Rose of Tralee returns for 'a wonderful celebration'
Dominique Farrell
Rose of Tralee co-hosts Dáithí Ó Sé and Kathryn Thomas have said they can't wait to get back to Tralee for the festival's 67th year, describing it as "a wonderful celebration of incredible Irish women from all over the world".
The presenters, along with the 32 International Roses taking part this year, gathered at St Helen's Hotel in Stillorgan, Co Dublin, this morning to officially launch the festival.
Kathryn Thomas said there is a huge buzz among the women and is sensing "very little nerves" from them.
"The International Roses have come in; they've been to the Galway Races, they've had a few drinks together. They are very excited about the party side of this as well.
I think you've got a good, fun gang of women who are just looking forward to having the best week of their lives, that's what it's all about. I get very little nerves from them. I don't think anybody is thinking about the live show as of yet.
Despite the party tricks and production, it's all about maintaining a connection to home.
"I think it's going to be a fun show - and this is the magic of the Rose of Tralee. You've all the craic and crazy stuff like dog yoga and ice baths that the production team come up with, but then you have women who are chaplains and biomedical engineers, and women who are taking part in the show because they lost someone very special to them."
"You've got the diaspora coming over from abroad. I think that's always a big reminder for me that when you are living in Australia or the Middle East and you can feel a long way from home, the Rose centres can be a community and that link for so many families who have emigrated. I think it is easy to forget that as Irish people living here, how important that is for people to maintain their connection to Ireland and home."
Dáithí Ó Sé said he always looks forward to the festival.
"It's one of the best gigs of the year, even though I was on Up for the Match a few weeks ago! This is something I look forward to every year. It's a great show to be on. I'm on home territory doing it as well, which is always good. Any time you can show off Kerry and Tralee is always a good day. I'm excited about it again this year."
It's all about forming a connection early on with the women and making sure they feel comfortable.
"You can learn off everything you want to about the Roses, but if you don't take the time to go down the path of connection and take the time to sit down and talk to them face to face, and shoot the breeze with them, you won't gain their trust.
"I've said to all of them, 'Whatever you say here is in confidence'. And there's certain things that Roses don't want to talk about for particular reasons and there's some things they do want to talk about.
"So I tell them I'm going to ask all the personal questions and I'm not being nosey; I'm getting this information that will be between me and you. I want them to walk out on stage and not think, 'Oh, crap, is he going to ask me this?' I want to take that off the table altogether and then that's one less thing for them to worry about going out on stage."
"I am the least important person inside there.
It's about them and their family and the people that are there with them, and when you frame it up in my mind, that takes the pressure off me too.
The Rose of Tralee airs on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player on Monday 17 August and Tuesday 18 August from 8pm.
RTÉ Television.