauty Pageants." Sociology Compass 2.1 (2008): pp.74-83.
Laughlin, Jim. Location and Dislocation in Contemporary Irish Society: Emigration and
Irish Identities. Cork: 1997.
"Life in-plastic; Barbie.." The Economist 21 Dec. 2002: pp.1-4.
Maleevi, Sinia Nation-States and Nationalisms: Organization, Ideology and
Solidarity. Cambridge, UK: 2013.
"MediaVest - Rose of Tralee Rating." MediaVest Ireland. Web. 24 July 2014.
<http://www.mediavest.ie/2435/rose-of-tralee-ratings-a-huge-success/>.
"Meet the Lovely Girls of 2013." The Daily Edge. Web. 24 July 2014.
<http://thedailyedge.thejournal.ie/rose-of-tralee-2013-1035401-Aug2013/>.
Mulholland, Joe. The Soul Of Ireland: Issues Of Society, Culture, and Identity. Dublin,
Ireland: 2006.
O'Day, Alan. "Imagined Irish Communities: Networks of Social Communication of the
Irish Diaspora in the United States and Britain in the Late Nineteenth and Early
~ 48 ~
Twentieth Centuries." Immigrants & Minorities 23.2-3 (2005): pp.399-424.
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2014. <http://www.thejournal.ie/over-890000-tune-in-to-see-new-rose-oftralee-crowned-568452-Aug2012/>.
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<http://www.thejournal.ie/rose-of-tralee-564840-Aug2012/>.
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return migrants from the United States." Irish Studies Review 17.2 (2009):
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<http://www.rte.ie/ten/news/2011/0824/431793-roseoftralee/>.
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~ 49 ~
<http://www.iol.ie/~rose/story.htm>.
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~ 50 ~
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~1~

THE ROSE OF TRALEE:

~ Rosalynd Hayes 12252105 ~

~ Rosalynd Hayes 12252105 ~

~ Rosalynd Hayes 12252105 ~

~ Rosalynd Hayes 12252105 ~

FIG. 1: ANNUAL FESTIVAL PARADE THROUGH TRALEE TOWN CENTRE

~ Rosalynd Hayes 12252105 ~

~ Rosalynd Hayes 12252105 ~

~ Rosalynd Hayes 12252105 ~

circuit television and relayed to the other festival

~ Rosalynd Hayes 12252105 ~

New Rose Centres in the

of Roses (Boston, Chicago, Leeds and Kerry), but also in the

1962: San Francisco

hype surrounding the festival including the purchasing of the

1963: Sydney, Coventry

now famous street lighting from Blackpool. 16

1960 also marked the extension of eligibility to young,

1967: Liverpool, Galway

unmarried women who had ancestors from any part of Kerry,

1968: France, Los Angeles,

not just Tralee.17 Throughout the decade the festival carried

Philadelphia, Nottingham, Clare,

on to grow with greater success each year.

1969: Argentina, Melbourne,

In 1964 the success of the growing festival was recognised as

Fig. 4 Image Source: http://www.kennellyarchive.com/images/book.swf Accessed:21/07/2014 17:05

~ Rosalynd Hayes 12252105 ~

Despite the worrying times in 1971 crowds of up to 100,000

New Rose Centres in the

spending topped 1 million in Tralee during the 1972 festival.24

In 1974, as the festival continued to achieve success, a huge

1971: Calgary and Lawrence,

marquee...was purchased...Christened the Dome.25 The Selection

1972: Holland, Switzerland,

the show, bringing his expertise and celebrity to the proceedings.

~ Rosalynd Hayes 12252105 ~

New Rose Centres in

what was working.

The eighties was an economically harsh decade for the Irish

~ Rosalynd Hayes 12252105 ~

OSullivan, 21...was chosen as Rose of Tralee. A great-

1992: New Orleans

grandfather on her fathers side was a member of Kerrys first

1995: South Africa

two All-Ireland winning football teams...Mindys mother,

Florita, was a Filipino who came to Ireland as an au pair for a

~ Rosalynd Hayes 12252105 ~

T HE T URN -A ROUND N OUGHTIES

New Rose Centres in the

atmosphere throughout the town. This in turn resulted in a

2004:Laois, Kildare, Kilkenny

began restructuring and investigating methods of creating a

~ Rosalynd Hayes 12252105 ~

~ Rosalynd Hayes 12252105 ~

http://www.roseoftralee.ie/roses/regional-roses Accessed:21/07/2014 17:13

~ Rosalynd Hayes 12252105 ~

FIG. 5: CONTESTANTS AT THE 2014 REGIONAL FINALS IN PORTLAOISE

INTERNATIONAL SELECTION NIGHTS

Fig. 5 Image Source: http://www.roseoftralee.ie/roses/regional-roses

~ Rosalynd Hayes 12252105 ~

Fig. 8 Image Source: http://www.irishtimes.com/news/rose-from-down-under-takes-top-prize-in-tralee1.605005 Accessed:21/07/2014 17:15