This experience is all about celebrating women across the Irish diaspora.
In the months leading up to the Rose of Tralee International Festival, 65 women from across the globe compete and are selected to be a Rose ambassador for their respective region. For the year of 2016, I was selected to be the Ohio Rose. With that, my Rose Centre donated $1000 in my name to a charity of my choice, provided me with a $1000 scholarship, and collaborated with a Tralee native wardrobe designer, Rebekah Wall, who designed all of my clothing. Duties with the Ohio Rose title include, but are not limited to, attending Irish events around Ohio, spreading word about the Festival to any and everyone, socializing, performing, being interviewed, and giving public speeches. Of all the events I attended before going to Ireland, my favorite were all the ones associated with St. Patrick's Day. Big surprise there, right? But, none of the events I attended in Ohio throughout the spring and summer could possibly prepare me for the Festival to come in August. In August, the 65 Roses travel to Tralee, Ireland and participate in numerous and fantastic activities that the Rose of Tralee International Festival have to offer. We start and end as 65 Rose sisters, but we all go in knowing that only one of us will be selected to be the 2016 Rose of Tralee. She who is crowned will be the international ambassador for our 2016 class of Roses until she passes her tiara on to the 2017 Rose of Tralee next year. To the people of Tralee and Ireland, the 65 Roses are not your average woman coming to tour the sights of the Emerald Isle. Oh no. They are highly idolized as the most sophisticated, driven, intelligent, talented, well dressed, well rounded, and kind women from around the globe. Essentially, if you are a Rose, you are treated like a celebrity during your time at the Festival in Ireland. While that may sound like all fun and games, to be treated like a celebrity, it is also extremely hard work and very draining to do for 12 consecutive days. A typical day for me and my 64 Rose sisters started around 8:30am every morning, had several activities on the agenda before lunch, several more activities scheduled before dinner, and still several more scheduled before we were able to retire at our hotel around midnight or 1am. Our planned activities ranged from touring the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin, shopping in Kildare Village, touring a stud farm in County Loise, attending greyhound races, smiling and waving during the Tralee Parades, meeting the public at our paired pub, and visiting historical museums or memorials. Needless to say, by the time you got home for the night, you were exhausted from walking around in wedding attire all day. Each night I had just barely made it to my bed after a quick shower only to fall asleep the moment my head hit the pillow. Although doing all these activities day in and day out for 12 consecutive days is extremely exhausting, it is also extremely fun and rewarding. Each day, the 65 of us were split into smaller groups which allowed us to mix and mingle with every other Rose at some point during our 12 day tour. The bus rides were always a blast since all we ever did was karaoke, chat, and snack on an endless supply of Taytos and KitKats. It was honestly a miracle if you were able to fall asleep on the bus with the constant chatter, singing and laughing going on around you. Actually, despite the fact that all of us were absolutely exhausted, no one really wanted to sleep anyway for fear of missing out on the fun during this once in a lifetime opportunity. In addition to going out and exploring Ireland, the Roses also go through a series of private interviews with the regional judges for the first round. We also have a public interview on stage in front of nearly 2,000 people under a magnificent Dome which is set up once a year specifically for the Rose of Tralee International Festival. Following the public interviews, Roses have the opportunity to perform a talent if they choose; it is not mandatory since this is not a talent competition. I of course chose to share my hoop dance with the audience and judges, who seemed to love it! Another noteworthy event that happens under the Dome every year is the Rose Ball. Arguably, this is the fanciest event of the year in Ireland and has some of the highest fashion in the country. Family and friends of the Roses' as well as the general public pay a pretty Euro to attend this phenomenal black tie event. After the first round of interviews and events happens with the regional judges, they select 32 of the Roses to go through to the second round with international and Irish judges. These Roses are one step closer to being crowned the Rose of Tralee, and so they go through another round of private interviews. Then, they have another public interview and performance in the Dome with a large audience. Only difference this time is that these Roses' stage time gets broadcast live on Irish public television. This year, I heard that around 2 million people tuned in to the telly or watched the live stream online internationally. No pressure or anything. Thankfully, I was one of the lucky 32 ladies who was able to perform on live television. I must say, it was the most energizing and exhilarating experiences of my life to date! In hindsight, I am still very proud of how I represented myself and Ohio during my live interview and am pleased with my hoop dance performance. I don't wish to change one thing about them! That night they announced that the Rose of Tralee for 2016 was the Chicago Rose, Maggie McEldowney. I am so thrilled and excited for her and the amazing adventures she will have during her year as the Rose of Tralee! Plus, Chicago is not far away from Ohio so I will definitely be paying her a visit or two over the course of her reign. After the announcement, the Midnight Madness parade and street party began. Bars were open until the last person left, and I didn't get home that night until 8 in the morning! That was one hell of a night that I will never forget. It was so much fun to finally be able to party and let loose with my new sisters, my brothers and my boyfriend, who all journeyed from the states to celebrate my Rosedom in the Kingdom that is County Kerry, Tralee.