The atmosphere was electrifying in the stunning Dome venue last night, as banners and flags illuminated the heart of the kingdom in support for the 32 beautiful roses. After paying tribute to his fiancé former New Jersey Rose Rita Talty, Dáithí Ó Sé got the show off to a cracking start.
In an exclusive interview with RTÉ TEN, the charming host revealed that the judges have “a really, really tough decision on their hands” to pick the winner of this year’s 52nd International Rose of Tralee competition – and following last night’s exciting display we understand exactly what he means.
Along with the potential of taking home the sought after title, the lucky winning rose will also take home Newbridge Silverware jewellery, Carlton Hotel gift cards, a €25,000 world prize, a Philip Treacy tiara and a car for the year!
As eighteen magnificent roses took to the stage last night, it was difficult to a pick a favourite; however there were a few ladies’ whose quirky stories and bubbly personalities that stood out from the crowd. Check out my top five Roses of the night below:
(1) Sunderland - Niamh O' Connell: Niamh O’ Connell floated onto the stage in an elegant floor-length black gown, while sporting a great big smile. From the get-go I found her personality to be infectious. Niamh’s bubbly personality and free-spirited attitude towards life instantly made her a likeable character in my books.
The highlight and by far the biggest surprise of the night had to be when she revealed her special talent which came in the form of the Banana Song (I kid you not!). Please tell me I am not the only one who can't get the “Peel banana, peel peel banana; slice banana, slice slice banana” lyrics out of my head!
Niamh O' Connell had all the Roses up on their feet singing the Banana Song.
(2) Down – Nicole Curran: When fresh faced Nicole glided on stage and gazed out at the audience with her big blue eyes and sweet smile, I was half expecting her to be slightly timid or shy - boy was I wrong. Within a matter of minutes, Nicole had the audience eating out of the palm of her hands. From her comical stories about laughing like a donkey (she wasn't lying), to trying to set her cheeky brothers up with the Roses - Nicole was one of the most memorable Roses.
Her haunting rendition of She Moved Through The Fair sent chills down my spine, and was definitely the best talent performance of the night!
Nicole Curran gave a haunting performance of She Moved Through The Fair.
(3) Tipperary - Noirin Ryan: It was hard to pinpoint which Rose bagged the chatterbox award last night, but there was no shutting Noirin Ryan up – which wasn’t a bad thing by any means. Noirin’s brilliant sense of humour made her easy to listen to. As she stood proudly on stage in a beautiful blue gown telling tales about her high-maintenance boyfriend and waving out to her ten siblings, I found it hard not to take a shine to the 24-year-old.
Noirin has a fantastic stage presence, and you can tell that she is a lovely cailín, that would be easy to get on with. Her sensational performance of Summerfly has made this Rose one to watch in the commpetition.
Noirin Ryan told a great story about her boyfriend putting electric bulbs in a Christmas card.
(4) Perth - Melanie Gore: She was given the title Abs of Steel by London rose Caroline Marley who was shocked when she tried to imitate the PE teacher’s daily gym work-outs – apparently Caroline was forced to take Nurofen for a week! There is no denying that Melanie lives life to the full. I loved her go get 'em attitude. This high achiever will be successful in life no matter what path she decides to take.
Perth Rose Melanie Gore was named Abs of Steel by London Rose Caroline Marley.
(5) Edmonton- Tara Keigher: Tara was one of the select few singletons in the competition, but she quickly revealed that she thinks Irish boys are the way to go. From explaining to Dáithí that she walks, talks and hides things in her sleep, to her impressive Irish dance routine to a Taio Cruz track - Tara proved to be a hard act to follow.
Tara Keigher wowed crowds with her interesting combination of rap music and Irish dancing!
Don't forget to tune in tonight as the remaining fourteen Roses take to the stage in the hopes of being crowned the Rose of Tralee 2011.
The fun starts from 8pm on RTÉ One.
